Hong Kong: 7 imported COVID-19 cases reported The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating seven additional COVID-19 cases, all of which are imported. They arrived at Hong Kong from the US, Tanzania, Austria, Spain and France. A total of 31 cases were reported in Hong Kong in the past 14 days, one of which is a local case with unknown infection sources while the rest are imported. For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Governments dedicated webpage. This story has been published on: 2021-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. 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 GM Liem enters Chessable Masters after tie-break points Vietnams No. 1 player Le Quang Liem (world No. 32) defeated world No. 5 Levon Aronian of Armenia after winning tie-break points on August 6, cruising into the final match of the ongoing the Chessable Masters tournament. GM Le Quang Liem beats GM Levon Aronian, entering Chessable Masters final GM Liem surprised the Chess King Magnus Carlsen initiated tournament by beating GM Aronian 3-1 in the first semi-final match two days ago. He played a spectacular game that included a queen sacrifice to force checkmate. One day later, the Armenian GM succeeded in tying the score, clinching a 2.5 1.5 victory after four games. During the tie-break on August 6, GM Liem again outplayed Aronian in a 2-1 win, entering the final match. Liem is scheduled to take on world No.9 So Wesley of the United States in the final match. . Wesley was a Filipino chess prodigy but was then naturalized as an American and has since played for the US. He was ranked second in the world in 2017. Liem has clashed against Wesley several times, with more losses than wins. This time, the Vietnamese No1 player is expected to win as he is in a very good mood. Chessable Masters is part of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour, which has a total prize fund worth US$1.6 million. Djibouti's hidden rock art offers window to the past From a distance, the black cliffs appear featureless, scorched by a blazing desert sun. But up close, the basalt reveals engravings of giraffe, ostrich and antelope made 7,000 years ago. Ibrahim Dabale Loubak,custodian of the rock art, narrates the story told by ancient depictions of wildlife and cultural practices, near the Djibouti-Ethiopia border These masterful works, etched onto stone in northern Djibouti, are among the most important examples of rock art in the Horn of Africa, a region rich in archaeological heritage and the birthplace of humanity. Stretching three kilometres (almost two miles), some 900 panels at Abourma depict in wonderful relief prehistoric life in these parts, dramatic scenes of early man confronting wildlife, and droving cows. But these centuries-old images, rendered by flint onto igneous rock, also offer a valuable record of a bygone era -- and a land drastically reshaped by millennia of climate change. The wildlife illustrated are still found today on Africa's plains and grasslands, but not in Djibouti, a harsh desert landscape where water and greenery have been scarce for thousands of years. "Today, Abourma is something of a cemetery because we don't have these animals here anymore. At the time, they roamed here because Djibouti was covered in forest," said Omar Mohamed Kamil, a young tour guide who takes visitors to Abourma. "In Abourma... we are a little removed from civilisation. We are in the prehistory, we are living in prehistory." - Millennia upon millennia - This treasure trove lies a six-hour drive away from the capital, Djibouti City, then a further one hour on foot over a craggy expanse of boulders. It would be all-but impossible to find were it not for Ibrahim Dabale Loubak, a camel breeder and Abourma's custodian, who claims to "know every stone, every nook and cranny" of this rocky massif. The 41-year-old is from the Afar community, a historically nomadic people who wandered the arid fringes of Djibouti, Eritrea and Ethiopia, and have known about the carvings for generations. "Our grandfathers told our fathers and then our fathers told it to us," said Loubak, a traditional turban and cloth skirt cladding his slim figure. Despite this local wisdom -- and roughly 70 centuries of existence -- Abourma was not visited by archaeologists until 2005. It was Loubak who guided the first French team to the site, trailed by a caravan of camels bringing food, sleeping quarters, and other essential equipment including a generator for the remote investigation. Archaeologist Benoit Poisblaud, who was part of the team, still evokes with wonder the "extraordinary site", not found anywhere else in the region that he studied as a 25-year-old researcher. "Abourma is a continuity, over several millennia, of passages, engravings, made by very different people: hunters, pastoralists, and those after... Thousands upon thousands of representations," he said. The oldest carvings predate the birth of Christ by 5,000 years, while newer examples were painted around two millenia ago, he said. - Desert custodians - Africa boasts a wealth of archaeological sites, but few, especially rock art, have been fully studied, said Emmanuel Ndiema, head of archaeology at the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi. "Up to now, as we speak, we still get reports about sites here in Kenya, not even elsewhere," he said, estimating that just 10-20 percent of archaeological troves in sub-Saharan Africa had been properly researched. This risks the universal value and preservation of these finds, experts say, which if nurtured could in time attract tourists and history buffs, generating much-needed government revenue. However, greater visibility comes with its own potential cost for heritage. Abourma, for example, receives so few visitors there are no fences, barricades or rules or any kind for those who make the journey to this vast, hidden-away expanse. Loubak, however, is not too worried about threats to these millennia-old artworks, with eyes everywhere reporting the slightest disturbances or outsider presence. "Nobody can come here without my knowledge," he said. Switzerland offers Vietnam nearly US$80 million for business climate improvement The Swiss Government will provide CHF70 million (nearly US$80 million) to help Vietnam improve its business climate and boost its private sectors competitiveness, according to a cooperation programme between the two countries for 2021-2024, which was announced at a virtual ceremony on August 6. Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung (R) and visiting Swiss Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ignazio Cassis. (Photo: VNA) The ceremony was attended by Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung and visiting Swiss Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ignazio Cassis. In the past year, the Ministry of Planning and Investment worked with the Swiss Cooperation Office in Vietnam (SECO) to build the programme. At the event, Dung and Cassis agreed upon a number of key principles for cooperation including associating economic development with environmental protection and other social matters, building a healthy financial management capacity, and planning urban areas that are friendly to businesses and people, among others. The sides also agreed to mobilise Swiss resources serving a project on supporting businesses step up digital transformation in the bilateral or trilateral forms. They said they will promote trade and investment cooperation activities, attracting more top Swiss firms to invest in Vietnam, particularly in sectors with high proportion of technology. As a result, related training and technological transfer will take place and an innovation ecosystem will be formed to turn Vietnam into a developing nation with a modern industry and an upper middle income in 2030. Switzerland has offered official development assistance (ODA), mostly non-refundable aid, to Vietnam since 1992. As of 2020, Switzerlands fund for Vietnam amounted to nearly CHF500 million, helping the country to eliminate poverty. Prime minister urges Covid-19 vaccine purchase for four associations Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has instructed the Ministry of Health to discuss Covid-19 vaccine purchases from abroad following the proposal of four domestic associations. The move was made after the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association, The Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association, the Vietnam Electronic Industries Association and Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCM City asked the government to support a Covid-19 vaccine purchase to vaccinate their staff in export areas. The associations have found a vaccine source from a UAE group, so, they expect that the government and the Ministry of Health will help to chair the negotiation with the partner for the vaccine purchase. All related costs will be paid by the associations businesses. The prime minister agreed on the recommendation and urged the Ministry of Health for the implementation. Written by Merlin Rothfeld, Online Trading Academy Econintersect: Here is a day-by-day rundown of the global economic calendar events for the coming week and the important earnings announcements each day, as well. Video presentation follows the Read more >> jump . Merlin Rothfeld What austerity costs you and your family by Rodger Malcolm Mitchell, www.nofica.com Here is the face of austerity: President Obama is now on track to reduce federal deficit to $0.00 President Obama has reduced the annual federal budget deficit by a full seventy percent since he inherited a $1.4 trillion annual shortfall from his successor George W Bush. And with the race of reduction now accelerating, there is now every reason to believe that Obama can reduce the annual deficit all the way to zero for his final budget before leaving office. This would make him the first U.S. President to eliminate the federal deficit since Bill Clinton. What We Read Today 20 March 2020 Econintersect: Every day our editors collect the most interesting things they find from around the internet and present a summary "reading list" which will include very brief summaries (and sometimes longer ones) of why each item has gotten our attention. Suggestions from readers for "reading list" items are gratefully reviewed, although sometimes space limits the number included. This feature is usually published Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in the late afternoon New York time. For early morning review of headlines see "The Early Bird" published Monday through Friday in the early am at GEI News (membership not required for access to "The Early Bird".). BECOME A GEI MEMBER - IT's FREE! Most of this column ("What We Read Today") is available only to GEI members. To become a GEI Member simply subscribe to our FREE daily newsletter. . Topics today include 32 articles and 19 graphics: Coronavirus can travel twice as far as official safe distance and stay in air for 30 minutes, Chinese study finds How long the COVID-19 coronavirus lasts on everyday surfaces Coronavirus Outbreak: A Cascade of Warnings, Heard but Unheeded Companies that are 'too big to fail' due to coronavirus Search for Coronavirus Vaccine Becomes a Global Competition This Is Not a Recession. It's an Ice Age. The stock market may bottom long before the coronavirus epidemic peaks, analysts say Track the Coronavirus Outbreak on Johns Hopkins Live Dashboard Oil has best day ever after Trump hints at role in price war Treasury secretary says tax filing deadline moved to July 15 Trump says he has put Defense Production Act into gear to fight coronavirus Coronavirus will radically alter the U.S. Fauci predicts Americans will likely need to stay home for at least several more weeks A Torrent of Job Losses Threatens to Overwhelm the U.S. Economy Initial Unemployment Claims Jumps Due To Coronavirus Fed Set for Record $1.1 Trillion in Friday Market Support as Investors Look to Central Banks While Lawmakers Dither Trump falsely claims drug approval for virus Washington's trillion dollar coronavirus fix may be too little, too late Trump announces suspension of federal student loan payments, standardized testing requirements Fed announces more emergency economic moves California Gov. Gavin Newsom orders all Californians to stay at home A mere three minutes saved Joe Bidens presidential hopes U.S. Senators Sold Stock After Coronavirus Briefings in January Sens. Richard Burr, Kelly Loeffler Face Calls to Resign Over Stock Sales Burr requests ethics investigation into stock sale, denies wrongdoing Coronavirus deaths gather pace in Europe as world struggles to contain pandemic Coronavirus deaths in Italy overtake China as economic damage mounts Cruise ship bound for Italy had 36 coronavirus cases during Marseille stop Trump takes direct aim at China as known U.S. infections double and criticism mounts China Announces That It Will Expel American Journalists Beijing revokes work permits for Chinese assistants working for US media organisations Brazil declares COVID-19 state of emergency as Bolsonaro approval slips And More . This post continues but only for our Premium Content Subscribers. All newsletter subscribers are given access to the complete post. There are approximately 200 articles reviewed every week in the full post. The rest of the post is for our newsletter subscribers. Newsletter subscribers can sign in [here] To subscribe to premium content is a no cost signup: Econintersect sends a nightly newsletter highlighting news events of the day, and providing a summary of new articles posted on the website. This newsletter contains links to complete posts (such as "What We Read Today") which are not available to other readers at the website. The newsletter is the key into membership at Econintersect. Econintersect will not sell or pass your email address to others per our privacy policy. You can cancel this subscription at any time by selecting the unsubscribing link in the footer of each email. Name: Email: Make a Comment Econintersect wants your comments, data and opinion on the articles posted. You can also comment using Facebook directly using he comment block below. 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Chinese FM urges ASEAN cooperation to cope with common security challenges Xinhua) 13:38, August 07, 2021 BEIJING, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi Friday urged ASEAN countries to practice real multilateralism and enhance solidarity and cooperation to maintain regional peace and stability and jointly respond to their common security challenges. It came as Wang attended the foreign ministers' meeting of the 28th ASEAN Regional Forum via video link. Wang said the region should consolidate the defense against the COVID-19 and jointly respond to the challenges brought by the pandemic. He noted China has, to date, provided 460 million doses of COVID vaccines to other Asian countries, including more than 190 million doses to ASEAN countries. He called for strengthening multilateral cooperation to jointly respond to non-traditional security challenges, as well as issues concerning extreme climate, terrorism, cross-border crime, and cybersecurity, among others. Wang urged maintaining the centrality of ASEAN to jointly counter geopolitical confrontation. He also urged preventing certain major powers outside the region from promoting new regional strategies. "There should be no more 'lecturers' or 'saviors.' The destiny of each country should lie in the hands of these countries themselves, and the future of the region should be jointly created by all countries in the region," added Wang. He said ASEAN countries should uphold the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs and jointly respond to the challenge of power politics. He added countries should not wantonly meddle in other countries' internal affairs or seek their selfish geopolitical agenda under the pretext of democracy. Wang also called on ASEAN countries to continue the dialogue for peace to respond to the challenges of regional hotspot issues. "China is ready to conclude the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) that is effective, substantive and in line with international laws, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea." Expounding on China's stance concerning the South China Sea issue, Wang said interference by countries outside the region constituted the biggest threat to peace and stability in the South China Sea, and the abuse of "freedom of navigation" should be resisted by countries in the region. Concerning the Korean Peninsula issue, Wang said the joint military drills by the United States and the Republic of Korea fall short of a constructive move under the current circumstances. China will continue to support advancing denuclearization of the Peninsula in a balanced way and establishing peace mechanisms to strive for the political settlement of the issue, Wang added. (Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji) Half of eligible population get at least one vaccine shot in Hong Kong Xinhua) 13:51, August 07, 2021 HONG KONG, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Half of Hong Kong's eligible population have as far taken at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine as the financial hub is racing to build sufficient immunity amid tightening pandemics around the globe. More than 3.4 million residents here have received their first shot under a government vaccination program starting late February, including 2.59 million fully vaccinated, official data has showed. Hong Kong's inoculation drive started to pick up pace at the end of May partly due to the rounds of vaccine benefits, including holidays and lotteries, launched by the government and private companies. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government said the demand for vaccine doses have been on the rise and predicted the share of people getting at least one jab will hopefully hit 70 percent by the end of September as long as the vaccine rollout maintains the current speed. The government has decided that its 26 community vaccination centers will operate for one more month till the end of October. Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection reported two new imported cases of COVID-19 on Friday, taking the total tally to 12,004. A total of 31 cases were found in the past 14 days, including an untraceable local infection and 30 imported. (Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji) 1st Batch of QDLP Overseas Investment Pilot Enterprises of Hainan FTP Announced People's Daily Online) 15:16, August 07, 2021 On August 6th, the list of the first batch of Qualified Domestic Limited Partner (QDLP) overseas investment pilot enterprises in Hainan Free Trade Port was officially released to the public. A total of 24 enterprises in equity investment and non-equity investment were included in the pilot category. The "Interim Measures of Hainan Province to Carry out Overseas Investment Pilot Work of Qualified Domestic Limited Partner (QDLP)" was issued in April. According to relevant regulations, through preliminary examination and joint evaluation of application materials conducted by local financial supervision and administration of Hainan Province together with relevant units, and the examination and approval of the Hainan Provincial Government, the first batch of the "Hainan Qualified Domestic Limited Partner (QDLP) Overseas Investment Pilot Enterprises" was formed. Among them, the equity investment enterprises include 14 companies, including Huaneng Invesco WLR (Beijing), Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P., COFCO Private Equity Fund Management (Hainan) Co., LTD., Costone Capital, and Hainan Hexie Hengxing Private Equity Fund Management Co., LTD. The Non-equity investment pilot enterprises include Hainan Pingan Private Equity Fund Management Co., LTD., China Everbright Limited, Longshi Capital Management Co., LTD., Gaoteng International Asset Management Co., LTD., and Hainan Dongli Fund Management Co., LTD. Source: SSTV (Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji) New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some passing clouds. Low 73F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some passing clouds. Low 73F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Press Release August 7, 2021 Dispatch from Crame No. 1,117: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on Duterte's Arrest Order against the Unvaccinated 8/7/21 It's way past the second year of the pandemic, and they still cannot get their act together. The President, in fact, leads the disinformation drive of his own government when he proclaimed that he would order the arrest of those who are not yet vaccinated, thus instigating the chaos in vaccination sites all throughout the Metro. Wala na ngang naitutulong, gumawa pa ng gulo. Of course, his minions in the IATF, namely, Harry Roque, Karlo Nograles, and Menardo Guevarra, chime in with their excuses, re-interpreting Duterte's proclamation as just an expression of his exasperation. In a crisis where there is no room for equivocal messaging, this government makes it a point to do just the opposite, not only sending mixed signals but worse, spreading disinformation. What do we expect? From the start, this was bound to be a Fake News Government. This is why it recruited Mocha Uson and Harry Roque as its foremost mouthpieces. They replicate Duterte's own methods in mindless chaos. Duterte causes panic among the unvaccinated populace, triggering chaos all over the Metro. These mouthpieces say he was just exasperated. We all know that every time Duterte is exasperated, people are bound to die. Just look at the drug war, and his exasperation with the communists. Let us break this down further. First, Duterte started with the statement last year that the virus will go away by itself, so there is nothing to worry about. Of course, it did not. Only an idiot will think that pandemics just go away. Then, instead of containing the virus in the Metro, his personal butler, Sen. Bong Go, spread it all over the Philippines with his Balik Probinsiya Program. Next, Duterte said everything will be normal by Christmas 2020, when the Chinese vaccines arrive. They didn't. What came was another major surge that almost broke the health system in the second quarter of 2021. Third, his government misses out on buying the vaccines, and has to settle for donated shipments from China, the US and other countries. This causes a huge shortage in the country's vaccination requirements of tens of millions of doses for 110 million Filipinos. The reason, therefore, why most Filipinos remain unvaccinated is because the government failed to purchase the necessary amount of vaccines and, instead, like Juan Tamad, just waited with its mouth open for the donations to fall on its face, while Duterte slept. Fourth, instead of helping organize the vaccination efforts, Duterte threatens arrests and spreads disinformation, causing panic and, most likely, super spreader events in the vaccination centers themselves. Imbes na bakuna, mas malamang na Delta ang nakuha ng mga nagkagulo sa mga vaccination centers sa NCR. Sino ang nag-umpisa ng tsismis? Sabi ni Roque, Nograles, at Guevarra, nawalan lang daw ng pasensya ang Pangulo kaya niya nasabi na ipapaaresto niya ang mga wala pang bakuna. Mga ginoo, ubos na rin ang pasensya namin sa inyong boss. Kung wala na siyang maidudulot pa sa gobyerno at sa taumbayan kung hindi kaguluhan at kapahamakan, baka puwede ninyo namang sabihan na manahimik na lang muna siya. Shape up or shut up. ### (Access the handwritten version, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatchno1117) Home > 2021 > Mamata Banerjee into the Vedanta trap | Sankar Ray Willy-nilly, the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has walked into the corporate trap of Vedanta Limited (erstwhile Vedanta Resources plc), incorporated in UK, an NRI Anil Agarwal-led group, diversified natural resources company with interests in zinc-lead-silver, Iron ore, steel, copper, aluminum, power, oil and gas and infamous for wanton violation of environmental norms. In 2018, mass protests against Vedantas Sterlite Copper subsidiary at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu for causing environmental damage by its copper smelter and police firing that killed 13 protesters, ended in a shut-down of the plant. The WB CM, claimed Agarwal, had contacted the later within a fortnight of return to power of the All India Trinamool Congress and requested investments by the Vedanta group in West Bengal. It is remarkable. Within 14-15 days of formation of the government in Bengal . I got two communications in the state, he said while speaking at an open virtual discussion with Indian Chamber of Commerce. The Vedanta supremo praised the change of mindset of governments at the Centre and in the state for their proactive approach towards investors. He specially praised ministers of Narendra Modi-led NDA government for valuing what industry wants and said the government can divest 60-70 per cent stake in PSUs as hive-off would take time. Samarendra Das, author of Vedantas Billions: Regulatory Failure, Environment & Human Rights and one of the crusaders for Adivasis and dalits who are fallen prey to mining mafia in the corporate arena, has shot a letter to Mamata Banerjee cautioning her government of the disastrous consequences of letting Vedanta into West Bengal. Vedanta Ltd, controlled as it is by Anil Agarwal, is totally unconcerned about those rights, indeed we go as far as to say that the evidence indicates that Vedanta Ltd is willing to break laws and breach the rights of workers and communities in its business activities to make profit. Such consistent behavior has attracted widespread criticism of courts, investment institutions, public authorities, and civil society, notably, The Norwegian government pension fund (2007, 2016) and Insurance multinational Aviva, Das informed the WB CM in a 1000-word letter. Describing the AITC government as people-centred unlike the Central Government and one state government that prides itself for keeping up a balance between the rights of workers and communities, Das, now convalescing from cold injury in London, cited how Agarwal-led group has been criticised in India and abroad for trampling corporate social responsibility and rebuked by judiciary. Records have it that Vedanta The report contains evidence to prove that Vedanta Ltd committed numerous violations in Goa, Odisha and Chhatisgarh in India and Zambia in Africa. The group acquired 51 per cent controlling stake in Zambias largest copper mine, Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), in 2004 and upped its share to 79.4 p.c. in 2005. In 2006 a tailings pipe burst, releasing highly acidic waste into local tributaries of the River Kafue. In 2011 the Zambian High Court awarded $2 million to 2001 claimants for damage to health and livelihood following the incident. In his ruling Justice Musonda found KCM guilty of gross recklessness and turning the residents of Chingola into Guinea Pigs. He stated that KCM had acted with impunity and immunity as they had been shielded from criminal prosecution by political connections and financial influence, which put them beyond the pale of criminal justice. In April 2015 the Supreme Court upheld the guilty verdict against KCM but reduced the payable compensation to only 12 claimants who had medical records of injury, Das wrote. The Supreme Court of India in its judgment (Goa Foundation v Union of India [2014] 6 SCC 590) found that (amongst other illegalities), Vedanta Ltds iron ore mines in Goa had been operating illegally since 22nd November 2007 until mining was eventually halted on 12 September 2012. Four years later the Supreme Court upheld the finding in The Goa Foundation vs M/S Sesa Sterlite Ltd. And Ors. 2018(2) SCALE103, but also went on to consider other evidence which found: The State ignored the fact that every single mining leaseholder had committed some illegality or the other in varying degrees , the letter states. Dharitri, a leading Oriya daily in Bhubaneswar, front-paged a story on how Vedanta officials they openly bribed police and pollution board to manage their risk. Mentioning the report, Narsingha Mishra, member, Odisha legislative assembly and leader of Congress legislature party as also member, 19th Law Commission of India in a letter to the Odisha chief minister has Lays bare the unholy nexus between government, officials and the mining mafia and demanded an immediate enquiry into the report. A probe by the Rajasthan government unearthed massive irregularities in the functioning of Hindustan Zinc Limited, a subsidiary of the Vedanta group and one of the worlds largest and Indias only integrated producer of Zinc-Lead and Silver. leading to potential royalty losses worth thousands of crores to the government. Between 2013-14 and 2018-19, HZL allegedly evaded paying royalties worth Rs 2,537 crore on silver, and worth Rs 1,113.67 crore on lead and zinc, totaling potential revenue loss worth Rs 3,613 crore to the state government. It was a central public sector undertaking until 2002 when, during the tenure of BJP-led NDA government with Atal Behari Vajpayee as the Prime Minister, HZLs controlling shares were sold to the Vedanta group. Foil Vedanta, an independent grassroots solidarity organization focused primarily on the London de-listed India-focused mining company Vedanta Resources Limited and a coalition of organisations released sometime back a report Vedantas Billions: Regulatory failure, environment and human rights days severely indicted the Agarwals ahead of the annual general meeting of Vedanta Resources AGM. The report narrates legal judgments against Vedanta across its global operations and snaps fingers at the City of London and Financial Conduct Authority for utter failure in regulating or penalising the corporate group. The report contains a long list of London miners exposed to corporate massacres A British MP Hywel Williams MP described the corporate records of the group as deeply concerning and disturbing. A protest took place at the FCA headquarters in Canary Wharf, demanding that British regulatory authorities do not let Vedanta flee the London Stock Exchange without being held to account. A summary of legal judgments against Vedanta across its operations, reveal its abusive modus operandi, with a special focus on illegal mining in Goa, pollution and tax evasion in Zambia, as well as illegal expansion and pollution in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, industrial disaster at Korba in Chhattisgarh, land settlement and pollution issues in Punjab, displacement and harassment of activists in Lanjigarh, Odisha, and a mineral allocation scam in Rajasthan. According to information released by the United States Department of Defense (DoD), the United States Navy has christened its newest Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the future USS Nantucket (LCS 27), during a ceremony that was held in Marinette, Wisconsin. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link Artist rendering future LCS 27 USS Nantucket Freedom-variant littoral combat ship LCS. (Picture source seaforces.org) The LCS (Littoral Combat Ship) is a fast, agile, mission-focused platform designed to operate in near-shore environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats. The platform is capable of supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence. The LCS class consists of two variants, the Freedom-variant and the Independence-variant, designed and built by two industry teams. The Freedom-variant team is led by Lockheed Martin in Marinette, Wisconsin (for the odd-numbered hulls). The Independence-variant team is led by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama, (for LCS 6 and the subsequent even-numbered hulls). The USS Nantucket (LCS-27) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship built for the U.S. Navy by Marinette Marine. The contract to build the new ship was awarded in October 2017. In October 2019, Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine started construction of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 27, the future USS Nantucket, with a ceremony in Marinette. The LCS ship is designed to support mine countermeasures, anti-submarine and surface warfare missions today and is easily adapted to serve future and evolving missions tomorrow. The Freedom-class is one of two classes of the U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship program. The design of the ship is based on a semi-planing steel monohull with an aluminum superstructure. She has a length of 115 m, a beam of 57.4 m, a draft of 12.8 m, and a fully loaded displacement of 3,900 tons. The Freedom-class is powered by two Rolls-Royce MT30 36 MW gas turbines developing 48,000 hp., two Colt-Pielstick 16PA6B 6.8 MW diesel engines developing 9,100 hp., and four Rolls-Royce waterjets. She can reach a maximum speed of 47 knots (87 km/h) with a maximum cruising range of 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km) at a speed of 18 knots (33 km/h). The Freedom-class is armed with one BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm naval gun, one Mk 49 launcher with 21 RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Surface-to-Air Missiles, four .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns, two 30 mm Mk44 Bushmaster II guns, eight RGM-184A Naval Strike Missiles, 24 AGM-114L Hellfire missiles (planned part of SUW module). The ship can be also fitted with a Lockheed Martin 150 kW High Energy Laser weapon system. Your browser does not support the video tag. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: This week's Rewind is the regular monthly edition of Years Ago. This time it's a remembrance of a few happenings, names and faces from the decade of the 1930's. Harness racing, while mainly a seasonal pastime, was very popular across the land despite the tough economic times that prevailed back then. Here are a few random names, events and depictions of the times of the 1930's. 1935 - Toll Gate Sets New Track Record At Sydney, N.S. Toll Gate 2:00 3/4, a great Maritime performer and one time world champion, appears trackside with owner and driver Heber Sweeney of Bridgewater, N.S. and his unidentified caretaker. This horse eventually gained Hall of Fame status in 2000 for his many accomplishments on both Canadian and U.S. tracks. Toll Gate 2:00 3/4, a great Maritime performer and one time world champion, appears trackside with owner and driver Heber Sweeney of Bridgewater, N.S. and his unidentified caretaker. This horse eventually gained Hall of Fame status in 2000 for his many accomplishments on both Canadian and U.S. tracks. The following is an excerpt from the local history of Bridgewater, N.S. concerning Mr. Sweeney: "He was an ardent sportsman, racehorse owner, and driver, and was prominent on the Maritime harness racing circuit. For many years, he attended the annual horse sale in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and he brought more than one hundred race horses to Nova Scotia in the period he was connected with racing. He owned and operated his own race track in Bridgewater for about ten years. His horse Toll Gate is said to be buried under the current Bridgewater Shopping Plaza." Fans in attendance at the Sydney track for the July 1st afternoon of racing saw a long standing track record that had existed for the past six years demolished. The pacing record of 2:12 3/4 set by Lambert Todd in 1929 went by the boards today as the local favourite Toll Gate went around the Sydney oval in 2:11. This horse arrived from Ontario this year and has displayed his speed on numerous occasions for his owner and driver Heber Sweeney of Bridgewater, N.S. Mr. Sweeney was also a winner with his Calumet Bee in three straight heats. The great Marjorie M. from the stables of Richard Jabalee of North Sydney went down to defeat at the hands of Betty S owned by C.M. Alexander of St Johns. This proved to be a major disappointment to many in attendance. 1936 - Top Drivers Of 1936 In 1936 the racing season was a lot shorter than it was in later years and when you look at the year end statistics it's pretty easy to tell that was true. Listed below were the top five race winning drivers during that year of 1936. Driver Jimmy Jordan led all drivers in wins with 69 in 1936. Here he is shown in a 1938 photo when he again led in the drivers standings. (Photo courtesy of Lost Trotting Parks) Driver Jimmy Jordan led all drivers in wins with 69 in 1936. Here he is shown in a 1938 photo when he again led in the drivers standings. (Photo courtesy of Lost Trotting Parks) Jimmy Jordan a native of Illinois - 69 wins, he raced exclusively in Maine. Hugh "Doc" Parshall from Urbana, Ohio - 65 wins, he mainly raced in the midwest U.S. and on the Grand Circuit Frank Safford of New Hampshire - 63 wins Wendell Wathen of Maine - 51 wins Wayne "Curly" Smart of Ohio - 45 wins, mainly in Ohio The year 1936 was a memorable one for harness racing. Ben Whites face was a fixture on the Roarin Grand, but his name didnt appear in the top 20 race winners. He won just 13 races and his top performer was Rosalind who won seven of eight starts and $42,000 in purse money that season (equal to almost $815,000 today), with a major share from winning the Hambletonian. Another familiar face in those days was Henry Thomas who also won 13 races while handling the racing stock for the Hanover Shoe Farm. Their top colt was Dusty Hanover who won the Fox Stake in 2:04, quite a mile for a two-year-old. 1937 - Dominion Day Races Held At Strathroy A view of the Strathroy track and overflow crowd on hand for the annual Dominion Day races (Photo courtesy of D B Weldon Library / London Free Press archives) A view of the Strathroy track and overflow crowd on hand for the annual Dominion Day races (Photo courtesy of D B Weldon Library / London Free Press archives) Text from the Harness Horse: July 1, 1937 Beautiful weather, one of the finest halfmile ovals to be found, several thousand enthusiastic racing fans and well nigh perfect racing by Canada's fastest harness horses just about sums up the Dominion Day racing carnival staged here today. The track record of 2:08 was shattered many times with Grattan Axworthy (Alf Moore) 2:04.4 setting it at 2:05 1/2 in the first heat of the free-forall pace for a purse of $1,000, only to lose the next two heats to Tom Grattan (Lew James) in 2:06 1/2 and 2:06 a reduction of the record of the Orcus Grattan gelding by a second and a half. Under the able direction of Mr. Harold Currie, president of the Dominion Harness Horse Association the track has been rebuilt and graded putting it in condition for the fast miles recorded here today. Other winning drivers on this card included Clint Hodgins, Wm. Herbert, Morrie McDonald, Gid Litt, and Cecil Champion. FREEFORALL PACE PURSE $1,000. Three Heats Tom Grattan, br g, by Orcus Grattan (Lew James) 2-1-1 Grattan Axworthy, br g, by Amun Ra (Alfred Moore) 1-2-2 Calumet Calculation, b h, by Belwin (Morris McDonald) 4-6-3 Dillinger Grattan, b g, by Orcus Grattan (Lindley Fraser) 7-3-5 Trixie G (Wm. Herbert), 554 Miss Belwin's Boy (Clint Hodgins), 6-4-6 Lastic Patch (Chambers), 3dr Times: 2:05 1/2; 2:06 1/2; 2:06.0 1938 - Sir Esme Wins Canadian Pacing Derby At New Hamburg Aug. 13, 1938 - A huge crowd was on hand at New Hamburg's Fountain Park to witness the third annual Canadian Pacing Derby. In just three short years this race has become one of the most popular harness racing events in the Province and for that matter in all of Canada. Organized by local insurance salesman and now race promoter Earl "Katzy" Katzenmier who heads up the local Turf Club, it attracts some of the biggest crowds to ever attend such an event. The purse has been increased from the original and has now reached $1,500. This year's winner was the standout pacer Sir Esme, a U.S. bred gelding brought to Canada by Norwich sportsman Dr. W. N. Meldrum. Dr. Meldrum had carefully selected several horses for his own breeding establishment which was rapidly becoming more successful with each passing year. The Doctor had already imported several well bred mares and had plans to breed many of them to his stable star Dillon Mc who finished second in this year's Derby. Owner Dr. W.N. Meldrum appears in the New Hamburg winner's circle following a victory in the 1938 Canadian Pacing Derby by his horse Sir Esme. He is joined by driver Harry Fields (Photo courtesy of Leon Siple / Kitchener Record photo) Owner Dr. W.N. Meldrum appears in the New Hamburg winner's circle following a victory in the 1938 Canadian Pacing Derby by his horse Sir Esme. He is joined by driver Harry Fields (Photo courtesy of Leon Siple / Kitchener Record photo) 1938 - Lexington Track Records 1938 As "Vintage Year" Each year the annual fall meeting at the Red Mile in Lexington invariably established some new world records or at least challenged one or more existing ones. In 1938 which was termed a "Vintage Year", there were no less than four new world records established. As history would eventually record it, a couple of them remained in existence for many years, just as the previous marks had done. On one of the cards, Billy Direct, a free legged pacer then four years old, paced a mile in 1:55 flat to erase the long standing official record of 1:55 1/4 set by Dan Patch way back in 1905. The record was set in a time trial that came about in a very strange way. That afternoon the Free For All Pace with a purse of $1,000 attracted a field of just four starters. As the race started confusion between the starter and two of the drivers resulted in Billy Direct's driver Vic Fleming and one of the other horses pulling up. The other two went on and the race was declared official with the two non-starters shown as "Distanced". Vic Fleming asked the judges if he could be allowed to start his still "fresh" horse against the clock. His request was granted and two thoroughbred prompters accompanied him in the trial which resulted in a new world record. Free-legged pacer Billy Direct and trainer-driver Vic Fleming Free-legged pacer Billy Direct and trainer-driver Vic Fleming Quote For The Week: "It has been said that God made the world round so we could never see too far down the road." - Isak Dinesen, Danish author Old Vintage Pictures This week's "Who Is It?" pictures have a bit of a story behind them. Nearly a year ago a gentleman from Ohio contacted me with a little story about two pictures he had found among his 80+ year old grandmother's belongings. It seems that the family did not know exactly why she had these great photos, nor anything else about them. She had apparently been a fan of riding horses and harness racing while growing up in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. I would like to thank Mr. Tim Edwards for his thoughtfulness. Both were nicely framed and in excellent condition and I'm happy to have copies of them in my collection. Who Is It? Can you identify the driver in this old photograph? Who Else Is It? Can you also identify the driver in this old photograph? No clues offered for either one except to remember what race is being contested this weekend. These two fellows have both "been there." Bonus Photograph If you can name the driver then you are all set. Not the greatest quality picture ever but I'll bet our "experts" can figure it out. World Tunnel Congress 2021, a major event of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA-AITES) to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark has been postponed to April next year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the ITA-AITES has decided to propose and organise their first-ever Tunnelling Week from September 20 to 24. Complement its Tunnelling Awards, it will be a week dedicated to tunnelling and underground space knowledge transfer and debate. These five days of conferences and debates dedicated to the underground construction industry, will be the occasion to give an annual overview of the global tunnelling activity, present key figures, and future projects all over the world, said the statement from ITA-AITES. The online event will be accessed through the ITAs digital platform and allow live debates, conferences, pre-recorded sessions, an exhibition hall and sponsoring. This moment also intends to gather the industry to discuss about innovations and advances, but also to deal with current challenges like underground space in sustainable planning, structural use of fiber reinforced concrete precast segments, tunnels refurbishment, said the organisers. Presentations from ITA member nations will include ongoing and future tunnel projects globally, as well as 10 conferences of two-hour duration available either live or post-event on the digital platform. These will cover themes such as underground space planning, structural use of fibre-reinforced concrete in segments, tunnel refurbishment, health and safety, as well as presentations from the latest ITA Working Groups and Committees. In addition, a full two-hour session will be prepared by ITA Young Member groups from various countries. The different tasks forces composing ITA, Working Groups and Committees, will present their latest reports and publications. Thanks to a digital platform, each session will include live or prerecorded presentations as well as a live debate with the panelists. The participants will be able to access an exhibition hall, a cinema room with different videos of projects, ITA library with many publications and a chat to exchange with other participants, they added.-TradeArabia News Service Eshraq Investments, an Abu Dhabi-based company with an extensive portfolio of residential, hospitality and other real estate projects, has reported a 167 per cent increase in its net profit for the first half which soared to AED18 million ($4.8 million). Announcing the results for the first half, Eshraq said its operating income rose to AED10.2 million, registering a 9.58% year on year growth. Despite the ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic, Eshraq recorded a gain of AED15.36 million from its investments, particularly in financial and technology assets. Meanwhile, Eshraq's leasing and hospitality businesses returned to pre-Covid levels, with DIFC and Nuran achieving occupancy rates of 97% and 96% respectively, thanks to the company's proactive and agile leasing strategy, said the company in a statement. The Abu Dhabi investor generated AED15.36 million in income during the first six months of the year, thanks to its comprehensive diversification strategy involving investments in financial and technology assets. On the development front, Eshraq said its first mixed-use development at Reem Island, Marina Rise, has received its building completion certificate from Abu Dhabi Municipality and has commenced leasing its units. The completion of Marina Rise is an important step towards monetizing Eshraqs land bank and improving its bottom line, it stated. In light of the companys enhanced profitability and significant growth thanks to the board's diversification strategy, implemented in early 2019, the board believes that the company is well positioned for a capital reduction to enable a positive net reserve by eliminating accumulated losses, said the statement. This will benefit shareholders as the company will be able to use future profits to pay dividends to the shareholders. The proposed share capital reduction plan will have no impact on Eshraq's net equity, it added. Chairman Jassim Alseddiqi said: "I am pleased with the strong progress we are making on all fronts, whether it is increasing our profitability and investments through our diversification strategy or completing our first mixed-use development project on schedule." "Looking ahead to the second half of the year, we remain committed to creating value for our shareholders through improved operational efficiencies and a stronger balance sheet," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Registro Italiano Navale (Rina) said it has been awarded a framework contract by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to support initiatives to increase the availability of LNG in the medium term with small scale bunkering and depots and expand the use of this fuel throughout the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas. A key maritime shipping company based in Italy, Rina said this was a major step towards decarbonisation in the shipping industry. This important strategic project is aimed at reducing environmental impact by making LNG more widely available for a variety of uses including ferries, cruise ships and tourist activities, as well as promoting LNG road supply chain, said the Italian shipper in its statement. Rina will provide a flexible selection of services dealing with safety and feasibility to match project needs in different locations, it added. Angelo Lo Nigro, Energy Engineering Solutions Senior Director at Rina, said: "LNG is an important fuel on our way to decarbonization. The services we will be providing as part of the frame agreement with EMSA will help make LNG storage and bunkering available in port areas and will also bring consistency and guidance for economically developing nations that do not yet have strong experience with small scale LNG." The services provided by Rina will help port authorities determine which locations are feasible, both in terms of safety and technical and financial viability, to install small scale LNG bunkering or depot facilities, he stated. Rina is providing a total of eight different services, from which each Port Authority can choose according to its goals. The activities include gap analysis of regulatory frame and evaluation of applicable standards, feasibility study, definition of risk acceptance criteria, site analysis, nautical analysis, hazard identification, quantitative risk assessment, and ship collision risk study, stated Lo Nigro. According to him, the framework contract will run for a period of four years and currently covers 22 countries in the regions detailed. EMSA may add other countries during the period of the agreement. Having a common methodology and framework will give nations, where there is a gap in LNG infrastructure, access to a high standard of qualified guidance, regulatory compliance, and safety, stated the official. Increasing the numbers of ports with LNG refuelling capability will help support the wider adoption of this more environmentally friendly fuel and to meet MARPOL regulations, noted Lo Nigro. "This contract will reduce the capacity gap between countries and ensure a coherent, effective and uniform implementation of the international rules for maritime safety, security and prevention of pollution from ships in the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Abu Dhabi future energy company Masdar said along with EDF Renewables it has produced the first carbon-free megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy at Dumat Al Jandal wind project. The 400MW facility, the largest wind farm in the Middle East and the first in Saudi Arabia, is now connected to the grid. The wind farm consists of 99 wind turbines from supplier and EPC contractor Vestas, each with a power output of 4.2 MW. Construction on the project began in September 2019, and the wind turbine erection works are near completion. When complete, the wind farm will generate carbon-free energy, powering up to 70,000 Saudi households, while saving 988,000 tonnes of CO2 per year in support of the kingdoms climate change mitigation goals. Olivier Marchand, Project Director of Dumat Al Jandal Wind Company for Energy, said: "We are delighted to start the early power production of this unique large-scale wind project in KSA Dumat Al Jandal wind farm. The outstanding commitment shown by our teams and contractors with the implementation of the highest health and safety standards and the full support provided by the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Energy, Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPCC) and the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) have contributed to the successful execution of the project during this extremely challenging pandemic period." "We are now looking forward to successfully reaching, with our partners and contractors, the full commissioning of the project in the months to come," he stated. Osama Al Othman, Country Representative, Saudi Arabia, for Masdar, said: "We are proud to be leveraging Masdar's experience in renewable energy to deliver Saudi Arabias first wind farm in collaboration with our partners." "The successful connection of the project to the electricity transmission grid marks an important milestone for this landmark project in the Kingdom and we look forward to projects completion in the near future. As a global leader in the development of commercially viable wind power, Masdar is committed to advancing clean technology across the region and we will continue our efforts to support the countrys ambitious energy programme," he added. The Dumat Al Jandal wind farm will supply electricity under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Saudi Power Procurement Company, a subsidiary of the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), the Saudi power generation and distribution company. The wind farm is also contributing to the regions economic activity, creating more than 600 local jobs during the construction phase. The project has also achieved a significant health and safety milestone by securing 1.8 million man-hours without a single lost-time injury (LTI) as a result of the strict health and safety procedures on site.-TradeArabia News Service Help India! Addressing an online press meet, Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Womens Department Rahmatunnisa condemned the alleged brutal rape and murder of a nine-year-old Dalit girl near Delhi Cantonment. The Vice President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Prof. Mohammad Salim Engineer expressed dismay over surveillance of Indian citizens using Pegasus software. JIH demanded an inquiry into these reports of surveillance by a JPC or by the Supreme Court and urged the government of India to come clean on the issue. TCN News Support TwoCircles NEW DELHI Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) on Saturday expressed concerns during a virtual press conference over growing crimes against women, spying on citizens, the third Covid wave and a crackdown on Mohammed Ali Jauhar University in Rampur. Addressing the online press meet on Saturday, Secretary of JIH Womens Department Rahmatunnisa said, We condemn the alleged brutal rape and murder of a nine-year-old Dalit girl from Purani Nangal village near Delhi Cantonment. Our delegation visited the victims house and met her family members. We demand that the perpetrators should be punished at the earliest. Rahmatunnisa said the latest NCRB data points to the disturbing trend of rising crime against women. It is extremely worrying. The numbers imply that nearly four women are raped every hour while two women are molested every three minutes in India. After the Nirbhaya case, JIH had given its suggestions to the Justice Verma Committee for controlling the growing incidents of rape in the country. We support some of the committees recommendations. We hope the government wakes up to its duty to provide safety and security to its citizens, especially women and lives up to its slogan of Beti Bachao. Rejecting the announcement made by the Ministry of Minority Affairs that August 1 is now being observed as Muslim Womens Rights Day to celebrate the second anniversary of the passage of the Triple Talaq law, the JIH Womens department Secretary said, We condemn this move as a mockery of women rights. The government does not appear to be sincere in its concern for Muslim women. Had its concern been genuine, it would have not incarcerated so many Muslim youth and paid mere lip service to the question of education of Muslim girls. Earlier, Vice President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Prof. Mohammad Salim Engineer briefed the media on the stand of JIH on various pressing issues of the country. Regarding the issue of spying on citizens, he said, We are dismayed to read media reports about a large number of Indian citizens coming under surveillance using Pegasus spyware sold by an Israeli company. If the reports are true then this is very damaging to our fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution of India, he said. JIH demanded an inquiry into these reports by a JPC or by the Supreme Court and said that the government of India should come clean on the entire issue. On the likelihood of the third wave of Covid-19, the JIH Vice President said the government should provide free vaccines to all citizens to prevent the disease, overcome the problem of vaccine shortage and take steps to make the vaccine available to all citizens. Taking lessons from the large loss of life during the second wave, the health infrastructure must be spruced up, so also the budget for health services should be increased significantly. Religious places of worship which become centres of social service during the pandemic should be allowed to remain open and help people. In this regard, we wish to point out that the JIH is involved in a flagship COVID-19 hand-holding project, under the Sahulat Microfinance Society and other partners, for pandemic-hit distressed families to rebuild and restore their livelihoods, he said. Commenting on the reports of the local administration serving notice to demolish the main gate of the Muhammad Ali Jauhar University, Prof Salim Engineer said, We feel that this case is not being dealt with in a proper manner. If it is a land dispute then it should be resolved amicably with the concerned stakeholders by the government. The University was established by a State Cabinet decision and under UGC guidelines. To disturb such an important place of learning is not in the best interests of the students and the education environment of our country. The government must find a solution to this problem and ensure that the education of minorities and the marginalized is not disturbed. Help India! The ruling Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) decision to take over the 77,000 bighas or 25454 acres of land would mean hundreds of families in Assam settled in Darrang area would be devoid of livelihood. Spread across six non-cadastral villages and housing a population of around 40,000 people, building an agricultural farm on the land would certainly leave the population strandedwithout land to till and probably without a shelter for many. Mahibul Hoque | TwoCircles.net Support TwoCircles GUWAHATI When elders at Fuhuratoli village which falls under the Sipajhar revenue circle in Darrang district of Assam sat together on a hot and humid July afternoon, the air filled with anguish, anxiety, and distrust. The elders are the ones who settled on the barren landsurrounded by rivers, inundated during monsoon every yearfor the first time after their homes were washed away by flood induced erosions. They have been contemplating the announcement by the Assam government to turn the 77,000 Bigha land into an agricultural farm because their descendants are already using the vast stretch of land for agricultural purposes. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) decision to take over the 77,000 bighas or 25454 acres of land would mean hundreds of families settled there would be devoid of livelihood. Spread across six non-cadastral villages and housing a population of around 40,000 people, building an agricultural farm on the land would certainly leave the population strandedwithout land to till and probably without a shelter for many. Once a sand dune, this huge chunk of land, now fertile, did not catch the eyes of anyone prior to the BJPs ascent to power except the families who settled there over a period of 4-5 decades. Things changed since the BJP started weaponising evictions in Assam and hence this larger area has also been the vantage point for the saffron party as Muslims reside and cultivate the whole area. After a cabinet meeting on June 8, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that his government would utilise the 77,000 bigha of govt land freed from encroachers at Gorukhuti, Sipajhar in Darrang for agricultural purposes. Sarmas reference to encroachers means the people living there for decades and also his claim of the government land falls flat as people are living at their homes as of now. However, fear runs high among the residents of No 1 Dhalpur, No 2 Dhalpur, No 3 Dhalpur, Kirakara, Fuhuratoli and Kekurua villages as the BJP government has been evicting people since it came to power in 2016. Who are the encroachers? While Assam CM claimed the land was 77,000 bighas, but in reality 15,000 bigha land is actually available for agriculture and habitation, and erosion has swept away the rest of the soil, according to locals. The stretch of land which has become a conflict point now hosts climate refugees from various districts of Assam who started settling there during the late 1980s. These climate refugees also had to face the anger of unruly Assamese nationalist mobs, who, during the 1980s Assam Movement, burnt down the houses of many of these families. Khabar Ali is now 84-years-old and has been living at Fuhuratoli village since 1993 after his house was washed away at Nanglichar, a village around 30 km away from his current home. Ali was among the 199 fortunate families who were allotted land in the village. I lost my home so many times. In 1983, my home was burnt by mobs during the riots and later the Brahmaputra swept away whatever I had. Since then we had shifted to this place and now again, I may have to lose my home again, Ali told TwoCircles.net. Ali was born in Muamari village under the Mangaldai constituency in the Darrang district prior to Independence. When India got independence, the Assam government removed people from the village and allotted land in Chenibari under the Kolaigaon constituency. However, the 400 families chose to move to Nanglichar as it was convenient for them to do agricultural activities there. Following the 1983 carnage and successive erosions, most of these families moved to Dholpur, Fuhuratoli, Kekurua and nearby areas. One of the earliest settlers and the person behind getting the land allotment at the village was Jainal Abedin. 70-year-old Abedin took demands for land allotment of the erosion affected families to the Gauhati High Court and the High Court allotted the 995 bigha land to 199 families. Talking to TwoCircles.net, he said, Fate has once again brought the fight against displacement to me and I hope the government does not evict me again. Abedin said, We obtained internally displaced person certificates given to erosion affected families and were given the land allotment. But many settlers did not know about it and could not get land allotment. Looking for better opportunities, Abedin shifted to Bontapur village in Darrang district from Kherbari village of present-day Dhubri district. All the elderly people from the villages shared similar stories of their forced migration from village to village before settling at the hinterlands on the banks of the Brahmaputra river. Narrating the displacement of their families, 76-year-old Momin Ali said, We are the eldest people to live here. We have seen people settling here after their homes were demolished either by floods or by the mobs during the 1983 Assam movement riots. It is hard to believe that all our lives we have been forcefully displaced. Momin had also moved to Fuhuratoli after his house was demolished twice. He said the mobs set fire on his home in 1983 and the floods eroded the land sometime after the riots. What is the difference between the riots, floods and now the eviction the government is planning? The riots and erosion took our land away and now the government is talking about evicting us again. Since we were allotted land here we have been subjected to discrimination but taking away the land our children are cultivating is like forcing us to face hunger and die, he said as he recounted the troubling times when they settled there. Pushing the community to the dark ages From becoming encroachers, citizens to doubtful citizens, the climate refugees of Assam have been called many names. The Government estimates show that the state has lost around 8 per cent of its total land to erosion since the 1950s and hence a significant population living on the sandbanks of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries. Over the years, the government itself has started educational institutes, a few public health centres apart from other welfare schemes for the empowerment of char dwellers. Similarly, the char land, which the Himanta-led government wants to free from encroachers for agricultural purposes, has three primary public health centres, two provincialised upper primary schools, 40 primary schools and 42 Anganwadi centres. A teacher from nearby Sanua village told TwoCircles.net, Children from char are now doing good at local school and getting good grades. This is very good social progress for a community which has been largely illiterate. Jakir Sarkar, the principal of Dholpur-Kirakara Anchalik Higher Secondary School said the displacement would lead to irreparable socio-economic damage to the whole population living there. The importance of education is only being felt now after the whole world had gone through educational evolution. Displacement here would mean that whatever was gained over the decades will be lost again, he said. Pointing out that the population would be forced into the vicious cycle of poverty he continued, Without a livelihood and place to stay, what will these people do? Most of us will end up going to cities and settle in the slums and become labourers. Whatever progress we made in literacy, family planning, health care and fight against social evils like child marriage would go in vain. It is nothing but would be pushing the whole population into dark ages. As Momin narrated the incident when angry Assamese nationalist chased his fellow villagers in 1993 after their settlement, he categorically put the governments present plan to take away the land on the same platter and concluded, Earlier it was the hateful mob after us and now the government has chosen to come after us. by Melanie Manel Perera The young woman died in hospital from burns. The case has again highlighted the problem of child labour in Sri Lanka. Bishop Fernando of Kandy wrote a letter to the government with a seven-point proposal to protect children. More than 12,000 complaints of child abuse have been filed in the past 18 months. Colombo (AsiaNews) A young Tamil woman who worked as a maid for a former Muslim lawmaker died in hospital after she suffered burns to her body. Ishalini, 16, attended the parish of St Anthony in the Diocese of Kandy, whose bishop said he was "shocked" by the incident. The case highlights again the problem of child labour in Sri Lanka, which remains widespread, especially in rural areas. "I am convinced that a girl like Ishalini should have been in school, with her family, not working without protections, said Bishop Vianney Fernando of Kandy. It is a shame on us as Sri Lankans, added the prelate, that the girls parents were in debt and in an economic situation that compelled them to send a young daughter to work. Ishalini had already worked as a maid elsewhere before she was hired by Rishad Bathiudeen, a former MP and minister, who was arrested over the girl's death along with two other suspects. Unfortunately, legal proceedings often lead nowhere in Sri Lanka. Bishop Fernando remembers the case of a 17-year-old domestic worker who was raped. After 20 years of legal wrangling, no one has yet been convicted in connection with this case. It is also shameful that our country's legal and institutional framework is unable to protect our children, Bishop Fernando told the media. We are painfully aware that there are many other children from our diocese in similar circumstances. The prelate inked a letter that was also signed by local vicars and deans, addressed to the government with a seven-point proposal to improve the condition of children and teenagers in Sri Lanka. The letter calls on the countrys leaders to desist from using this incident to gain political mileage or discredit any ethnic or religious community", urges them to take proactive steps to prevent school dropouts, and asks them to ensure that Up-Country, the [mostly Tamil] community has access to dignified employment opportunities. According to Muditha Vidanapathirana, president of the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), 12,165 complaints of child abuse have been reported in the past 18 months, 4,000 in the first five months of this year alone. In 2021 the NCPA received 48,000 calls regarding violence against minors. The Up Country is home to a large impoverished Tamil community, employed mostly on tea plantations. Many migrate to cities like the capital Colombo in search of employment. Yesterday the most developed countries in the world released a statement blaming Iran. According to the United States, the drone that attacked the ship in the Gulf of Oman in late July killing two people was Iranian-made. Tehran has denied responsibility while Irans new president, Ebrahim Raisi, took office two days ago. Tehran (AsiaNews/Agencies) According to the G7 foreign ministers, Iran is behind the drone attack against an Israeli-linked oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman. This was a deliberate and targeted attack, and a clear violation of international law There is no justification for this attack, the ministers from the worlds seven most developed nations said in a statement on Friday. Managed by an Israeli firm, the Liberian-flagged ship, the Mercer Street, but, was hit by a drone on 29 July. Two crew members were killed. Iran has denied any involvement; however, several members of the UN Security Council blamed the Islamic Republic yesterday during a closed-door session. The door for diplomacy and dialogue remains open. But if Iran chooses not to take that route, then we would seek to hold Iran to account and apply a cost to that, the UK ambassador to the UN said. Next Monday, the Security Council is set to further discuss the matter at a meeting on maritime security. Following the attack, the United States and Israel accused Tehran of being responsible. Based on evidence collected so far, the drone was Iranian-made, US military sources said. The current tensions coincide with the inauguration of the new Iranian president. Ebrahim Raisi, a former chief justice, took office on Wednesday, replacing Hassan Rouhani who was seen as a more moderate figure. by Mathias Hariyadi The death toll hit 104,000. Despite a general lockdown, the death rate in July increased. Experts blame the Delta variant and delays in the vaccination campaign. Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies) Indonesias health crisis is getting worse. A few days ago, the Southeast Asian country reached more 100,000 deaths from COVID-19. By yesterday, the total topped 104,000. The daily number of new cases averaged more than 33,000 last week, a clear drop compared to the 56,000 cases reported last month. Yet, the pandemic still seems out of control. The progression of the epidemic has slowed down following the general lockdown imposed by the government on 1 July on the islands of Java and Bali (the most populous and with the highest number of cases); however, the death rate has increased by 348 per cent over June. According to the health authorities, such a high rate is due to the spread of the Delta variant and delays in the vaccination campaign. Many Indonesians also blame anti-vaxxers. In fact, many Indonesians continue to ignore health protocols and do not believe in the severity of the pandemic. Since hospitals cannot cope with the inflow of patients, people have been forced into self-quarantine at home. As a result, many die before they ever receive proper care. by Vladimir Rozanskij The United States, Europe, Russia and China are moving in the same direction. Moscow and Beijing are ready to talk with Afghan Islamists if they stop working with the most extremist groups. Turkey is worried about a possible wave of refugees. Moscow (AsiaNews) The UN Security Council has expressed concern over the escalation of violence in Afghanistan. The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants the Council to assess the situation in the country and avoid a humanitarian catastrophe, caused by Taliban violence. Afghan forces, still backed by the US, are engaged in close fighting with the Taliban. However, talks between US and Taliban officials are expected in Qatar in coming days. US Special Envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad said that an international meeting should peacefully settle the conflict. Pakistan, China and Russia are expected to participate. Russian presidential envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov confirmed the meeting. For Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the Taliban are reasonable people who promised to fight Islamic State terrorists. During a webinar on Russian foreign policy, Lavrov mentioned the visit by a Taliban delegation to Moscow in early July. On that occasion, Taliban envoys said that they do not want to destabilise Central Asia, and that they wanted to work out the countrys political future with all Afghans. Meanwhile, in Kabul, the Afghan government is trying to show optimism. It boasted some victories against the Taliban, reporting the death of more than 300 Islamist fighters. At present, the main battleground is Helmand province, home to the countrys largest opium plantations. Favad Aman, deputy spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defence, pointed out that government attacks on Taliban positions are supported by the US air force. Regardless of the outcome of the conflict, one of the most complex issues remains the fate of the Afghans who worked with the Americans, which will become a priority after the US completes its withdrawal in September. According to German magazine Bild, the issue has already been discussed in recent days in Doha, in a secret meeting between the Taliban and German diplomats. Jasper Wiek, German special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, led the German delegation; Mullah Abdul Hak Vasik, who has long had relations with the European powers, represented the Taliban. The German Foreign Ministry confirmed the meeting, stating that a member of the Afghan government was also present in Doha. The West would only recognise a possible regime change in Afghanistan only if an agreement is reached with the Taliban. China has a more nuanced view. For Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Beijing would be satisfied with the Taliban if they refused to cooperate with the most extremist organisations, like the Uyghur-dominated Turkistan Islamic Party (formerly East Turkestan Islamic Movement, ETIM). In practice, the Chinese are on the same wavelength with the Russians, and the Taliban have already made it clear that they are ready to cooperate with Beijing. Afghans who worked with the US and NATO are the designated victims in any future scenario in Afghanistan, hanging on some vague offer of citizenship by the US and some European country. The other central Asian countries are not prepared to accept them in order to avoid possible conflicts with Afghan authorities, whoever they may be after the conflict. Turkey, too, has already warned that it is not willing to welcome a new wave of refugees. Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said that his country would finish building a wall on the border with Iran, to prevent, among other things, the arrival of Afghan refugees. Since the start of the year, according to Soylu, over 250,000 Afghans have been turned away after trying to enter Turkish territory. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Our position is (our contract proposal) is reasonably possible. Within the current revenue streams of the district, it is something we are very confident that can be done and can be done with no additional burden to taxpayers. Frankly, its something that needs to be done, he added. You are here: Business A new China-Europe freight train service was launched on Friday, linking the city of Ordos in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region with Moscow in Russia. On Friday morning, a freight train loaded with more than 2,000 tonnes of auto parts and agricultural and sideline products left a logistics park in Ordos for Moscow, marking the launch of the China-Europe freight train service in Ordos. Loaded with 50 TEUs of goods, the first train on this route will travel north to Moscow, passing through the border port of Erenhot and Mongolia. It is scheduled to arrive in Moscow in 15 days. Approximately 25 days are saved in transportation time when compared to shipping by sea. As of present, many areas of China are waging a new battle against COVID-19 caused by the highly contagious Delta variant, which has wreaked havoc across the world. The variant has been found in some provinces, with small clusters of outbreaks in Nanjing and other cities, totalling around 300 confirmed cases as of Wednesday. Mass testing has been initiated in the impacted areas. It comes amid a fade in global optimism that the world can quickly overcome the pandemic, despite progress made in vaccines. The Delta variant is a new challenge. Having contained COVID-19 successfully for well over a year, China will certainly not be beaten by the virus this time, not least because of what is at stake. However, the world at large has not been willing to properly observe and pay attention to how China continually overcomes the virus and mandates its pandemic prevention and control measures. The experience in Wuhan in early 2020 was initially vilified by the Western mainstream media, yet it proved to be an enduringly successful lesson on how to save lives. The key was a strict and uncompromising lockdown coinciding with a universal testing system. Although the scale of what was implemented in Hubei has never been repeated, with each new COVID-19 cluster the government has pursued temporary, targeted shutdowns and required every single person in that given area to receive a test. This might be called a "no stone unturned" strategy, which is able to flush out cases efficiently. The scope of testing blocks the path to wider community transmission and avoids bigger logistical obstacles if the virus were allowed to spread. It is based on the scientifically factual premise that the disease spreads asymptomatically and undetected. Therefore, if a case is traced in a neighborhood, the whole neighborhood is shut down, preventing the virus from spreading further. Moreover, the Chinese people, when needed, are prepared to wear masks, keep social distancing and follow the measures that are necessary to help contain the infection, so we must understand that the country's pandemic prevention and control system cannot work in such an effective manner without support from its people. As the nation fights COVID-19, it is still likewise pushing ahead with its vaccination drive which now amounts to over 1.7 billion doses distributed. Such an outbreak is an incentive to speed up. Scientific data so far is affirming the consensus in highly vaccinated countries such as the U.K., U.S. and Israel, that the rate of vaccination does not eradicate the virus entirely or prevent one from getting it. Nonetheless, vaccines do reduce the risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death. However, is this a justification to dump strict prevention and control policies? Absolutely not, not least because the risk of more contagious new variants remains high. A "live and let be" strategy continues to put people at risk. In this case, China, despite its huge population size and density, has many favorable factors which will allow it yet again to facilitate a containment of COVID-19, as it has done time and time again. The country has already defeated the infection of the Delta variant once in Guangdong province, a task which is not an easy one given its population of 126 million. The biggest potential weakness at present, is complacency, or "fatigue." However, we aren't seeing any of this in China. The country, governments at all levels, medical workers, volunteers and ordinary residents are all working together to fight the virus. Such unyielding resolve will bring the Delta variant under control as soon as possible. Tom Fowdy is a British political and international relations analyst and a graduate of Durham and Oxford universities. He writes on topics pertaining to China, the DPRK, Britain and the U.S. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/TomFowdy.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. Flash China's commitment and endeavors made to promote global cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines have earned praise from experts, officials of international organizations and countries across the world. China will strive to provide 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to the world throughout this year and offer 100 million U.S. dollars to COVAX, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday in a written message to the first meeting of the international forum on COVID-19 vaccine cooperation, which was jointly held by 23 countries via video links. World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday that the global health body "is very grateful for President Xi's announcement that China will contribute 100 million dollars to COVAX, for immediate use." The WHO thanked Xi "for this very generous contribution, which will help to save lives around the world." Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, who attended the meeting online, expressed "Egypt's appreciation for the support provided by China" in boosting the production capacity of COVID-19 vaccines in developing countries. The two countries have recently celebrated the joint production of 1 million doses of the Chinese Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine in Egypt. The WHO expects countries, which are capable of offering COVID-19 vaccines to others, to send the doses to the COVAX facility, so that all countries could get equitable and effective access to the vaccine, said Lei Dianliang, a scientist with the WHO's Department of Health Products Policy and Standards. China, Lei said, has made a remarkable contribution to the push for global vaccination, since Chinese researchers have cooperated with their peers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Brazil, Pakistan and others in conducting phase III clinical trials, and sent vaccine concentrate to countries including Egypt, the UAE, Pakistan and Malaysia for local production and packaging, addressing vaccine shortage in the countries to some extent. Anthony Zwi, a professor of Global Health and Development at Australia's University of New South Wales, said the pandemic will be defeated only if the international community works together -- collaboratively and in solidarity with the peoples of the world. Noting that equity in vaccine distribution is essential to overcoming the pandemic, the scholar called on the international community to work together to ensure priority populations worldwide are immunized with good-quality, safe, and effective vaccines. Flash A Chinese envoy on Friday called on the international community to carry forward the Afghan peace process by preventing all-out war, advancing peace and reconciliation, and fighting terrorism. Afghanistan is at a historic conjuncture of war and peace. With the hasty withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces, Afghanistan has seen increased violence, rising civilian casualties and a deteriorating security situation, said Dai Bing, charge d'affaires of China's permanent mission to the United Nations. Two decades of war in Afghanistan has once again demonstrated that there is no military solution. Any external power interference in Afghanistan is doomed to fail, he told the Security Council. The international community should help avoid the expansion of fighting and prevent all-out war in Afghanistan, he said. It is the greatest aspiration of the Afghan people to see the cessation of hostilities and to enjoy peace. It is also the common expectation of regional countries and the international community. China condemns violent attacks against civilians and civilian facilities, and calls on all parties in Afghanistan to exercise restraint, stop military confrontation and reach a comprehensive cease-fire at an early date, said Dai. Foreign troops should consult fully with the Afghan government on post-withdrawal arrangements to ensure a smooth transition in Afghanistan. They should be more transparent with regional countries and avoid leaving behind all the problems. The United States has recently expressed its intention to assist Afghanistan in maintaining stability. China hopes that the United States can earnestly fulfill its commitment and step up efforts, he said. Dai said efforts are needed to advance the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. A political solution is the only way out for Afghanistan. No government should be established in Afghanistan by force. China welcomes the recent resumption of dialogue between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar, and their agreement to continue high-level talks and to accelerate the negotiation process, he said. "We hope that negotiating parties can show flexibility, seek common ground while managing differences, and chart out a roadmap and timetable for reconciliation as soon as possible. We look forward to the rebirth of Afghanistan and the establishment of a broad and inclusive political structure in pursuit of a moderate and steady Muslim policy, with a commitment to friendly relations with all neighboring countries," said Dai. China is willing to host intra-Afghan negotiations in due course to support and facilitate the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan, he added. He also stressed the importance of preventing terrorist forces from gaining strength. Terrorism remains a grave challenge for Afghanistan and regional countries. Terrorist organizations listed by the Security Council, such as the Islamic State, Al-Qaida, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, Pakistan Taliban, continue to launch frequent terrorist attacks in Afghanistan. The international community must not allow Afghanistan to again become a place where terrorists congregate, and should rather continue to support Afghan security forces in strengthening counter-terrorism capacity, said Dai. "The Taliban," he said, "should set the goal of peace and make a clean break with terrorist organizations. All countries should fulfill their obligations under international law and the Security Council resolutions, strengthen cooperation and jointly combat all terrorism." The international community should work, following the principle of Afghan leadership and Afghan ownership, to strengthen coordination and contribute positive energy to the Afghan peace and reconciliation process, he said. China will continue to coordinate closely with relevant parties through various mechanisms to foster synergy in this regard. The international community should continue to support Afghanistan's development and reconstruction, and assist the country in pursuing regional cooperation, building connectivity and enhancing independent development capacities. Developed countries should honor their commitments and continue to provide development and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, especially urgently needed anti-pandemic assistance, he said. China has actively supported the Afghan government in fighting COVID-19. Some 700,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, ventilators, anesthesia machines and other medical supplies have arrived in Kabul not too long ago. China will provide an additional 1 million doses of vaccines in the near future, said Dai. China appreciates the important role played by the UN secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in supporting Afghanistan's peace, reconciliation and economic reconstruction. UNAMA works in a challenging environment under current circumstances. China strongly condemns the attack on the UN compound in Herat on July 30, and calls on all parties to abide by international law and to protect the safety and security of the UN staff, he said. The Security Council should give early consideration to the form of the UN's future presence in Afghanistan and make proper arrangements, he said. Hyderabad: In what brings smiles to animal lovers and the general public alike, 330 turtles that were rescued from Hyderabad on July 31 will now be making their way back home in Uttar Pradesh. These 330 turtles which were smuggled from their home near the Gomti river in Lucknow include Assam roofed turtles also known as Sylhet roofed turtle, belonging to a family of Geoemydidae which falls under Schedule-I of Wildlife Act. We have a team coming to the city to take the rescued turtles back to their home. To do so, we have to get written permission from the chief wildlife wardens of both Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. Once they give their nod of approval, we will take them back to the banks of the Gomti river, where they originated from, noted aquatic biologist, Shailendra Singh. The officials from Uttar Pradesh have applied for a transit permit, and it would take 30 days to be processed. Once the permit is processed, we will airlift the turtles back to Lucknow where they would be kept under quarantine. Once they are deemed to be healthy, we will release them near the riverbank, he said. It might be recalled that the office of the chief wildlife warden, Telangana, R. Shoba had conducted an undercover operation on July 31. The officials arrested two persons for the theft of 330 turtles from the banks of the Gomti River. The accused had plans of selling them to prospective buyers aquarium shops and pet stores in the city. Chennai: Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday paid floral tributes at the mausoleum of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi here on his third death anniversary and urged party workers to take a vow to perpetuate DMK's rule in Tamil Nadu. Stalin showered flower petals at the late party patriarch's samadhi on the Marina beachfront and on the occasion of the anniversary, he asked cadres to work hard to perpetuate the memory of 'Kalaignar' and the DMK's rule in Tamil Nadu. Late DMK chief and former Chief Minister Karunanidhi is addressed as 'Kalaignar' both as a mark of respect and to hail his achievements in the field of art and literature. Stalin said there could be no better homage to Kalaignar other than fulfilling his ideals, adding the late leader dreamt of ushering in DMK's rule in the state and it was realised about three months ago with the backing of party workers. The DMK government won the April 6 Assembly polls and assumed power in May. Kalaignar desired that even after his life time, the party and government should be run in the way it was administered when he was alive and it was a matter of solace for him that he was fulfilling that desire of the late leader, Stalin, who is also the DMK president, said. Stalin asked party workers to take a "big vow" to perpetuate the rule of the party in Tamil Nadu. "Let us take a pledge to nurture the Tamil language, the Tamil people and Tamil Nadu based on the thoughts of the Dravidian movement." The late party patriarch's centenary would be celebrated in a few years from now, he said and urged cadres to work hard to perpetuate Kalaignar's memory and reputation for a "thousand years." Born on June 3, 1924, Karunanidhi died on August 7, 2018. Stalin planted a 'Nagalinga' sapling in the premises of the headquarters of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department here marking the launch of a drive to plant one lakh saplings in the premises of temples across the state in memory of the former Chief Minister. Traditionally, every shrine has a specific tree species as its own 'temple tree' such as the Bael (Vilva) and such species would shall be planted and maintained, an official release here said, adding the drive would be completed in about three months. Stalin gave away welfare assistance to 15 differently abled beneficiaries at the Secretariat which includes custom-made scooters. The Chief Minister also paid floral tributes to Karunanidhi's portrait at the Gopalapuram residence where the leader had lived. Stalin earlier paid homage at his Alwarpet house, party headquarters 'Anna Arivalayam' and at the CIT Colony residence of his sister and party MP, Kanimozhi. Senior party leaders and Ministers including T R Baalu Duraimurugan, K N Nehru and P K Sekar Babu were among those who participated in the anniversary events. According to officials there are nearly 5.77 lakh students in Intermediate second-year spread over 3597 junior colleges. (Representational Photo:AP) VIJAYAWADA: The decision to resume physical classes in colleges from August 16 has evoked mixed reactions. The Board of Intermediate Education Andhra Pradesh (BIEAP) issued a circular to all colleges that physical classes for second-year Intermediate students should commence on August 16. This is worrying parents, students and the teaching fraternity as health experts have been warning of a possible Corona third wave. The circular was issued by BIEAP secretary V. Rama Krishna. It directed principals of all junior colleges to ensure Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) based on Covid protocols. According to officials there are nearly 5.77 lakh students in Intermediate second-year spread over 3597 junior colleges. Further the state government has also decided to reopen schools on the same day when Vidya Kanuka would also be distributed to school children. Health experts are cautioning about a third wave next month. Although they are asserting that vaccination is the only way out, the vaccination process in the state is proceeding at a snails pace. Senior intermediate students, G. Bhargav and D. Mani said that normalcy was gradually returning and conducting physical classes was good because students were facing physical and psychological problems due to the house arrest. They appealed to the government to conduct vaccine drives in colleges. Microbiology lecturer G. Atchyut said that despite taking all precautionary measures there is every chance of a third wave. He said the government should conduct online classes till the intensity of the virus subsides. Parents K. Yedukondalu and S. Raja Rao said that the government should wait for some more time because of the third wave alert. They wanted the government to ensure vaccination of all students and lecturers of junior colleges before August 16. Hyderabad: Fifty-eight per cent of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) want the government to reconsider the amendment it made recently to the Consumer Protection (e-commerce) rules 2020. We find that tracking and restricting sales will hit our businesses hard, they said. The MSMEs say the appointment of a grievance officer in relation to online sales is not advisable as no such provision existed in the offline sales. In the pandemic season, small businesses have shifted to e-commerce platforms, started their own websites and apps, it was pointed out. Sales of products are now driven mostly on-line, as with charcoal, wooden sticks for tandoor foods, utensils, foldable cupboards etc which were not fast-moving items in the past, and are now going off the rack. These household items were not popular as they were old-fashioned. During the pandemic season, kitchen items, food-making accessories, plastic buckets, mugs, dustbins and cleaning products have seen a huge sales rise. Some 60 per cent of these units are now doing sales on e-commerce platforms. In a survey by Local Circles, it was noted that over 3,000 businesses have seen a jump in online sales from 50 to 100 per cent. Ahmed Khan, a businessman selling ceramic ware in Hyderabad said, "After the first lockdown we realised that digital presence was the only way forward. It took us six months to make our website and now the business is picking up." Sujath Ali, a small businessman in the gaming sector, says: "In online sales, the return policy (for goods that are not found to be satisfactory to the user) is in force for seven days. This facility is not provided for offline sales. The government must see such aspects too and encourage online sales rather than putting spokes in our wheels. Vinod Kumar, president of India SME Forum said, "Policies must such that will help retailers and traders to easily shift to online platforms." ANANTAPUR: Dismantling of 200-bed capacity temporary Covid hospital, established in German sheds near the Anantapur Super Specialty Hospital, is troubling people due to fears of Covid-19 third wave hitting AP in the coming weeks. State government had spent Rs 3.53 crore for establishing this temporary Covid care centre on May 24. But the same has been dismantled on Saturday. Officials said the structure has been removed as the temporary hospital had hardly served 100 patients during the second wave lasting two-and-a-half months. Various sections have protested against the dismantling even as state and central governments have been cautioning against possible third wave. Due to severity of the pandemic during the second wave, the district had constructed two Covid care centres one at Tadipatri closer to Arja Steel Plant and the other opposite to super specialty hospital in Anantapur. These facilities, as per the government website, had more than 30 ventilator beds, 180 oxygen beds, 140 ICU beds and 300 ordinary beds. At least Rs 3.53 crore had been spent on temporary pandals, beds, fans, carpets, electricity and toilets in the hospital. But it is shocking that while the government is on one side preparing for the third wave, it is dismantling the 80-day-old hospital. Incidentally, Anantapur has the 5th highest Covid-19 cases as well as number of deaths among the 13 districts. According to officials, a large number of Coronavirus patients had gone to Bengaluru for treatment due to lack of hospital beds with oxygen supply in the district during the second wave. Sources revealed that the hospital has been dismantled as the two-month contract for the same has ended. Praja Science Vedika president Dr. Suresh Babu and district secretary B.N. Prasad have taken objection to district administration dismantling the hospital. ADILABAD: The Congress party's Dalita Girijana Atma Gourava Dandora to be held in Indravelli on Monday has put the police officials on tenterhooks. It may be remembered that 100 Adivasis were killed in police firing in Indravelli on April 20, 1981. Though the officials claimed only 13 Adivasis died in the firing, civil liberties activists said there were many more deaths. A police constable was also killed during the melee. Already there is a rift between Lambadas and Adivasis and the Congress is trying to mobilise both these communities for the meeting. A huge police force will be deployed at the meeting in Indravelli to avoid untoward incidents and they will keep a close watch on unknown persons and their movements. The meeting is being held on Monday and is the day of the weekly fair in Indravelli town for which hundreds of Adivasis and non-tribals from nearby villages and mandals come to purchase essential commodities and other items. Many Adivasi leaders say that the Congress leaders might have selected the day for their convenience to mobilise the public easily for the meeting to show their strength, forgetting the historical facts and lack of historical understanding of Indravelli and its relevance. Some leaders compare the Indravelli massacre with Jalian Wala Bhag. On the other hand, various Adivasi organisations including Tudum Debba, Adivasi Sankshema Parishad, Adivasi Sena and district committee of Rai centres strongly opposed the Congress for organising the public meeting in Indravelli on International Adivasi Day. All these organisations have decided to organise their own programmes marking the International Adivasi Day at different places. Some TRS leaders have been trying their best to prevent the Adivasis from attending the Congress meeting and asking the Adivasis to attend the meeting they were organising in Adilabad town and in Utnoor. Meanwhile, Congress leaders are trying to make the Dalit Girijana Atma Gourava Dandora successful since they took it up as a challenge. They are making all-out efforts to mobilise the public to the meeting from the slums of Adilabad town and villages to Indravelli. It is learnt that the TPCC has put a competition among ticket aspirants for forthcoming elections by asking them to show their strength by mobilising the public for the meeting from their respective constituencies. Congress leaders are said to be vying with each other to mobilise the public and arranging a number of vehicles by spending huge money for their political future. I bought this device called Alexa, because a pretty young salesgirl in a bookshop in Mumbai told me I could have endless Nusrat and Hindi film songs if I bought it. (PTI Photo) I love science and live by it. The discoveries and disciplines through the scientific method are like a religion to me, overruling anything that theological instruction or influence, superstition or irrational beliefs, however prevalent amongst family and friends these are. For instance, I tackled a friend recently who refused to take the Covid-19 vaccine. I dont know what her resistance was based on but do know that she holds beliefs about ancient disciplines yoga and the like, and probably has some inhibitions prompted by these. I texted her to say I thought her resistance was anti-social. That would have, I calculated, impacted on her as she thinks of herself and her opinions as socially beneficial. If I said her resistance to vaccination was anti-scientific, the rebuke would be water off a ducks back. There are people in our multi-generational world, gentle reader, who are most advanced in very many aspects of their lives but still cling to superstitious beliefs. On the very afternoon of writing this column I was at a venue with two dear friends, both of them Christian by birth and belief. The topic turned to trans-gender people applying to join the Army, as one of these friends was a senior officer, now retired, in Her Majestys armed forces. Though this ex-Army general thought there were difficulties involved in admitting men who had transgendered into women into the womens regiments of the Army, he still believed in there being a soul inside the human body, a spirit that was more than flesh and blood living inside each of us humans. I said this was a religious belief, of a ghost living inside the machine, whereas the machine was the ghost. The brain is a muscle which harbours memories and thoughts, but it doesnt give rise to a vaporous being separate and residing within the flesh and bone structure. No, my friends wouldnt have this. Yes, they believed in brain surgery when tumours grew there, but they still believed there was a spirit lurking inside which had a mind of its own and formed opinions about being in the right or the wrong gendered body. I did ask how this mismatch between the soul and the body had come about. But there was no answer forthcoming. Its like asking God-fearing people whether God had invented Covid. Some say yes, its a punishment for humanitys misdeeds. But the punishment seems pretty random -- it should get the real bad guys and not someones innocent grandmother. Maybe God uses algorithms which go wrong? And yet one knows that the advance of scientific technique has clarified a great deal about the universe but has conjointly invented or discovered nasty things. The entire late nineteenth and early twentieth century advances of Rutherford, Thomson, Einstein, Heisenberg, Paoli and many others led to the invention of nuclear weaponry. Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the Cold War were not proud steps in the growth of civilisation, but then there was also the concomitant possibility of using nuclear power plants for peace. Science in the hands of political aims? Nasty and good ones? Inevitable. Science is neutral. Even so, some things scare me. I read now about capitalist enterprises making artificial meat -- growing pork, beef and lamb meat on an industrial scale. They say it tastes just like the real thing but doesnt involve the growth and slaughter of animals. Articles I have read claim it is poised to replace animal food farming. We non-vegetarians will be supplied from meat-growing factories that dont entail the death of any animal. So, when we serve mutton dhan sakh to our dinner guests we can say no animals were harmed in the preparation of this meal! And yes, this advance in genetic-engineered proliferation could put an end to farming animals for food and it could lead in time to the extinction of the species which humans eat. But maybe not. Cows will still be valuable for their milk, sheep for their wool and pigs er um I suppose pigs to the slaughter. Shame! Thats probably the most serious technical-consumer advance enabled by scientific research, and I have a creepy feeling about it. Would I want to eat lab-factory lamb? I suppose I should welcome this planet-changing advance in what humans do to other species and certainly the coming generations will welcome it, but I still feel -- how do the Brits put it? a bit yucky about it. I could always turn vegan, gentle reader, so have no concern for me (You dont have to tell us. No one does anyway, idiot! Ed) Then the other technological advances I resent, all scientifically triumphant, are the ones that offer you baubles in exchange for intruding on your life. I bought this device called Alexa, because a pretty young salesgirl in a bookshop in Mumbai told me I could have endless Nusrat and Hindi film songs if I bought it. I did. Now people tell me that this innocent-looking cylindrical speaker is listening to every conversation I have and will try to sell me things or even report me to the CIA. Eeek! The secret why the Stonehenge rocks last and never weather remains one of the mysteries of the ancient world. One of the most recognizable monuments that stood the test of time and connected to the dark times when man was inclined to superstition. One of the secrets of the stone's resistance to weathering lies in the composition of the rock, as one study suggests. This explains how the structure keeps standing intact for centuries. Scientists took samples from one of the huge stone slabs, called sarsens, and analyzed them under a microscope. They were able to conclude that they are composed of a unique geochemical composition. The Sarsens' Composition Revealed The sample, named the Philip's Core, was extracted more than 60 years ago from today. It stayed as a souvenir in the US for decades, but was later returned to the UK two years ago, reported the Daily Mail. Since extracted, the core was separated into six pieces. The smallest one was only 2.6 inches which were borrowed by the scientists to be analyzed in a study, noted UK Today News. The sarsens composition revealed it was made of sand-sized quartz grains densely packed together by quartz crystals in between. The unique chemical composition now exposes how Stonehenge stood for the last 5,000 years and defied the test of time. The sarsens were the perfect choice in making the structure to make it last for such a time. The composition of Philip's core indicates the large stone sarsens were taken from 15 miles to the North, in the West Woods at the edge of Marlborough Downs, Wiltshire. The researchers said that the results led to where the other stones were taken from the US to analyze other stones-looking for the secret of Stonehenge and its longevity. Read Also: Archeologists Find 130 Homes Around German Stonehenge, Indicates That Ritualistic Site Was Once an Ancient Community The research was led by Professor David Nash from Brighton University and other geoscientists together with other institutions to analyze the raw data from the sarsens. Nash remarked that working on the project is a privilege, and the chance to do so is significant. He mentioned several institutions like the British Geological Survey and the Natural History Museum to analyze the core. He added that the sarsen sample is the most studied stone than the moon rock itself. What are Sarsens? Sarsens are the stones that made up the Stonehenge and other stone circles in the Wiltshire village of Avebury. Each stone weighs around 20 tons and is as tall as 7 meters. These stones are the 15 of the Henge's central horseshoe, also the uprights and lintels in the outer part of the structure. Outlying stones like the Heel, Slaughter, and Station stones. The scientists were more interested in how the stones were formed before they were made into the famous Stonehenge in the Neolithic epoch. Originally the sample was drilled from Stone 50 of Stonehenge by the British firm Van Moppes during 1958. The core's location was unknown until 2018 when Robert Phillips, of the Van Moppes, sent it back from Florida, cited News Zordo. Robert Phillips was allowed to take the core after the drilling in is done. Nash said that the core might have been broken right after the drilling. As of date, the monument can no longer be drilled for samples as it has protected status accorded to it. The secret of Stonehenge is the composition of densely packed material that kept it intact for a long time. Builders might have known of the characteristics of the stones for choosing them as the best material for the stone ring, was not an accident. Related Article: Swarms of Summer Solstice Festivalgoers Converged on Stonehenge Despite the Cancellation of the Yearly Event @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. President Joe Biden said the July jobs data show that his measures are helping the U.S. economy rebound from the pandemic. Restaurant and bar employment accounted for 253,000 of the new jobs added last month. Like they were before the coronavirus lockdowns, the hotel and leisure businesses are the most significant drivers to job growth. Biden said that the highly contagious disease is wreaking havoc on the country, and he encouraged unvaccinated Americans to be vaccinated. The White House reiterated unemployment benefit's expiration However, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that Biden is open to extending a $300 weekly unemployment benefits supplement that companies claim has produced a labor scarcity. Still, he hasn't made up his mind. Critics argue that the boost, which is due to expire in the first week of September, has made it difficult for low-wage workers to return to work. Psaki dismissed a reporter's claim that 26 states, including Florida, Ohio, Texas, and Georgia, had cut off enhanced unemployment benefits early, resulting in a surprisingly good monthly jobs report issued Friday. She also attributed the economic resurgence to widespread COVID-19 vaccination, which resulted in 943,000 new jobs in July, surpassing forecasts and lowering the unemployment rate to 5.4 percent. The current $300 weekly unemployment benefit was established by a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus plan that passed Congress in March without a single Republican vote, maintaining the $300 weekly supplement signed into law by former President Donald Trump in December. Left-wing legislators are likely to urge Biden to prolong the more generous unemployment benefits, following a triumph last week in persuading him to extend an evictions moratorium, NY Post reported. The July jobs data outperformed forecasts by 943,000 jobs, faster wage growth, and a larger reduction in unemployment than forecast. It's another evidence of a stronger recovery, with the US gaining employment for the seventh consecutive month, as per Business Insider via MSN. Marty Walsh, the Secretary of Labor, spoke with Insider about the strong report and why it was so excellent. He doesn't believe it's because 26 states have opted out of federal unemployment benefits ahead of schedule. Most of those states' early terminations were factored in for the first time in the July report. He credited the increases in June and July to the Biden administration's substantial expenditures. When questioned about several Republican governors' choice to stop federal unemployment benefits early following April's dismal jobs report - in many states, both the additional $300 a week as well as programs that increased eligibility and duration - Walsh said he hadn't seen any evidence of that. In total, 26 states, except Louisiana, have terminated the federal unemployment benefit before September. Early statistics back up Walsh's claim that vaccination rates have aided in employment recovery. According to an analysis by economist Luke Pardue of payroll platform Gusto, workers returned at significantly greater rates in areas with higher vaccination rates when unemployment benefits were terminated early. Vaccination rates were a larger influence in keeping workers out of the workforce than increased unemployment benefits. Read Also: Andrew Cuomo's Impeachment Probe Nearing Completion; New York Committee Claims Governor Agrees to Provide Evidence Biden says the increase in COVID-19 cases is a threat to the economy Biden avoided the temptation to do a victory lap after announcing vital July jobs data, instead of reminding the country that increasing COVID-19 cases represent an immediate threat to the economy's recovery. Coronavirus' extremely infectious Delta variant is responsible for at least 80% of new infections in the United States. The White House is afraid that increasing COVID-19 caseloads would stymie the economy, jeopardizing Biden's domestic program and Democrats' chances in the November elections. After months of relying on incentives, celebrity endorsements, and local outreach to encourage Americans to get vaccinated, the Biden administration stepped up its game this week, adding sticks to the traditional carrot-and-stick equation. Employees who can't show they've been vaccinated will face many negative consequences at work, including being physically separated from their vaccinated coworkers. The Pentagon recently announced that the COVID-19 vaccine would be included in the list of required vaccinations for US military personnel. Biden didn't mention these steps in his speech on Friday, instead of focusing on the administration's efforts to safeguard the economy's recovery, as per CNBC. Related Article: Joe Biden's New Eviction Moratorium Faces Legality Doubt Amid Pressure as COVID-19 Delta Variant Cases Spike @YouTube @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Heavy rains in North Korea resulted in the evacuation of thousands of people and destruction of over 1,100 houses. In the east of North Korea, where a food shortage is increasing, farms and roads have been swept away. According to North Korea's official television, heavy rains in northeastern North Korea have damaged or flooded 1,170 homes, forcing 5,000 people to evacuate to safety. This week's rain in South Hamgyong Province flooded or swept away hundreds of acres of farmland and wrecked several bridges. North Korea heavy rains are expected to continue in the following days Houses submerged up to their red-brick roofs, a severed bridge over muddy water, and a swollen river were all shown in the footage. There were no casualties mentioned in the broadcast. It is expected that heavy rains will continue to fall in the north's eastern coastal districts during the following few days, NY Post reported. Summer rains in North Korea frequently inflict severe damage to the country's agricultural and other sectors, owing to the impoverished country's deforestation, inadequate drainage, and crumbling infrastructure. The bad weather comes amid rising concerns over North Korea's food shortage, although foreign monitoring agencies have spotted no signs of widespread hunger or social upheaval. According to official broadcaster KRT, it poured heavily in North and South Hamgyong provinces. Bridges and dikes were damaged, and homeowners' roofs were flooded. The National Hydro-Meteorological Administration's deputy director Ri Yong Nam stated there was more than 500 millimeters of rain in North Hamgyong from Sunday to Tuesday, August 3, but rainfall in South Hamgyong was above average. In a tweet, NK News' Senior Analytic Correspondent Colin Zwirko provided photos of flood-stricken regions. We revealed extensive flood damage in North Korea using satellite imagery on Weds, now KCTV admits it with video of the broken bridges, destroyed homes and fields in the same exact areas These images are in Sinhung main town and surrounding area https://t.co/5O8rHYrfio pic.twitter.com/sl9wJxZzTx Colin Zwirko (@ColinZwirko) August 6, 2021 According to Pyongyang's Korea Central Television, heavy rains have been inundating South Hamgyong Province, with rainfall ranging from 6 to 12 inches in the city of Hamhung and Sinhung and Ragwon counties. North Korea's meteorological agency's Ri Yong Nam, informed the official television that heavy rain is predicted along the country's eastern coast for the rest of August. Per Republic World, the claimed destruction might have severe repercussions for North Korea's food production. According to a report released last year by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, food shortages are caused by deterioration of essential agricultural infrastructure and repeated natural catastrophes. Read Also: Bangladesh Lightning Strike Kills 17, Injures 14 People at a Wedding Party Floods hit North Korea amid food crisis The South Korean network JTBC said South Hamgyong Province and South Pyongan and Hwanghae provinces produce more than 60% of North Korea's rice. North Korea had stated that food production in 2020 would be down by more than 1 million tons compared to the previous year, citing natural catastrophes as the reason. Last year, Kim Jong Un visited typhoon-ravaged parts of the nation, including South Hamgyong Province. North Korea's leader warned in June that the country's food situation was "tense," and that the harvests this year will determine much of the country's survival. State media have highlighted work on staking dikes and repairing bridges, ditches, and other infrastructure as part of measures to minimize flooding damage. In a phone discussion on Friday, August 6, the South Korean Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State addressed humanitarian supplies to North Korea, according to their offices. North Korea was recently compelled to disclose emergency military rice stocks as its food situation deteriorated. A hot wave and drought have harmed the country's food supply, which has shut itself off from most outside imports and helped avoid a coronavirus outbreak and is also facing international sanctions. Although there have been no severe famine or civil unrest instances, analysts have predicted that the country's food supply will deteriorate further until the autumn harvest, as per Sky News. Related Article: North Korea's Kim Jong Un Warns Young People to Face Jail or Execution If They Use Slang, Trendy Fashion from South @YouTube @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine / AFP-Yonhap North Korea could, in theory, give its entire population a single COVID-19 vaccine shot in less than 10 days, using vaccines that require standard refrigeration, such as AstraZeneca's, according to a U.S. website monitoring the reclusive state. In an article on the North's vaccination capabilities posted Thursday, 38 North made the projections "based on ideal conditions," as it analyzed Pyongyang's erstwhile vaccination efforts, such as an anti-measles campaign in 2007. The website also stressed that the North's cold chain infrastructure is capable of supporting the countrywide deployment of vaccines that require standard refrigeration between 2 degrees Celsius and 8 degrees Celsius, while vaccines requiring ultra-cold temperatures could also be deployed if the initial rollout was limited geographically. "Provided they had time to prepare, i.e., ensure the integrity of the cold chain and have sufficient stock of consumables, the North Koreans could, in theory, vaccinate the entire population of 25 million people in less than 10 days for single injection vaccines, and in under two months for two-shot vaccines," the website said. "These projections are based on ideal conditions, and the real-world experience would likely be much different," it added. While making the projections, the website touched on the North's 2007 measles vaccine campaign, which was carried out in two phases. In the first phase from March 14 to 18, 2007, 6 million people were vaccinated for a daily average of 1.2 million, while in the second phase from April 9 to 11, 10 million people were vaccinated, or a daily average of 3.3 million. "The DPRK is highly capable of implementing national vaccination programs. Their measles vaccine campaign in 2007 showed how quickly and efficiently they can get the job done," the article read, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The North has so far reported no COVID-19 cases, though it has closed off its border with China and taken stringent quarantine rules to fend off any influx of the virus. (Yonhap) A former special counsel who investigated a corruption scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye was summoned by police Saturday for questioning over alleged graft, according to officials. Park Young-soo was booked for investigation last month over allegations that he accepted a Porsche rental car and seafood from a man who claimed to be a fisheries businessman last December. According to officials at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Park was grilled as a suspect for about 10 1/2 hours in the day. He is one of several high-profile figures, including senior members of the prosecution and police, who are being investigated for allegedly accepting bribes from the man. Park's supporters claimed earlier that the car was only rented for two days and the cost was paid in full. But some observers have said the payment was only made after police launched their investigation into the businessman who is currently standing trial for fraud. The former special counsel has also argued that under this title, he is not a public official and so is not subject to punishment under the anti-graft law, though the state anti-corruption watchdog said that a special counsel can be deemed a public official. Park investigated the scandal surrounding the now-imprisoned former president for over four years until he stepped down last month following the allegations. (Yonhap) G7 foreign ministers said Friday that "all available evidence clearly points to Iran" being behind a drone strike against an Israel-linked tanker, July 29, that killed a former British soldier and Romanian national. "This was a deliberate and targeted attack, and a clear violation of international law... There is no justification for this attack," the ministers from the world's seven most developed nations said in a statement. Iran has strongly denied having any link to the attack, which came as tensions grow in the region and talks to revive the 2015 deal on the Iranian nuclear program remain at a standstill. The ministers said "vessels must be allowed to navigate freely in accordance with international law" and vowed to "do our utmost to protect all shipping, upon which the global economy depends." "Iran's behavior, alongside its support to proxy forces and non-state armed actors, threatens international peace and security," they said, calling on Iran to stop all activities inconsistent with UN Security Council resolutions. The United States and Israel have both pointed the finger at Iran for being behind the attack on the tanker, which is managed by a prominent Israeli businessman in London. Security analysts have said the fatal attack upped the stakes in the "shadow war" against vessels linked to Iran and Israel. On Tuesday, Iran was again blamed for the alleged hijacking of an asphalt and bitumen tanker in the Gulf of Oman, prompting more denials from the Islamic republic. The tensions have come as hardline former judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi took over this week as Iranian president following his victory in June elections, replacing Hassan Rouhani who was seen as a more moderate figure. (AFP) Palo Verde Unified School District is now Hiring! Positions Available: JROTC- Senior Army Instructor (SAI) Certificated Position Salary-$53,195-$98,958 JROTC- Army Instructor (AI) Certificated Position Salary- $45,650- $80,697 Great Wages and Low Cost Of Living In Sunny Blythe California! For more information please visit click apply! or call us at 760-922-4164 Welcome to the Palo Verde Unified School District located in sunny Blythe, CA! Thank you for your interest in joining the PVUSD family. We are proud of the fact that we have talented staff, excellent growth opportunities, and outstanding support. The primary function of PVUSD is to foster our students love for learning, encourage them to try new and exciting things, and give them a solid foundation to build on. Our mission is to enrich, empower and enhance our students lives through education. We are seeking talented individuals who support our vision and strategic plan that encompasses Improving Learning...Together. Click apply for more information and be considered today! recblid cxo106br10d2xbwye369nchuffa9tc Breton USA Customer Service Corp. seeks Logistics Analyst in Sarasota, Florida. Responsible for strategic planning, analysis & coordination of logistical business functions, financials & insurance & electronic billing via QuickBooks Enterprise; confers with business associates & parent company in Italy. Domestic travel up to 3 times per month, 1-2 days each trip, to affiliate warehouse in New Brighton, PA. Requires Masters degree in Business Administration. Mail resume to Attn: Human Resources, Breton USA, 1753 Northgate Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34234. recblid bnyfgk2sv4xtxjn3l1npy4529oexon Why you should attend: Meet local employers, from the comfort of your home You'll be able to see what groups are hiring, and what positions are open now. No special equipment or software needed; just your computer or smart device. Chat online with recruiters During the event, you'll be able to have an initial chat conversation with recruiters. Be prepared for some recruiters to request a video interview with you. Put your best foot (virtually) forward! You may have been sheltering at home for a while, but this is your chance to connect with businesses and talk about your next job. Register now! Mega Minn Virtual Career Fair All times shown in Central Time (CDT) August 18, 2021 10:00am Event Start 10:00am to 2:00pm Chat live with recruiters August 19, 2021 3:00pm to 6:00pm Chat live with recruiters September 17, 2021 6:00pm Last day of event Employers attending this event include: PSSI Sponsors Bongards Cardinal Corp Wal-Mart MRCI Holiday Station Stores Trelleborg Healthcare and Medical Upper Lakes Foods Chart Industries Mediacom Treasure Island Resort & Casino Kwik Trip recblid yzi4i8ho68l6lrnh5zuksy22e7jo5g The State of Connecticut Supreme/Appellate Court is seeking a Paralegal Specialist I to perform general office work, review filings, apply rules of appellate procedure, respond to inquiries from the bar, public and self- represented litigants and provide legal support for attorneys in the Office of the Appellate Clerk. Starting Salary - $55,473 plus full State of Connecticut benefits. Experience and training: Two (2) years of experience providing complex clerical-level legal support services to an attorney. For current employees, this will be interpreted as two (2) years at or above the level of an Administrative Clerk. Applications must be received by August 23, 2021. Applications must be submitted through the on-line application site at: https://www.jud.ct.gov/hronline/. Paper applications will not be accepted. Please reference posting number 21-0000-007 AA/EOE The mission of the Connecticut Judicial Branch is to serve the interests of justice and the public by resolving matters brought before it in a fair, timely, efficient and open manner. recblid sbnjaeqfnvg1hi4ca0mbqlpf05a00a !!NEWSPAPER CARRIERS NEEDED !! $600 SIGN ON BONUS Earn anywhere from $500 - $1200+ per month, become an Independent Contractor delivering newspapers. This is a great way to supplement your income, and there's no wait, as you can start earning money immediately. Also provide good service and you can get tips! Must have own vehicle Valid Drivers License Proof of vehicle insurance Be at least 18 years old This is 7 days a week, all overnight hours. Routes open in the Mannford Area - Limited routes available! UBER AND LYFT DRIVERS - If you like to burn the midnight oil, this is a great way to make extra income while you are waiting for the next call! Apply Now! Tulsa World Media Company owns a suite of brands that serve as the preeminent sources of news and information for northeast Oklahoma. Our brands include Tulsa World, tulsaworld.com, Tulsa World Classifieds, Owasso Reporter, Skiatook Journal, Wagoner County American Tribune, Sand Springs Leader and more. Tulsa World Media Company is a part of Lee Enterprises Inc. We serve the communities in northeast Oklahoma by providing trusted news and information to readers and viewers while helping businesses reach customers using traditional and innovative marketing solutions. We have been a part of this community for more than 110 years and are honored to deliver outstanding journalism to our community. We invite you to #JoinOurStory recblid sp9cf4s0obfiaj6fwdgzra6r1xpwix Position Objective: Contributes to the provision of high-quality, cost-effective healthcare as a provider of direct and indirect patient care and by effective of the health care team. Functions as a competent member of the health care team. Essential Job Duties: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 1. Clinical Decision Making/Judgment Demonstrates clinical nursing knowledge and skill in the specialization of the unit. Demonstrates the ability to apply the nursing process effectively in the care of culturally diverse patients and families. Demonstrates the ability to utilize all applicable laws, policies, standards, guidelines and evidence-based practice in the provision of patient/family care. Organizes and reprioritizes patient care activities based on subtle and overt and/or environmental changes. Consistently and thoroughly assesses patients to collect data and identify learning needs according to established standards and policies. Utilizes a systematic, continuous and complete analysis of assessment data to develop individualized problem lists for assigned patients. Develops and individualizes a plan of care for each patient in accordance with established standards, appropriate prioritization of problems/needs, and mutually agreed upon goals. Efficiently implements the patient's plan of care in accordance with applicable standards, policies, procedures and guidelines. Demonstrates proficiency in medication administration, pain management and other unit or initiative specific skills. Continuously evaluates the effectiveness of the plan(s) of care, making revisions and recommendations based on analysis of patient responses to interventions. 2. Nurse-Patient Family Relationships Demonstrates the ability to assess the patient's/family's learning needs, readiness to learn, learning style, and presence of barriers to learning. Demonstrates the ability to develop, implement and evaluate teaching plans for patient populations in unit specialty in accordance with applicable standards. Demonstrates the ability to apply knowledge of growth and development across the life span to the care of patients. Provides direct patient care to patients and families in a culturally, developmentally and ethically appropriate manner. Plans of care address the physical, psychosocial, spiritual and learning needs of the patient/family. 3. Clinical Scholarship Participates in QI, CPI and risk management activities at the unit, department or organizational level. Demonstrates the ability to effectively perform and improve all processes in order to achieve excellence with regard to AAMC's quality standards and benchmarks. Supports the use of evidence based guidelines and organizational policies and procedures to promote safe patient care and a safe practice environment. 4. Clinical Leadership Participates in unit shared governance according to departmental standards. Participates in the education and orientation of new staff. Delegates patient care activities as appropriate; evaluates delegated activities for expected patient care outcomes. Employs real time computer documentation when completing patient record. 5. Unit Specific Responsibilities Provide nursing care to the adult medical patients ranging in age from 18 years to the elderly. Demonstrates the ability to utilize telemetry as an assessment tool and manage the patient care during a dysarrythmic episode. Identifies and treats the following nursing diagnoses that frequently occur in the medical population: Activity intolerance Impaired adjustment Impaired physical mobility Pain Self care deficit Alteration in elimination Potential for impaired gas exchanges in pulmonary system Other diagnosis as identfied Risk for: peripheral neurovascular dysfunction; ineffective coping: impaired skin integrity; for infection. Helpful: Telemetry experience highly desirable. Competency in telemetry monitoring will be required within 6 months of hire. Training and testing will be provided. Educational/Experience Requirements: Graduate of an accredited school of nursing Adherence to the credentialing requirements of AAMC as stated in the nursing bylaws. Required License/Certifications: Current licensure as a registered nurse by the Maryland Board of Nursing. BLS - American Heart Association Healthcare Provider certification Working Conditions, Equipment, Physical Demands: There is a reasonable expectation that employees in this position will be exposed to blood-borne pathogens. Physical Demands - Medium work. Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 30 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects. The physical demands and work environment that have been described are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The above job description is an overview of the functions and requirements for this position. This document is not intended to be an exhaustive list encompassing every duty and requirement of this position; your supervisor may assign other duties as deemed necessary. LAMAR UNIVERSITY Salary: $31,200 Lamar Universitys Housing department is accepting applications for a Housing Facilities Maintenance Specialist Sr. Reporting to the Assistant Director for Housing Facilities in the Department of Housing and Residence Life, the Housing Facilities Maintenance Specialist Sr. is responsible for assisting in the maintenance, physical and mechanical upkeep of the university residence halls. As part of a housing facilities staff team, the position maintains, services, and conducts minor repairs and performs various semi-skilled duties in the areas of plumbing, carpentry, electrical, and locks. Minimum Education Required: High School Diploma or Equivalent An Associate Degree or completion of a formal technical training program in electrical, plumbing or carpentry is preferred. Minimum Experience Required: 3 years of facility maintenance experience working in the building trade industry Basic working knowledge ofcarpentry, plumbing and electrical systems Experience using hand and electrical tools Must have a valid Texas drivers license and acceptable driving record Must be able to pass a background check Job Conditions: Work Hours: 40 per/week, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Will be required to work move-in weekend each year (August) Position can be called in after hours for emergencies in the residence halls For a complete listing of job duties and qualifications, please visit: https://jobs.lamar.edu and to apply. Lamar University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. recblid as3a5fay9cjo3xda3qslbe6vxr6dfa Digital Mixed-Signal Modeling Engineer Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino) , California , United States Hardware Summary Posted: Aug 5, 2021 Role Number: 200274626 Imagine what you could do here at Apple! Together we could help craft the next generation of the world's finest devices. New ideas have a way of becoming extraordinary products, services, and customer experiences very quickly. Bring passion and dedication to your career, and there's no telling what you could accomplish. You will become part of a hands-on development team that fosters engineering excellence, creativity and innovation. Collaboration across teams is a key component of success at Apple. The right candidate will thrive in that type of environment. You will work with us from Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California. It's one of the most exciting aspects of the job. Dynamic, smart people and inspiring, innovative technologies are the norm here. Will you help us design the next generation of revolutionary Apple products? Key Qualifications Experience in developing behavioral models for analog and wireless building blocks, e.g., PLL, ADC, DAC, AMP, LNA, Mixer, PA, etc. Experience in synthesizable analog/RF modeling for FPGA or Emulation Experience in running analog simulations in Cadence Virtuoso/ADE Strong knowledge in Verilog, SystemVerilog, and VerilogAMS based modeling in the domains of analog, wireless, and signal processing Experience in FPGA and Emulation platforms Experience in modeling in SystemC, and C/C++ will be a plus Experience in using High Level Synthesis (HLS) tool flow will be a plus Experience in writing scripts in languages such as Perl or Python Excellent communication skills Description Work closely with the analog, digital, and system design teams to review specifications and architecture, extract features, define modeling plan and framework Defining, building, and debugging analog and wireless models Using HLS tools to generate Verilog code if required Integrate models with the design and test benches and simulate with Verilog simulators or in Emulation Education & Experience MSEE with 6+ years of relevant. PhD with 2 years of experience Engineering Manager - AMP Commerce Engineering New York City , New York , United States Software and Services Summary Posted: Aug 6, 2021 Role Number: 200275025 The Apple Media Products Commerce Engineering team builds services powering the App Store, Apple TV, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, Apple Pay, Apple Books and more! We do it on a massive scale, meeting Apple's high expectations to deliver a variety of content in over 35 languages to more than 150 countries. Thanks to Apple's unique integration of hardware, software, and services, our engineers partner to get behind a single unified vision. That vision always includes a deep commitment to strengthening Apple's privacy policy, one of Apple's core values. Our teams remain small, nimble, and cross-functional, offering great exposure to an array of opportunities. Key Qualifications At least 6 years of experience, at least two of which are in a lead or management role Experience working with and leading cross-functional technical teams is highly desirable Strong object oriented design and analysis skills Experience writing components/frameworks/libraries that achieve software leverage Experience working in a large code base Experience with relational databases, JDBC, and object relational frameworks like Hibernate, JPA, etc. Experience using NoSQL solutions like Cassandra, Voldemort, Memcached, etc. Familiarity with big data technologies such as Apache Spark, Hadoop, etc. TCP/IP networking experience, with protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, SSL External systems integrations experience Willing to take ownership and set direction, especially in gray areas Strong sense of responsibility Hands-on coder, with ability to write clear, concise, coherent code Superb verbal and written communications skills Excellent judgment and integrity with the ability to make timely and sound decisions. Ability to self-direct when necessary, all the while supporting strong team dynamics Ability to simultaneously face multiple teams and/or partner organizations Fastidious attention to detail Description The Apple Media Products Commerce group is looking for an extraordinary, hands-on Engineering Manager to join our platform engineering team. The Commerce team provides the transactional engine for App Store, iTunes Music Store, Apple Music, iBookStore, Apple TV+ and more. Our platform is the highest volume digital content store in the world, serving billions of transactions daily in more than 130 countries. Would you like the stimulation and challenges of building a world-class, extraordinary scalable commerce platform? Then this is the opportunity for you at Apple! We strive to provide a flawless purchase and subscription experience for our for millions of customers and developers. You'll build services and application components, shared across applications, to support very high levels of transactional integrity, scalability, availability, fault tolerance, and security. You will also contribute to the architecture, design and implementation of top-level user visible features, with an emphasis on identifying components that can be used across different scenarios and domains. We are looking for a self-starting, ambitious individual who is not afraid to question assumptions or charge head-first into gray areas. Excellent written and interpersonal skills are a must to collaborate in our multi-functional environments. You should have in-depth experience developing large-scale web-based applications using object-oriented languages. Excellent understanding of relational databases and data-modeling techniques are needed, and Cassandra or other NoSQL knowledge are a plus. We partner with a variety of cross and multi-functional team members from a diverse array of other exciting groups across the company. If you like the stimulation and challenges of building systems and features exposed to hundreds of millions of transacting users, and you want to make a difference, you will find Apple Media Products Engineering to be a fast-paced, rewarding environment where the best engineers and scientists collaborate to deliver fantastic products and features to our customers. You will work on features that touch all Apple Media Products Commerce services - account management, application, music, and video purchase / download / entitlement, subscription management, financial and fulfillment topics plus a lot of new features coming to the Apple product ecosystem. You will ensure that language and local market requirements are understood and supported from a technical perspective. You will find opportunities for software reuse across problem domains, design and code components/libraries/frameworks to support that reuse, and refactor code to achieve higher levels of leverage in the codebase. Using 3rd party and hand-rolled solutions, you will build infrastructure for caching, messaging, and workflow management, that will be used by other teams in the Commerce group. Be ready to make something extraordinary when you come here. Dynamic, inspiring people and innovative, industry-defining technologies are the norm at Apple. The people who work here have reinvented and defined entire industries with our products and services. The same passion for innovation also applies to our business practices - strengthening our commitment to leave the world better than we found it. You should join the Apple Media Products Commerce Engineering Team if you want to help deliver the next amazing Apple product. Education & Experience BS in Computer Engineering or Computer Science or equivalent experience is required. MS preferred. Two people have been fined $150 000 each for operating clinics and selling pharmaceutical drugs without licences in Mhangura, Mashonaland West Province. Henry Norbert Mahogo (55) and Mafios Choto (60) appeared before Chinhoyi Magistrates Court where they were convicted. Various pharmaceutical drugs that were recovered were destroyed in terms of the law. National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrests and subsequent appearance of the duo in court. Police in Chinhoyi recovered an assortment of medicinal drugs and arrested Henry Norbert Mahogo aged 55 and Mafios Choto aged 60 for operating clinics and selling pharmaceutical drugs without licences in Mhangura, he said. The duo appeared before Chinhoyi Magistrates Court where they were convicted and sentenced to a fine of $150 000 each. The recovered drugs were destroyed as required in terms of the Drugs and Allied Substances Act. In February, there were reports that some pharmacies were diverting onto the black market drugs bought using foreign currency allotted on the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe auction facility, which they resold for much higher prices in foreign currency. Drugs that could have been used to suppress Covid-19 symptoms, were especially abused. These syndicates, which include pharmacies and other health facilities, demand payment in US dollars despite the fact that the importers or wholesalers, bought them using forex obtained from the auction system. The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) is investigating the abusers and if hard evidence of the practice is found, several pharmaceutical importers and retailers could be arrested. Zacc spokesperson Commissioner John Makamure was quoted as saying: Medical supplies are one of those items that have been given priority in the allocation of foreign currency by the RBZ so the importers can bid at the auctions. We have received complaints that some unscrupulous pharmacies were accessing the hard currency to procure Covid-19 drugs. The drugs would be on shelves briefly. They would then de-shelve them and divert them onto the black market. The reports we are receiving are that other pharmacies, upon receiving RBZ auction proceeds, they will insist on selling the drugs in foreign currency. Some of the drugs that were de-shelved, but resurfaced on the black market include Ivermectin, an anti-parastic drug that is being studied to establish its efficacy in the treatment of Covid-19 symptoms. The Government recently authorised its import for further studies. Herald Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Human rights group, Amnesty International, is calling on the Government of National Unity (GNU) not to reward abusive militias and armed groups with legitimacy and salaries Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) has thrown its weight behind the president of the national vaccination campaign in Tunisia, Hechmi Louzir, for the right of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants to be vaccinated, especially those over 40 years of age It was another active week in the oil and gas sector. ( , , ) chief executive Rusty Hutson said he is thrilled with the performance in what is described as an active first half of 2021. During the period, the firm launched a new leg in its growth strategy, establishing the central focus area including territories in Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. It bolstered the portfolio in this area with the acquisition of three asset packages for a total of US$342mln. DECs production business continued to perform well, setting a new record with an average rate of 106,000 barrels oil equivalent per day for the six-month period and exited the half with 116,000 boepd. ( , ) has released its latest positive well results from Egypt, with the Al Jahraa-8 (AJ-8) well flowing up to 2,819 barrels oil equivalent per day in testing. Preliminary short-term tests yielded a maximum rate of 2,819 boepd, comprising 2,093 bopd and 3.63mln cubic feet of gas per day, and a rate of 1,433 boepd on a more constrained choke. The results exceed the companys pre-drill expectations for the well, which will now be brought into production. Europa Oil & Gas (Holdings) PLC has launched a formal process for the farm-out of a stake in the Inezgane Offshore Permit, an 11,228 square kilometre area offshore Morocco. The company describes it as a high-impact exploration opportunity in a highly underexplored area whilst highlighting that the acreage is on the same geological trend with major oil and gas discoveries along the west coast of Africa. Europa has to date identified more than 2bn barrels of exploration potential across its top 5 ranked prospects. ( , ) has been granted a two-year extension for its obligations at the Umiat oil field, to August 2023, as it continues to advance its understanding of the acreage. It intends to continue analysis of extensive historic data along with the findings of the Merlin-1 well data from the adjacent Project Peregrine permit. The company said it expects to optimise development plans for Umiat during the extension period, including synergies with Project Peregrine, and maximise its chance of success at Umiat. During the extension, 88 Energy plans to investigate prior scoping studies and explore possible alternative development scenarios, revise sensitivity analysis for the development incorporating knowledge from Merlin-1, identify and map potential future drilling locations. Earlier in the week, the company hired Philip Byrne as the companys new non-executive chairman, succeeding Michael Evans, who retires from the position after seven years. The company announced two further appointments designed to strengthen the management team. Robert Benkovic has been installed as the companys new chief operating officer and Joanne Kendrick is a new non-executive director. ( , ) has received a sample of produced oil from Greenfield Energy LLC's Utah operations and will conduct its own analysis. The sample, three drums of oil, was produced at the Petroteq Oil Sands Plant (POSP) and it arrived at the Quadrise Research Facility in Essex. It will undergo an extensive programme of testing which is expected to have concluded by the end of August. Quadrise will determine whether commercial MSAR and/or bioMSAR fuel products can be produced from the oil. It will also assess whether it would be suitable for the potential power and marine end-user markets. Province is investigating the world-class wind and solar resources of the Gascoyne Region at the HyEnergy Project, located within close proximity to key infrastructure such as the Dampier Bunbury Gas Pipeline. Province Resources Ltd is focused on the exploration and development of copper, gold, nickel, cobalt, vanadium and other mineral opportunities, and aims to take advantage of the growing usage of these commodities in the growing green energy market. Have you come across a project that is totally de-risked? This episode of Coffee with is about two things, Green Hydrogen and a De-risked ESG Business . The figure below lays out why I think this is one of the most Compelling ASX Stories that has graced Coffee With Samso. If there was a second chance to ride an energy wave, Province Resources Limited ( ) gives me the fuzzy feeling that this could be the horse to ride. If you look at the chart, you do get the feeling that the horses have bolted. In these situations, I remind myself of my first IPO. I bought into Woolworths and it opened around AU$2.50 mark. I thought that was great but I distinctly remembered that I had no idea of where this price could go. Today, we see Woolworths around AUD$40 per share, with a market capitalisation of AU$50B. The moral of the story is that one has to understand where the value will come and as a novice in shares at that time, I had not idea of whether to sell Woolworths or wait for a greater value. Another example is Woodside which is now worth AU$21.23B. It can be argued that they are in the sunset mode but I remember when they listed, I did not know the concept of value adding or value creation. The business of Green Hydrogen has just started and a company like Province Resources with a market capitalisation of approximately AU$150M is cheap considering that the idea of value in this sector is in its infancy. If this is a sector for the future, the value creation part of the business has not even begun. David Frances shares with us on this Coffee With Samso the unique entity that is taking on the Green Hydrogen story. We learn about a myriad of Hydrogen types. Hydrogen is Not Hydrogen. The only thing that will kill this industry will be Government. ESG is here to stay. - David Frances I have to say that this is one of the most compelling ASX stories I have come across. The research that I looked at prior to my first meeting with David was nothing compared to understanding the whole story. Province Resources Limited is about a totally de-risked business which is just waiting for some government directions. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 54:20 - Who Is David Frances? 01:28 - Why have we not heard of the Hydrogen business ? 02:17 - Hydrogen 101 03:59 - Is Hydrogen Hydrogen? 05:59 - How is the journey for the Efficiency of Hydrogen? 07:56 - What will Province produce? 08:49 - Are you specific to a type of Hydrogen? 10:13 - What is the business for Province and how does it work? 11:43 - The Hydrogen Royalty debate 13:23 - Green Tariff will drive the Green Hydrogen business 14:54 - The ESG is pushing this sector. 15:28 - What is the money people are saying about this Green Hydrogen business? 17:17 - The Importance of ESG parameters. 18:21 - The business plan for Province Resources Limited. 19:38 - Why Carnarvon? 20:55 The Total Eren Factor 22:21 Total De-risking 23:59 - Be careful of the use of the word Hydrogen.... 24:36 - How Green Hydrogen fairs with Cost vs. Scale of business. 26:18 - Making the entire supply chain Green. 27:56 - The path that needs to be taken. 28:24 - Is the value of the shares over? 28:54 - The reasons why investing in Province is still in the early stage. 29:35 - When should investors come in? More reasons for investing in Province. 30:15 - What can break this business? 31:07 - Conclusion PODCAST About David Frances Managing Director and CEO Mr Frances is an international executive of nearly 30 years with a track record of transacting, discovering, funding, developing and operating assets in Australia and Africa. Mr Frances has been involved in the transformation of several companies including Mawson West ( ) which he led from a micro-cap Western Australian based ASX Company which involved delisting the Company and then relisting on the Toronto Stock Exchange after completing the worlds largest base metals capital raise and IPO for 2010. Mr Frances has served as Chairman both executive and Non-Executive, Managing Director, and Non-Executive Director of a number of ASX and TSX listed and private Companies across a diverse range of business. About Province Resources Limited Province Resources Limited ( ) is an ASX listed natural resources company currently focused on the mineral exploration and development of copper, gold, nickel, cobalt, vanadium and other mineral opportunities. The Company aims to take advantage of the growing usage of these commodities in the growing green energy market. Furthermore, Province is investigating the world class wind and solar resources of the Gascoyne Region at the HyEnergy Project, located within close proximity to key infrastructure such as the Dampier Bunbury Gas Pipeline, which may provide potential for the establishment of a Renewable Green Hydrogen Project capable of supplying domestic and international markets. Please let Samso know your thoughts and send any comments to info@Samso.com.au. Remember to Subscribe to the YouTube Channel, Samso Media and the mail list to stay informed and make comments where appropriate. Other than that, also feel free to provide a Review on Google. For further information about Coffee with Samso and Rooster Talks visit: www.samso.com.au About Samso Samso is a renowned resource among the investment community for keen market analysis and insights into the companies and business trends that matter. Investors seek out Samso for knowledgeable evaluations of current industry developments across a variety of business sectors and considered forecasts of future performances. With a compelling format of relaxed online video interviews, Samso provides clear answers to questions they may not have the opportunity to ask and lays out the big picture to help them complete their investment research. And in doing so, Samso also enables companies featured in interviews to build valuable engagement with their investment communities and customers. Headed by industry veteran Noel Ong and based in Perth, Western Australia, Samsos Coffee with Samso and Rooster Talk interviews both feature friendly conversations with business figures that give insights into Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) companies, related concepts and industry trends. Noel Ong is a geologist with nearly 30 years of industry experience and a strong background in capital markets, corporate finance and the mineral resource sector. He was founder and managing director of ASX-listed company Siburan Resources Limited from 2009-2017 and has also been involved in several other ASX listings, providing advice, procuring projects and helping to raise capital. He brings all this experience and expertise to the Samso interviews, where his engaging conversation style creates a relaxed dialogue, revealing insights that can pique investor interest. Noel Ong travels across Australia to record the interviews, only requiring a coffee shop environment where they can be set up. The interviews are posted on Samsos website and podcasts, YouTube and other relevant online environments where they can be shared among investment communities. Samso also has a track record of developing successful business concepts in the Australasia region and provides bespoke research and counsel to businesses seeking to raise capital and procuring projects for ASX listings. Disclaimer The information contained in this article is the writers personal opinion and is provided for information only and is not intended to or nor will it create/induce the creation of any binding legal relations. Read full disclaimer. The Mumbai Police and other agencies spent anxious hours after they chased bombs allegedly planted at Amitabh Bachchan's bungalow and three railway stations, which finally turned out to be hoaxes, an official said here on Saturday. Two persons, including a truck driver, have been picked up for interrogation from Thane for the bomb threats call received at around 8.53 pm on Friday, said an official. Not willing to take any chances, various crack agencies and the Mumbai Police's Bomb Detection & Disposal Squad (BDDS), searched all the locations -- Bachchan's bungalow, and the UNESCO World Heritage site Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Byculla and Dadar stations, all on Central Railway -- but nothing was found. The others involved in the combing operations were Anti Terrorism Squad, Quick Response Team, Railway Protection Force, Government Railway Police, personnel of several local police stations. With the Independence Day celebrations round-the-corner security is usually tightened at all sensitive locations. Later, the police tracked the alleged caller to Mumbra in adjoining Thane district, the nabbed truck driver. One more person was also picked up along with him and further procedures are underway. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has alleged that states were not consulted properly before the initiation of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the Parliament and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "refrain from the initiation of the legislation" because it will hamper the interest of the larger section of the society. In a letter written to Prime Minister Modi, Banerjee said, "Power is too important a sector for such unilateral interferences, especially when 'electricity' as a subject is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution of India and any legislation on a subject in such a list needs serious prior consultation with the States. In the present case, there has been some tokenism of consultations, but no real exchange of views, which is antithetical to the federal structure of our polity". Registering her protest against the recent Central government's move to place the much-criticized Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the Parliament, the chief minister said, "Such a laissez faire approach would result in concentration of private profit - focussed utility players in the lucrative urban-industrial segments, while poor and rural consumers would be left to be tended by public sector DISCOMS". "In the name of market reforms, the State will give up its commanding height, state PSUs will become sick and ailing and yet forced to serve areas where no corporate body would focus. Allowing cherry-picking to select private entities cannot be the goal of public policies, particularly in a strategic sector like power," she alleged. The Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020 seeks to propose amendments to the Electricity Act 2003. The 2003 Act governs the power sector structure and policy. It recommends the generation, distribution, transmission, trading and use of electricity. Further, it also sets rules and regulations for regulatory authorities in the state and central departments of the power sector. The first few amendments introduced to the Act were in 2014. The 2020 amendment Bill has proposed the setting up of a National Selection Committee instead of a separate selection panel for the appointment of state electricity regulatory commissions (SERCs). Alleging the sweeping abdication of the State's pre-eminent role in the power sector in favour of unregulated and de-licensed private players, the chief minister wrote, "The avowed objective of the Bill is to provide plural choices to the consumers, even while actually the Bill will finally end up in profiteering by the new service providers through enhancements in tariffs and every sector of the society will suffer due to increased tariff". Mamata Banerjee said that the proposed Amendment strikes at the root of that federal architecture. "The reduction of the role of the state public utility bodies, the unchecked enhancement of the role of private corporate bodies, and the curtailment of the authority of the states in the power sector together imply a sinister design, whereby crony capitalism will get nourishment at the cost of the states, the public sector and the common people at large," she wrote. "The dilution of the role of the State Electricity Regulatory Commission and the State Distribution Companies implies a political design to demolish state bodies and domestic industries. Direct interference by the Central Government in activities involving distribution will not at all be helpful to take care of the interest of the common people and the States," she added. "I would like to request you to kindly refrain from the initiation of the legislation and to ensure that a broad-based and transparent dialogues on the subject is opened up at the earliest," she said. The Delhi Assembly will approach the Supreme Court against the Centre's decision to curtail its powers by the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill 2021, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said on Friday. Addressing a press conference, Goel said that the bill, passed by both houses of the Parliament in March and notified on July 27, has "effectively derailed many Assembly committees, particularly those are dealing with issues related to the northeast Delhi riots". He claimed that by amending the GNCTD Act, 1991, the Centre has barred the Delhi Assembly's committees from making rules to take up matters concerning day-to-day administration. "The Assembly has decided to approach the apex court against the decision. We will not challenge the entire Act but certain provisions of it that curtails the powers of the committees of the Assembly. The call on whether or not the entire Act will be challenged will be taken by the government. I cannot comment on that aspect. "We believe the court will restore the powers of the Assembly which have been taken away through a law which is completely undemocratic and unconstitutional. We have taken legal consultations on the matter," Goel said. During the Assembly's monsoon session, Goel had accused the Centre of snatching away its powers, and even slammed BJP MLAs for maintaining silence on this issue. "It was painful for me. I could not sleep since the Delhi Assembly's rights were snatched by the Centre. I was expecting BJP MLAs would come to me and say something. They are members of the Delhi Assembly, and they must have acted against GNCTD Bill, but they did nothing. It pained me," Goel said during the first day of the session. India on Friday demanded that those supporting terrorists should be held accountable and there should be an assurance that neighbours are not threatened by terrorism as Afghanistan transitions with US withdrawing its troops. India's Permanent Representative T.S. Tirumurti told the Security Council meeting on the situation in Afghanistan: "Those providing material and financial support to terrorist entities must be held accountable." Speaking before Tirumurti, Afghanistan's Permanent Representative Ghulam Isaczai had accused Pakistan of aiding the Taliban which is carrying out attacks on his government. The meeting presided over by Tirumurti took place under the shadow of an upsurge in attacks by the Taliban on the Afghan government and dire international concern over the situation there. Tirumurti said: "As a neighbour of Afghanistan, the current situation prevailing in the country is of great concern to us." "It needs to be ensured that Afghanistan's neighbours and the region are not threatened by terrorism, separatism and extremism. There needs to be zero tolerance for terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," he said. "For enduring peace in Afghanistan, terrorist safe havens and sanctuaries in the region must be dismantled immediately and terrorist supply chains disrupted," he added. "It is equally important to ensure that the territory of Afghanistan is not used by terrorist groups to threaten or attack any other country." Recalling External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's statement to the Council in June, he said that a durable peace in Afghanistan requires a genuine "double peace" -- "peace within Afghanistan and peace around Afghanistan". Tirumurti referred to the Taliban's killing of Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui who was working for Reuters and said that the UN has reported that civilian casualties and targeted killings have reached record levels. "There have been targeted attacks on religious and ethnic minorities, girl students, Afghan security forces, Ulemas, women occupying positions of responsibility, journalists, civil rights activists and the youth," he said. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has ruled out introducing new laws that would allow employers to mandate Covid-19 vaccines. Morrison said on Friday that employers may wish to enforce a "reasonable directive" that staff must be vaccinated against Covid-19 but that it must be "consistent with the law", Xinhua news agency reported. It came after a meeting of the National Cabinet during which the government's top law adviser, the solicitor-general, briefed the prime minister and state and territory leaders on legal issues surrounding mandatory vaccinations. Morrison said that there were some situations where employers could mandate vaccines but that the government would not introduce laws for wider mandates. As of Friday about half of the Australian population was in lockdown in three states to prevent the spread of Delta variant of Covid-19. The state of Victoria and some regional areas of the state of New South Wales (NSW) are the latest ones joining the ongoing lockdown gripping both the Greater Sydney and its surrounding areas, as well as part of the state of Queensland. Page Content The Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (VSA), Omar Ottley held a meeting with club night life business owners, beach bar owners, directors and managers from Dutch Sint Maarten. The purpose of the meeting was to ensure a safe environment for patrons and to avoid COVID clusters within the respective establishment. Minister Ottley wanted the parties to understand the seriousness of COVID-19 and to give them time to establish the protocols moving forward. I will continue to say, we must work together to get through this pandemic Minister Ottley stated. All parties acknowledged and underlined the need for the measures to regulate business operations in a safe and responsible manner, in order to maintain public health safety. It was agreed upon, that an 11pm curfew will go into effect as of Sunday August 8th for a period of two (2) weeks. During this time, arrangements can be made to put health management systems in place, via an app and QR codes. Minister Ottley urges the public to remain cautious and be patient, as he puts the health of the community first by scaling back on the night life hours. If you have not been vaccinated, please consider doing so for the safety of yourself and your loved ones. 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Activity will be on various bands using CW, SSB and the Digital modes (RTTY/FT8). For more details and updates, see Alabama Contest Group's Web site at: https://alabamacontestgroup.org OPDX You can tell that a dish is unique to an area when local people defend the best way to enjoy it tooth and nail. King Alfonso XII experienced this when he was offered Malaga's sardine skewer (espeto) -"not like that Your Majesty, [eat it] with your fingers". The history behind it is embedded in the imagination of the 'Malaguenos' much like Semana Santa is. Times are continually changing but there are some things that never change. One of these is the preparation of the espeto. Something apparently simple but at the same time incredibly unique. Sardines (between five and six of them) are threaded one-by-one onto a metal skewer then brought to the exact point of readiness over charcoal embers which imbue the terraces of the beach bars with their characteristic aroma. Last Tuesday it was time once again to pay tribute to tradition and to crown the chiringuito (beach bar) that prepares the best sardine espeto. The final of the fourth edition of the Ruta del Espeto, organised by SUR and sponsored by Sabor a Malaga and the Diputacion provincial authority, with the collaboration of Cruzcampo and the beach bar association of the Costa del Sol, was held in El Balneario in the city. The coveted award went to the Las Palmeras chiringuito and by public vote, La Cepa Playa. The crown for the best espeto was disputed between five establishments in the province. Each one had just fifteen minutes to prepare two espetos that had to convince the jury composed of six professionals in the hospitality industry and chaired by SUR food critic, Enrique Bellver. Going through to the final from among forty places that had entered in the competition were La Cepa Playa from Fuengirola, Pepe's Beach from Estepona and Las Acacias, Las Palmeras and Narval Marisqueria, from Malaga. Las Palmeras Las Palmeras was founded in 1981 in Pedregalejo and is run by the third generation of Enrique Murillo's family. "This award makes me feel very proud. We owe this to my grandfather. He opened Las Palmeras, then my father took it over and now it is a great honour for me to be able to carry on with the business," explained the owner after receiving the award from the jury for the best designated espeto. Tradition is written in bold at Las Palmeras, and not only in the preparation of the product. One of the keys to success is also looking after the staff and keeping their loyalty. The example personified is Cristian Barna, Las Palmeras' 39-year-old espetero.. He was hired twelve years ago by Bernardo Murillo, Enrique's grandfather, and had arrived in Malaga from Romania. His first words were for the person who gave him a chance when others only turned their backs: "He was the one who taught me this trade and I am very grateful to him. He was very demanding, but thanks to him I have been able to win this award now," he said in gratitude. Cristian emphasised feeling especially satisfied "as it is the first time I have participated in this contest". Asked about the secret of a good espeto, he highlighted two key aspects: good ingredients and keeping control of the fire. The espetero, he added, will never be good if he thinks that he is preparing sardines to get by, waiting for a more comfortable job to come along. "If you don't like it, it will be impossible for you to stick it out," he stressed. An opinion also shared by Jorge Cortes, the espetero of La Cepa Playa, a business founded in 1959. "It's a job where you have to endure a lot of heat, but if you do it with passion you'll also enjoy it," he explained. Commitment to local products At the awards ceremony, SUR's director of New Business, Federico Moret, stressed that "the reason behind the initiative of the espeto route is to support Malaga products, which is something that the newspaper carries in its DNA". The vice president of the Diputacion, Juan Carlos Maldonado, paid tribute to "the daily work you do to move forward your businesses, in these difficult times". "You are the real architects of the economic recovery of Malaga," he said. The head of the Southern region of Cruzcampo, Fernando Carrion, was also grateful: "For allowing us to be part of the family of the hospitality industry". Marbella council has signed an agreement with Les Roches international hotel management school which will enable it to begin the Business Angels Network Marbella, an initiative which brings together talent and investment, especially in the sphere of technology and innovation. The aim is to attract informal investors to the municipality to help talented young people to bring their business ideas to fruition "so that this talent stays in Marbella and isn't forced to go elsewhere," said the mayor, Angeles Munoz, at the official presentation. The agreement was signed between the council and Les Roches CEO Carlos Diez de La Lastra at the Vivero de Empresas. "It is a project in which both the person who has the idea and the person who helps them to develop it are winners," said Munoz. "The protocol has taken time, but we are now ready to put it into effect. I am particularly grateful to Les Roches for being the first to subscribe to this agreement. We will now be expanding it to include other, equally important, Spanish and international foundations and companies," she said. She explained that Marbella already has a number of young people who are very talented but who need this support because it is difficult for them to push ahead with their business projects without it. "They often have no business experience and therefore find it difficult to obtain financing," she said. The idea is that the 'business angels' provide the money, and advice and training where needed. Carlos Diez de la Lastra, of Les Roches, said, "We are always proud to collaborate with projects of this type, especially those designed by the council and our town. This project has come at a very important time, when innovation and development in new technologies are the way forward, especially in the recovery from Covid-19. The creation of this network is a good start in attracting talent and entrepreneurs to the town," he said. Monday 05 September, 2016 Reliable information reaching Biafra writers desk has it that the life of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indi... Qatar Airways has been instructed by its regulator to ground 13 of its Airbus A350 planes due to a faster than expected deterioration of the fuselage surface below the paint on the jets, reported Reuters. The state-owned Gulf airline said on Thursday it had been told to ground the planes over what it described as fuselages 'degrading at an accelerated rate' in the aircraft until "the root cause can be established and a satisfactory solution made available to permanently correct the underlying condition." Qatar Airways has been locked in a months-long public dispute with Airbus, insisting it would not take any deliveries of the carbon-composite widebody jet until the problem was resolved, stated the report. "With this latest development, we sincerely expect that Airbus treats this matter with the proper attention that it requires," said its CEO Akbar Al Baker. "Qatar Airways expects Airbus to have established the root cause and permanently corrected the underlying condition to the satisfaction of Qatar Airways and our regulator before we take delivery of any further A350 aircraft," he added. An Airbus spokesperson told Reuters the planemaker was always in talks with its customers but those discussions were confidential, declining to comment further. Qatar Airways said in June it had grounded some of its A350 jets until the issue could be understood and fixed, without disclosing how many aircraft had been pulled from service. It said on Thursday it had brought A330 aircraft back into service to make up for the lost capacity and was also "looking at other solutions." Qatar Airways is the largest customer for the A350 and has taken delivery of 53 out of 76 on order. Dubais Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced the opening of a new 170-m bridge at the intersection of Nad Al Sheba and Dubai-Al Ain Roads comprising two lanes in each direction. The bridge serves the traffic from and to Dubai-Al Ain Road heading to Nad Al Sheba, Meydan and development projects in the neighbourhood, said RTA in its statement. The construction of Nad Al Sheba interchange is part of the Dubai-Al Ain Road Improvement Project currently undertaken by RTA. It involves constructing six key intersections along the road and widening it from 3 to 6 lanes in each direction. The project spans a 17 km sector from the junction of Dubai-Al Ain Road with Emirates Road up to Bu Kadra-Ras Al Khor intersection, it stated. "The new bridge can handle 6600 vehicles per hour in both directions. It reduces the travel time at the intersection of Nad Al Sheba Street and Dubai-Al Ain Road by 88% from 104 seconds to just 13 seconds," explained Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA. "It eases the flow of traffic during peak time and enhances the traffic safety level. The bridge has slopes extending 560 metres fitted with light signals to ensure maximum safety and security of road users. Construction included improvements of inward and outward surface roads at Nad Al Sheba," he added. According to him, RTA has completed 70 percent of works in the entire Dubai-Al Ain Road development project, one of the biggest road infrastructure projects currently undertaken by RTA, which will benefit about 1.5 million persons. "Upon completion, the project will contribute to the smooth traffic flow while improving the connection with Ras Al Khor Road, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan and Emirates Road, besides serving the existing and future projects on both sides of Dubai-Al Ain Road," he added. Al Tayer pointed out that the project will also double the roads capacity from 6000 vehicles per hour per direction to 12000 vehicles per hour per direction. It will also slash the travel time on the sector of Dubai-Al Ain Road from Bu Kadra intersection to Emirates Road junction from 16 minutes to 8 minutes only in addition to easing tailbacks that used to extend 2 km," added Al Tayer. "The scope of Phase II of Dubai-Al Ain Road development project includes widening the highway from three to six lanes in each direction and constructing new flyovers and service roads to ensure a safe entry/exit from residential and service communities on both sides of the road," he stated. "Among these intersections is Nad Al Sheba interchange and Meydan Road with Dubai-Al Ain Road intersection, which will be linked with Al Manama Road. A bridge of four lanes in each direction will be constructed to link Al Meydan Road with Al Manama Road. Works also include upgrading the existing bridge on Al Meydan and Dubai-Al Ain Road to serve the development projects of Meydan," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Norwegian shipping company Rem Offshore has awarded a 100 million ($118 million) contract to Vard, a major global designer and builder of specialised vessels, to build two Construction Service Operations Vessels (CSOVs) with an option for two additional vessels. The CSOVs are tailor-made for world-wide services and maintenance operations at offshore wind farms. The Vard 4 19 design, developed by Vard Design in Alesund, Norway, is a highly versatile platform for all offshore windfarm support operations, focusing on onboard logistics, security, comfort, and superior operability. The first vessel will be delivered from Vard in Norway in first half of 2023. The hull will be built at Vard Braila in Romania. The second vessel will be built and delivered by Vard Vung Tau in Vietnam, scheduled for delivery in 2024. Vards specialised high technology subsidiaries will be involved with major deliveries onboard, and in the shipbuilding process of the vessels. Rem Offshores Chairman Aage Remy said: "We have during the last few years increasingly focused attention on building a sustainable platform for growth in offshore wind." "Our shareholders are driving this development together with our Rem colleagues onshore and offshore. We are proud to continue our newbuild programme in Norway and support the local maritime industry," he added. With a length of 85 m and a beam of 19.5 m, the vessels will have a height-adjustable motion-compensated gangway with elevator system, a height-adjustable boat landing system, and a 3D-compensated crane. The CSOVs will have an accommodation for 120 persons on board. Vard CEO Alberto Maestrini said: "We are proud to be chosen as the preferred partner for Rem Offshore in this exciting project, and we are looking forward to working together with their team." 'These contracts confirm Vards leadership in the CSOV market, both in terms of innovative ship design, breakthrough technologies and shipbuilding quality," he added.-TradeArabia News Service You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close McCracken Sheriff Looking for Wanted Men By West Kentucky Star Staff PADUCAH - The McCracken County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in finding two men wanted on bench warrants.The Sheriff's Office says 52-year-old Mark A. Tyler is wanted on a bench warrant for failure to appear. The photo of Tyler is from 2005. Meanwhile 31-year-old Jeremy P. Kendrick is wanted on a bench warrant for probation violation for a felony offense.Anyone with information about these two men are asked to contact the McCracken County Sheriffs Office at 270-444-4719, mccrackencountysheriff.com, or your local law enforcement agency.Information also may be provided anonymously through West Kentucky Crime Stoppers by texting WKY and your tip to 847411 (tip411) or by downloading the app WKY Crime Stoppers from the Apple Store or Google Play. You may also contact WKY Crime Stoppers at 270-444-TELL. 141st Fancy Farm Picnic is Underway By Kentucky News Network FANCY FARM - Twenty thousand pounds of barbecue is being served, bingo numbers are being called, and the Fancy Farm Picnic is back in business.This year's 141st edition has returned to its full glory, after the pandemic forced a truncated version of the St. Jerome Church celebration with none of its trademark political stump speeches.This year's political speaking is back at 2 p.m., although with a reduced lineup. Neither of Kentucky's U.S. senators will be attending this year.Organizers announced that Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul won't make it to Graves County. Instead, they'll remain in Washington over the weekend to work on the infrastructure bill.Governor Beshear also bowed out this year out of concern for the spread of COVID in Kentucky, and because there are no elections scheduled this year.The lack of elections has not stopped a number of political figures from committing to attend Saturday.They include First District Congressman James Comer, State Auditor Mike Harmon, who has already announced his intent to run for governor, and Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, another potential candidate.Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced last week that he would attend, as did Court of Appeals Judge J. Chris McNeill of Paducah.General Assembly members, Sen. Jason Howell, R-Murray, and Rep. Richard Heath, R-Mayfield will be in attendance.The emcee of the event alternates between a Republican and a Democrat. This year is the Democrats turn with former Secretary of State Bob Babbage in the role.Fancy Farm is the traditional start of the fall campaign season. The food, games and music will continue tonight until 10 p.m.On the Net: Livingston County Gets $15K Emergency Road Funds By West Kentucky Star Staff LIVINGSTON COUNTY - The Livingston County Fiscal Court was granted $15,400 in emergency road funds for a new culvert on Vicksburg Road just north of Tiline Road.A seven-inch rainstorm caused flash flooding on Dunn Creek in July, and caused a hole to develop in the roadway.The Livingston County Road Department made temporary repairs, but a new 50-foot by 105-inch steel culvert will soon be delivered.Judge-executive Garrett Gruber said he's preparing an application to KYTC for more funds to repair another county road damaged during the July flooding. Missing Marshall County Teen Located By West Kentucky Star Staff MARSHALL COUNTY - UPDATE:The Marshall County Sheriff's Office has announced that Alexus Belcher has been located.They would like to thank all that helped with this situation.ORIGINAL STORY:The Marshall County Sheriff's Office is requesting the public's help with locating a missing juvenile.Authorities are searching for 17-year-old Alexus Belcher. Belcher is white, approximately 5 feet tall, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen in Marshall County on Wednesday wearing a dark-colored sweatshirt and shorts.Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact the Marshall County Sheriff's Office or your local law enforcement agency. Trigg County Schools to Require Masks By West Kentucky Star Staff CADIZ - When classes resume Wednesday, Aug. 11th, Trigg County students and staff will be required to wear a mask.WKDZ reported that Superintendent Bill Thorpe announced the change in policy Friday afternoon during a one-call to students, parents, and staff.Thorpe said there will be some exceptions during meals and when certain rules are followed.He also said the requirements will be lifted if allowed in the future. Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-06 22:05:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Young people shop at a Top Toy store in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Deng Ruixuan) by Xinhua writers Yao Yulin, Wang Xiaojie and Sun Lei BEIJING, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- The 20-something junior in college Yi Cheng caressed his new "art collection," a nut-sized toy in the shape of a lion's head, at the Beijing Dream Fair earlier in July, a days-long bash for young Chinese art buffs. "It is a unique 3D carving, polished from an original design. It is also a perfect mix of modern technology and traditional Chinese culture," enthused the student, who can fork out more than 20,000 yuan (about 3,100 U.S. dollars) a year on designer toys. Designer toys, or art toys, are toys and collectibles created by artists and designers and typically sold in limited editions. "Some dismiss designer toys as mere playthings for adults. Still, there is no escaping the fact that those of relatively high artistic value sell well in second-hand mobile marketplaces, which is a testament to their collection and investment value," Yi said. The youngster is an acute observer of this burgeoning niche market. Many of these toys come in the form of mystery boxes or blind boxes in China, an approach that can be traced back to Japan's capsule toys and lucky bags. Statistics by iiMedia Research indicated that more than 440,000 users on Xianyu, a consumer-to-consumer marketplace spun from Alibaba's Taobao, traded blind boxes containing collectible toys in 2020. In November 2020 alone, the turnover of blind-box trading topped 120 million yuan, up over 70 percent year on year in the sector on Xianyu. Limited editions of such toys can even be auctioned at a price dozens of times higher than their original price, let alone designer toys that are only available for lucky consumers who are chosen by drawing lots. Toy figures are pictured at a designer's workshop in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Feb. 4, 2021. Inspired by a visiting experience at Sanxingdui Museum in Sichuan, the designer decided to design model figures imitating bronze relics of the Sanxingdui Ruins, which are believed to be remnants of the Shu Kingdom dating back 2,600 years to 4,800 years, blending traditional Chinese culture with fashion toys. (Xinhua/Wang Xi) KEME Life, a company that designs and sells aesthetically appealing household products, also branches out to collectible toys. The company's head of sales, Xu Manman, brought her daughter to the toy fair in Beijing, hoping that the artistic environment on-site can help foster her child's appreciation and interest in art. "Designer toys can be deemed as small works of art, which offer a relatively low threshold for the younger generations to have their own art collection," Xu said. It is almost an instinct for today's children to collect their favorites, like cards hidden in packaged snacks and toys in chocolate surprise eggs. When such a generation grows up, they are more likely than their parents to take an interest in collecting designer toys, added Xu. A high school graduate surnamed Wu, aged 18, came from Changchun City, northeast China's Jilin Province, to Beijing for the three-day exhibition. When Wu graduated from junior high school, she went to Britain to study. The massive cultural differences in a foreign country and the loneliness of living alone gradually led to immersion in her own imaginary world of the designer toys she bought. "I can see the implying ideas of the designers from the toys and make up my own story," Wu said. "The toys are both pure art and goods for general consumers." Chen Wei, CEO of 52TOYS, China's other producer and designer of such toys, believes that the toys are merely entry-level collections for young Chinese, and the sector is sure to diversify as the consumers show growing appetites and searches for new thrills. While investors are salivating over the prospect of this niche market, China's cultural and creative industry is expecting a welcome fillip. The whole value chain of designer toys, covering designs, production, and marketing, has propelled Chinese designers to look towards traditional culture for new inspiration. Blind boxes related to relics in the Sanxingdui Ruins site and the country's renowned museum collections were among the most sought-after at the fair, according to this year's fair host, 52TOYS. "These products are enough to prove that the creativity and ability of Chinese designers can match that of many global brands," said Wang Yin, senior product director of a toy company. Enditem (Intern Su Xing also contributed to the story) Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 05:19:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden's administration announced on Friday that it is extending the pause on federal student loans one last time through Jan. 31, 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic. "The payment pause has been a lifeline that allowed millions of Americans to focus on their families, health, and finances instead of student loans during the national emergency," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement. "The Department believes this additional time and a definitive end date will allow borrowers to plan for the resumption of payments and reduce the risk of delinquency and defaults after restart," the statement said. Student loan payments in the country have been paused since Congress passed the CARES Act last year but were due to end in September. During the pause, borrowers do not need to make payments and interest will not accrue on their remaining balance. Collecting on the country's 1.6-trillion-U.S.-dollar student loan bills is a daunting task even during normal times, local analysts said. Meanwhile, a number of Democratic lawmakers argued that the Biden administration doesn't go far enough on the student loan issue. "While this temporary relief is welcome, it doesn't go far enough. Our broken student loan system continues to exacerbate racial wealth gaps and hold back our entire economy," Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, progressive senator Elizabeth Warren and House Democratic lawmaker Ayanna Pressley said in a statement. The Biden administration has canceled 1.5 billion dollars in student loan debt in total, according to a The Hill report. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 10:21:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese military personnel conduct adaptive training for a joint military drill on Aug. 5, 2021. A joint military exercise by the Chinese and Russian armies will be held from Aug. 9 to 13 at a training base of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Liu Fang) Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 13:58:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW YORK, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- The conflicts, differences and issues between China and the United States cannot be resolved by any form of sanctions, an expert on international relations has said. The business environment in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong "has not been much affected by U.S. sanctions over the Hong Kong issue since 2019," Jin Kai, associate professor with Guangdong Academy of Social Science, China, and non-resident scholar of Asian studies with George Washington University wrote in an opinion piece recently published on the website of The Diplomat. "Any measures strong enough to do real damage to China and its Hong Kong Special Administrative Region would inevitably impact U.S. interests as well," Jin warned. "Comprehensive sanctions against China's mainland and Hong Kong, especially against the highly interconnected and extremely sensitive financial sector, would likely trigger serious consequences that the Biden administration may not be able to anticipate and deal with including a dramatic upheaval in the U.S.-led global financial system," he added. It's indicated that multinational businesses, in particular, still hold a high level of confidence in the Chinese economy, China's speedy recovery from COVID-19 and the unique role that Hong Kong still plays in international business activities, according to Jin. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 15:54:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines are unloaded from a plane at the Sarajevo airport in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Aug. 6, 2021. A batch of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines were delivered here on Friday to the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Nedim Grabovica/Xinhua) SARAJEVO, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- A batch of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines were delivered here on Friday to the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The Federation of BiH, one of the two state entities, purchased these vaccines directly from the Chinese manufacturer in late June, said Vesko Drljaca, deputy prime minister of the Federation of BiH who welcomed the shipment at the Sarajevo airport. "Great distance between China and BiH should not be a reason not to cooperate," said Miao Dake, counselor at the Chinese Embassy in BiH, addressing the audience at the airport ceremony in the Bosnian language. "The Chinese vaccines have strengthened BiH's confidence in defeating the pandemic," said Drljaca, urging the public to get vaccinated. In September, BiH purchased more than 1.2 million vaccine doses through the COVAX facility and 892,000 doses from the European Union (EU). However, delivery has been postponed several times and the first vaccines arrived in late March, causing a late start of the mass immunization in BiH. According to the latest official numbers released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, BiH has reported 206,106 cases of COVID-19 and 9,691 deaths. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 16:01:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has always attached great importance to sci-tech innovation, stressing that sci-tech self-reliance and self-strengthening should always be considered a strategic support for national development. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, encouraged scientists, researchers and technologists to surmount sci-tech peaks on various occasions. TARGETING SCI-TECH FRONTIERS During an inspection trip in southwest China's Guizhou Province in February, Xi met with the project leaders and core scientists of China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest single-dish radio telescope. Stressing the importance of science and technology in China's pursuit of building a modern socialist country, Xi called on scientists to scale the heights of global science and make new and greater contributions to the construction of China's scientific and technological strength at a faster pace, realizing the country's self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology. So far, the FAST has helped scientists discover almost 400 pulsars, two times the pulsars discovered by other telescopes during the same period. Besides the FAST, Xi also shows great concern for China's progress in other sci-tech frontiers. He visited an exhibition on the lunar samples brought back by the Chang'e-5 probe and China's lunar exploration achievements. He also expressed his congratulations on the successful launch of the core module of China's space station and spoke with the three astronauts stationed in the core module via a video call. In April, Xi visited a laboratory on imaging and intelligence at Tsinghua University. He urged steady growth of spending in basic research, and motivated researchers to carry out free exploration, dare to challenge existing theories and be bold in opening up new directions in scientific research. SERVING HIGH-QUALITY DEVELOPMENT In addition to targeting global sci-tech frontiers, sci-tech development is also expected to serve the main economic battlefields, fulfill the significant needs of the country and benefit people's lives and health. While inspecting machinery manufacturer Guangxi Liugong Group Co., Ltd. this April, Xi said high-quality development of the manufacturing industry is the top priority in promoting China's high-quality economic growth. With government support, Chinese enterprises are playing an increasingly important role in sci-tech innovation. Liugong, an international enterprise with 32 complete machine product lines, currently has five global research and development (R&D) platforms and four state-level innovation bases, employing more than 1,000 R&D engineers. There are 275,000 high- and new-tech enterprises and 223,000 small and medium-sized sci-tech enterprises respectively in China. The country is also building international sci-tech innovation centers in Beijing, Shanghai and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as setting up 21 national innovation demonstration zones and 169 high-tech zones. BENEFITING PEOPLE'S LIVELIHOOD Chinese people benefited from the sci-tech achievements and innovation initiatives since the country further increased the support of sci-tech in improving people's livelihood. When visiting a tea farm during his inspection trip to east China's Fujian Province in March, Xi stressed more efforts in implementing the arrangements to dispatch technical professionals to rural areas to help with local development. In Nanping City of the province where the tea farm is located, the contribution of science and technology to agricultural growth has increased from 33 to more than 60 percent since 1999. A total of hundreds of thousands of technical professionals have participated in China's poverty alleviation efforts. The country in February declared a "complete victory" in eradicating absolute poverty. Sci-tech innovations have helped China achieve major progress in fields like improving air quality, protecting land resources, reclaiming saline land and preventing and controlling major epidemics. Accelerating sci-tech innovation is a definite choice for China since it has embarked on the journey to achieve the second centenary goal. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 16:21:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Politicians in the United States have been dramatically scaling up their anti-China campaign by approving another arms sales deal to Taiwan, peddling the so-called "China threat" theory among Asian countries, and continuing to smear China's human rights records. It seems that the minds of China hawks in Washington have been completely hijacked by the absurd "anything-but-China," or ABC, mindset: China must be wrong, and China is to blame for America's decaying democracy. In their pitiful logic, America can only win by taking China down. What they fail to recognize, as a recent Vox article pointed out, is that "the real drivers of democratic collapse are domestic," and that centering on China "is not only wrong, but potentially dangerous." In fact, China has become a big "bogeyman" in American politics in recent years. When U.S. politicians fail to manage a problem, like the widening wealth gap, spiking gun violence, crumbling infrastructure, deepening racial discrimination or most recently the surging pandemic, they almost uniformly point a finger at China. Under the stewardship of politicians who blame China for their own incompetence, the U.S. has so far produced the most COVID-19 infections and related deaths in the world despite its first-class medical technology and facilities as well as top-tier talent. The U.S. has failed to contain the disease, resulting in a human rights catastrophe for its people. Nearly 40 percent of American adults are struggling to cover even a 400-U.S.-dollar emergency expense; and some 18 million Americans still have no access to any broadband network. Blaming China simply cannot make those problems vanish in thin air. Many inside the U.S. have already recognized what is wrong. According to a recent Ipsos poll, 75 percent of Americans believe the U.S. political system should be less divisive and more constructive. America's diminishing global hegemony is another factor fueling the country's anti-China stance. Since the 19th century, the U.S. has expanded its spheres of influence from the Americas to the Asia-Pacific. Following the end of the Second World War, Washington has reaped massive gains through military and financial hegemony and by trying to dictate international rules of the road and push its values around the world. Thus the sole purpose of America's foreign policy now focuses on maintaining its global supremacy. However, the "unipolar moment" that once existed in the wake of the Cold War has already passed. The world is more multilateral, where all countries are inextricably interconnected and entitled to develop and prosper in their own way. While Washington is flexing its muscle around China's territory, badmouthing Beijing with groundless charges, and imposing coercive and unilateral sanctions, it should know that doing so won't contain China's development or help the U.S. bring back its "unipolar moment." Instead, such moves will only destroy America's own reputation and hurt its own interests. Stirring up an ideological confrontation between China and the West is a shot U.S. politicians fire to satisfy a hubris deeply embedded in American culture. These narcissistic politicians continue to believe in "American exceptionalism." They continue to believe their country is the so-called "city upon a hill," and attempt to export their version of "democracy" and "human rights" to other parts of the world through either coercion or infiltration in the hope of colonizing the minds of others. In their eyes, there is no such thing as equality among or respect for different cultures. When they face a different culture or political system, they will naturally choose to dread, reject and demonize. Pentagon analyst Thomas P. Ehrhard coined the phrase "the pathology of victory" to describe America's delusional triumphalism and Western-centric mentality. And just as he noted, "history exacts a price for hubris." The ABC mindset will never make the U.S. a better country, nor will it stop China from moving forward. U.S. politicians should realize that fact if they have any real interest in saving America. Just as economics commentator Martin Wolf cautioned in a recent Financial Times opinion article, "China is not the greatest threat to our interests and values: we have met the enemy and it is us." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 16:49:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close The recent spread of the highly infectious Delta variant of the novel coronavirus in many parts of China has highlighted the resilience of the country's epidemic-control system. Based on the previous effective epidemic-control measures against COVID-19, China is prepared, cautiously and confidently, to bring the new spread under control. Massive testing, targeted lockdowns, extensive contact tracing and quarantine are the tried and tested formula that has helped China contain the COVID-19 epidemic and sporadic resurgences. Now these measures are in full swing once again, as the country strives to flatten the curve of daily locally-transmitted cases caused by the Delta variant. All 31 provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland have urged residents not to go to medium- and high-risk areas for COVID-19 or leave the provinces where they live unless it is necessary. Within 10 days, three rounds of citywide mass testing were conducted in east China's Nanjing City, where the latest outbreak started when nine airport staff were infected with the Delta strain. The Chinese people have shown strong solidarity and cooperation in combating the new outbreak, as they did in 2020. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 17:27:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close -- The leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is the determining factor behind China's great changes and remarkable achievements. -- Looking back over the one hundred years of history, always staying with the people is the secret of the CPC's great achievements in the annals of history. -- Running a country as large as China, the CPC is providing a significant amount of experience that can be drawn on in the field of governance. BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Since its founding 100 years ago, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has led China to make both enormous achievements at home and significant contributions to global peace and development. As leaders of political parties across the globe try to decipher the CPC's success secrets upon its 100th anniversary, five things have been most frequently associated with the now 95-million-strong Chinese party. Aerial photo taken on July 24, 2021 shows a view of a relocation site for poverty alleviation at Huawu Village in Xinren Miao Township, Qianxi City, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin) ECONOMIC MIRACLE At a grand ceremony on July 1 celebrating the CPC's centenary, General Secretary Xi Jinping of the CPC Central Committee, who is also Chinese president, declared that China has realized the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. China is now the world's second-largest economy, the largest recipient of foreign direct investment, and one of the world's largest consumer markets. Its GDP has exceeded the 100-trillion-yuan (about 15.47 trillion U.S. dollars) threshold. Among the numerous foreign political leaders who have witnessed China's rapid economic progress is Abbas Zaki, a member of the Palestinian Fatah party's central committee in charge of relations with China and Arab countries. Having visited China for more than 10 times since the first trip in 1974, he noted that in just one generation, China has transformed into a strong and modern country, and has successfully addressed prominent challenges, including meeting the basic needs of a huge population. "What used to be poor villages have been transformed into productive, rich ones almost overnight. Some backward and desolate places in the past have become vibrant industrial parks," he said. "China's great changes are unimaginable." Equally impressed by China's remarkable development is Shoichi Kondo, secretary general of the Sino-Japan Friendship Parliamentarians' Union. "I went to China in 1981 to study, and now in 2021, China has developed at an incredible speed and created a miracle, which is what the Chinese people have achieved under the leadership of the Communist Party of China," he told Xinhua. "China is still in development today, and at a staggering rate. This is a miracle," he added. A China-Europe freight train bound for Barcelona of Spain waits for departure in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Yibo) GLOBAL CONTRIBUTIONS While achieving miraculous domestic progress, foreign observers have noted, the CPC has also led China to become an active contributor to world development, peace and stability. China has actively taken part in regional and international cooperation mechanisms, and made significant contributions to promoting international cooperation within the framework of the United Nations, said Le Hoai Trung, head of the Commission for External Relations of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee. To promote exchanges and cooperation across the globe, Xi has put forward visions like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. The BRI is popular in the world because it connects people, and that is the beauty of it, said Richard Todwong, secretary general of Uganda's ruling National Resistance Movement party. "In most of the economies of Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa, we have seen the Chinese doing infrastructural projects," he said. "The Chinese came and built for us quite a number of dams, which has enabled us to power our economy." A worker arranges the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine at National Medical Stores in Entebbe, Uganda, July 31, 2021. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua) To Andrzej Szejna, vice president of Poland's New Left political party, the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind can serve as a solution to the problems the world is facing, as "it is based on peace and cooperation." "Under the CPC's leadership, China has greatly contributed to socio-economic progress for all mankind," said Khuon Sodary, second vice-president of the Cambodian National Assembly. "China will continue to play an important role in building global peace, promoting global development and maintaining international order." GOVERNANCE SUCCESS Behind China's great domestic development and global contributions is the CPC's strong leadership and successful governance of the large and populous country, foreign political leaders agree. The leadership of the CPC is the determining factor behind China's great changes and remarkable achievements, said Ali Ahmadov, deputy prime minister of Azerbaijan and vice chairman of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party. Wind turbine blades wait for shipment at Lianyungang Port, east China's Jiangsu Province, April 16, 2021. (Photo by Wang Chun/Xinhua) The CPC has a strong political mobilization capacity of uniting all the social forces of China to commit to serving the people, which has consequently attracted firm support from the masses, he said. In the eyes of Vojtech Filip, chairman of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia, the "Chinese miracle" created by the CPC in the past decades has proved that socialism with Chinese characteristics is the right path leading to the country's success in development. "Also, the policies China adopted gave full play to the initiative of the CPC members and the Chinese people," said Filip. Besides, the CPC is also good at drawing on the experiences of both developed and developing countries to formulate a successful development model for China, said D.E.W. Gunasekera, former general secretary of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka. The CPC, he noted, has successfully combined markets and state intervention in China's economic development, while remaining true to the country's history and culture. A girl receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Aug. 4, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo) PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST "Looking back over the one hundred years of history, always staying with the people is the secret of the CPC's great achievements in the annals of history," said former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. Hatoyama's comment reflects a general consensus among political leaders across the world. Slimane El Omrani, deputy secretary general of Morocco's Justice and Development Party, concluded that the most noticeable aspect of the Chinese model is the "people-centered" ruling philosophy. "This country is its people; the people are the country," Xi pointed out at the centenary ceremony. "The Party has in the people its roots, its lifeblood, and its source of strength." "The Party has always represented the fundamental interests of all Chinese people; it stands with them through thick and thin and shares a common fate with them," he added. "The Party has no special interests of its own -- it has never represented any individual interest group, power group, or privileged stratum." Speaking highly of China's effective response to the COVID-19 outbreak, former Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy noted that the CPC's "people first" approach was a key factor in successfully controlling the pandemic. Chinese Communists have accomplished great achievements in the country's development by living up to their all-for-the-people commitment, said Jacques Cheminade, chairman of France's Solidarity and Progress party. For the CPC, loving people is not only a political commitment, but also the source of strength, said Cheminade. Aerial photo taken on Jan. 8, 2021 shows a bullet train passing Yihe Grand Bridge along the Xuzhou-Lianyungang high-speed railway, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng) EXAMPLE FOR OTHER COUNTRIES Bassam Salhi, general secretary of the Palestinian People's Party, spoke for many when he said China's development model serves as an inspiring example for other countries in exploring an effective path of development. Running a country as large as China, the CPC is providing a significant amount of experience that can be drawn on in the field of governance, said Mauro Alboresi, national secretary of the Italian Communist Party. "The facts say a lot," said Alboresi, taking China's campaign of poverty alleviation as an example. In the view of Gennady Zyuganov, chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, China has set an example on how to combine economic and social progress. "The entire population benefits from the outcome of this development rather than a small group of people," he said. When talking with Xinhua about China's governance experience, many experts referred to the book of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China," which Salhi said is a window on observing and understanding China. The book is very important and useful inside and outside China, because it explains the philosophy of the CPC's governance, both from the perspectives of history and in terms of looking into the future, said the Palestinian party leader. With its 100-year-old history, the CPC has brought great inspirations to political parties in other countries, said Nalinee Taveesin, chairperson of foreign affairs of the Pheu Thai Party. The CPC, she added, has demonstrated that "political parties must keep in touch with communities, serve the people, strengthen good governance and distribute wealth more fairly." (Video editors: Zhang Yuhong, Luo Hui, Shi Peng, Zhang Qiru) Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 18:12:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign trade maintained upward momentum in the first seven months of the year. Both exports and imports registered double-digit growth, customs data showed Saturday. The country's total imports and exports expanded 24.5 percent year on year to 21.34 trillion yuan (about 3.3 trillion U.S. dollars) from January to July, data from the General Administration of Customs (GAC) showed. The volume marked a 22.3 percent increase when compared with the pre-pandemic level during the same period in 2019, the GAC said. Exports rose 24.5 percent from a year ago while imports jumped 24.4 percent in the Jan.-July period. In July alone, the country's imports and exports rose 11.5 percent year on year to 3.27 trillion yuan, representing a yearly increase in China's foreign trade for 14 consecutive months, customs data showed. Specifically, exports went up 8.1 percent while imports climbed 16.1 percent. "The yearly growth of exports in July is slightly below expectations but remains resilient," said Li Qilin, an analyst from Hongta Securities. The demand for epidemic prevention materials rebounded due to the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic overseas. Meanwhile, the recovery of offline consumption in some developed countries helped shore up China's exports, as foreign importers were restocking inventories for the new semester and year-end holidays, said Li. The recovery of overseas production also pushed up the demand for Chinese products, including machinery equipment, according to Li. Looking forward, Li cautioned about uncertainties of China's exports ahead in the face of certain factors. These factors include possible tapering off of policy stimulus overseas, virus variations, and financial burdens of Chinese exporters caused by increasing freight costs. Saturday's data also showed China's trade with three major trading partners all increased in the first seven months. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations remained China's largest trading partner, followed by the European Union and the United States, the GAC data showed. The growth rates of China's trade value with the three trading partners between January and July stood at 24.6 percent, 23.4 percent, and 28.9 percent, respectively. During the same period, China's trade with countries along the Belt and Road totaled 6.3 trillion yuan, up 25.5 percent, year on year. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 18:18:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close YINCHUAN, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- After wheat is harvested, farmers normally use the discarded wheat straws for feeding their cattle or composting. But, contrary to the usual practice, a couple in Liupan Mountain, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, are creating artworks out of this waste product. Weng Guosheng, 52, lives in Changcheng Village of Pengyang County. The village is renowned for its Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC) Great Wall and beautiful terraced fields, and is on the national list of traditional villages that need protection. The terrace fields is also an important theme of Weng's wheat straw patchwork. Weng follows a series of steps to create his art. He first dyes selected straws with different colors. He then cuts them into various lengths in certain patterns and sticks them onto a piece of canvas. Last but not least, he carefully irons the patchwork to make it vivid with clear layers. "The ironed 'painting' feels like silk and looks gorgeous with a bright metallic luster, but few would believe these artworks are made of ordinary wheat straws until they see up close with their own eyes, Weng said, adding -- on a lighter note -- that it was initially even hard for him to believe. Pengyang was once an impoverished county due to frequent drought and fragile ecology. Most natives used to feed on wheat because the crop is cold and drought tolerant. Like the old generations, Weng had to live on the wheat field to earn his tucker. After getting married, he migrated to work in cities. In 2015, Weng chanced upon a wheat straw painting on the internet. It instantly evoked his childhood memories of learning paper-cutting and making patchwork pictures from his grandmother and mother. That winter Weng used some of his savings to buy a computer and started learning wheat straw patchworks by himself. "When the construction site [where he worked] shut down during the winter, I enjoyed my time off creating artwork," Weng said. Weng's wife Qi Guoxiang did not approve of his new "hobby" at first until Weng completed his first wheat straw artwork -- a peacock. "It was a lifelike art, I was surprised. So, I began to learn the skill together with my husband," she said. As the country's battle against poverty gained steam, and Pengyang was lifted out of poverty, the couple came up with the idea of returning home and starting their career as wheat straw artists. Weng grows wheat and harvests them carefully with reaping hooks while other villagers use machines. After drying and dyeing, they scrape the layer of wood off the straws with a blade. Wheat straw artworks featuring historical figures, landscapes, animals and flowers are on display in the workshop that the couple built in their yard. Weng and his wife are now affectionately called "straw painting couple" by the people. Their efforts have heralded an artistic aura to this remote mountain village. Weng can "paint" anything with wheat straws as long as he is careful during the ironing. "Straw catches fire easily, so I have to be fully focused to avert any fire-related damages," he said. With the help of the local government, the couple has attended trade fairs to market their artworks. Many people mistook their artworks as embroidery at first sight, which, nevertheless, made the couple proud as they deem the misunderstanding a compliment to their work. Weng's wheat straw patchworks have become increasingly popular and are selling well, generating a total income of over 30,000 yuan (about 4,640 U.S. dollars) last year. This July, he won a big order from a souvenir shop owner in Shapotou Scenic Area in Zhongwei, a desert tourist destination in Ningxia. Liu Le'niu, the shop owner, placed an order for more than 1,000 patchworks featuring elements such as river, desert, sunrise and sunset, as well as camels. "I was born in a remote village. When I was a child, wheat straws were used for cooking or feeding cattle and sheep," Liu said, adding that he had never imagined straws could have anything to do with art. "I believe that the artworks with local flavors will be popular among tourists," he said. To create more patchworks and also pass on the skill to young generations, Weng has planned to recruit some apprentices. He was invited to teach straw painting in a local vocational school for an annual pay of 40,000 yuan. "I was born a farmer, and I'd never thought that I could become a teacher someday. All thanks to the wheat straw," Weng said. "In fact, the straws also have many other usages such as in modeling sculpture. I will continue to explore its artistic value." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 18:59:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ZHENGZHOU, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan has called for coordinated measures in flood relief and curbing the COVID-19 epidemic during an inspection tour to central China's Henan Province on Friday. Sun, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visited two flood-relief relocation sites in the city of Xinxiang. Currently recovering from the unprecedented flood, Henan is now facing multiple challenges in epidemic control and prevention, said Sun, urging local authorities to provide those in need with timely medical attention while strictly sticking to epidemic prevention requirements. Sun also stressed the necessity to monitor local water quality and the sanitation status of the local environment to prevent other infectious diseases prevalent after floods. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 19:02:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SANAA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 45 Houthi rebels were killed in multiple airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition and in ground clashes with the Yemeni government army in Yemen's central province of Marib in the last 24 hours, two military sources said on Saturday. "In the western district of Sirwah, the airstrikes targeted a rebel makeshift operational room, killing at least 12," one of the sources in Marib told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. "In the adjacent district of Rahabah, to the south of Sirwah, the airstrikes destroyed several pick-up vehicles carrying rebel combatants on the southwestern Rahabah, killing more than 20," he added. The another military source, also in Marib, said the army repelled a fierce attack launched by the Houthi rebels from three directions on the army's positions in the mountains of Al-Bayadh and Al-Abzakh in Rahabah district. "Thirteen rebels were killed on the ground, while dozens fled," he told Xinhua. Both strategic mountains and most of Rahabah district were recaptured by the army last week. Meanwhile, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported 11 Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on the Houthi positions in Sirwah and Rahabah, without providing more details. The Houthi rebels began in February a major offensive on Marib in an attempt to seize control of the oil-rich province, the government's last northern stronghold. The United Nations has warned that the offensive on Marib, which hosts nearly 1 million internally displaced people, could lead to a major humanitarian catastrophe. Yemen's civil war flared up in late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi group seized control of much of the country's north and forced the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 19:29:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PARIS, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- In order to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and in particular the spread of the Delta variant, European countries are toughening up the tone with new measures such as requiring the health pass for accessing public places and making vaccination mandatory for certain professions. In France, starting from next week, people will have to show a health pass, or "passe sanitaire" in French, which proves the holder has been fully vaccinated, has recently recovered from COVID-19 or tested negative, to get access to bars, cafes, restaurants, gyms, some shopping malls, nursing homes and even hospitals (except for emergencies), as well as planes, long distance trains or bus services. Since July 21, this health pass has been compulsory for gatherings of more than 50 people in cultural and leisure venues such as cinemas and museums. The extension of its use, proposed by the government and voted in the parliament amid concerns over its impact on personal freedom, got greenlighted from the country's highest constitutional body on Thursday. In neighboring Italy, the government on Thursday approved a new decree that makes a green pass mandatory for school and university staff, university students, and passengers on long-haul means of transportation such as airplanes, ships and ferries, and trains. First introduced in June, the green pass has been necessary in order to attend public events, access nursing homes and move around Italy and within the European Union (EU) from June 17. France and Italy were comparatively late in adopting such measures. In a bid to prevent the spread of the virus while avoiding lockdowns experienced last year during the first wave of the pandemic, authorities in many reopened countries in the EU have required a health pass, or "green pass," "coronapass," or "SafePass" -- as it is called in different countries -- to enter indoor public spaces. In Denmark, the "coronapass" has been a must since weeks ago when entering restaurants, cinemas, and gyms ... In Austria, the rule has been in place for nearly two months now. In Greece, as of July 16 until the end of summer, entrance to indoor cinemas, theaters, bars will be strictly allowed to those vaccinated. The government has also imposed mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for some professions. In Cyprus, restrictions relating to access to hospitality venues resumed since early July. Since mid-July, the SafePass is required to visit all venues, either outdoors or indoors, where there is a congregation of more than 20 people. From Aug. 2, people aged 12 and over have been obliged to present a SafePass before entering public offices, hospitals and shops where ten or more people are present, including employees. Such measures are increasingly required across Europe as full vaccination is considered key to protect against the most serious effects of COVID-19, including those caused by the Delta variant. The pass issued by different countries also contains a QR code of the EU Digital COVID Certificate, which can be verified across the bloc. A faster vaccination rollout, the extension of the health pass, and barrier gestures could have a significant impact on the severity of the peak expected in September, according to leading French research center the Institut Pasteur. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) earlier this week strongly encouraged those who are eligible but have not yet been vaccinated to take the recommended vaccination "in a timely manner." The EU has reached its target of ensuring at least 70 percent of the adult population receive at least one vaccine dose by the end of July, but the member states hope to see this percentage increase to contain the spread of new variants. In France, where over 54 percent of the population have been fully vaccinated, President Emmanuel Macon, after the extension of the health pass use was approved by the Constitutional Council, once again appealed to the still-reluctant French to get vaccinated. "Get vaccinated, get vaccinated, get vaccinated," he said in a video message on Friday. "Freedom is only valid if the freedom of others is preserved." The European health agencies also recommended that everyone should adhere to national regulations and continue to take measures such as wearing masks and respecting social distancing. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 20:12:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- A total of 3,854 child patients with leukemia or congenital heart disease have received subsidies this year from a relief project funded by China's national lottery ticket revenues. With an increasing budget, the relief project is estimated to provide aid for over 60,000 child patients who suffer from leukemia or congenital heart disease from 2021 to 2025, according to the Chinese Red Cross Foundation (CRCF), which is in charge of the project's execution. The age range of eligible patients with leukemia has also been expanded to 0-18 from the previous 0-14, said the CRCF. Along with the relief project, the CRCF will also make efforts in nurturing medical institution partners, building expert teams, launching emergency response programs and conducting health screenings, the CRCF added. Since 2009, the relief project has helped over 54,000 child patients with leukemia or congenital heart disease. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 20:16:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GAZA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Israeli fighter jets early on Saturday attacked posts and facilities that belong to militant groups in the Gaza Strip in response to incendiary balloons launched towards Israel, Palestinian security sources said. The sources told Xinhua that the fighter jets attacked two military facilities belonging to al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in northern Gaza Strip. The sources added that the two airstrikes caused damages to the military facilities, but no injuries were reported. Meanwhile, an Israeli army spokesman said in a statement that Israeli fighter jets attacked a training camp that belongs to Hamas militants and another facility used for launching rockets towards Israel in northern Gaza Strip. The statement added that the two airstrikes were carried out in response to the launching of dozens of incendiary balloons towards Israel, which caused four major fires at agricultural farms in southern Israel, and no injuries were reported. The launching of balloons carrying incendiary materials by Palestinian activists in the Gaza Strip was renewed on Friday after it had stopped for one week. Activists who launched the balloons said it was in solidarity with south Lebanon. The Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip are the fifth since the end of the last round of tension between Israel and Hamas-led militant groups in the Gaza Strip, which went on for 11 days and ended on May 21. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 20:37:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RIYADH, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud welcomed on Saturday the appointment of Hans Grundberg as UN Special Envoy for Yemen. The minister wished him through his Twitter account success in his new role, saying that he looks forward to working with him. Grundberg succeeds Martin Griffiths, who has been appointed as UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs. The kingdom will continue to support all efforts to reach a political solution that helps bring peace and prosperity to Yemen, the minister said. The coalition completed in March its sixth year of war in Yemen against the Houthi militia in support of the Yemeni government. On March 22, Saudi Arabia announced an initiative to end the Yemeni crisis. The initiative includes a comprehensive cease-fire across Yemen under the supervision of the United Nations. It was part of a series of initiatives that the militia had rejected over the years. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 20:49:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LHASA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- After more than three years of construction, the largest airport terminal in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region began operation on Saturday. The new terminal of Lhasa Gonggar Airport looks like a lotus flower from above. It will help the airport meet the target of handling 9 million passengers and 80,000 tonnes of cargo and mail by 2025, according to the airport. Located in Gonggar County of Shannan City and close to the regional capital of Lhasa, Lhasa Gonggar Airport is the largest airport in Tibet. Since late 2012, China has been expanding its infrastructure investment in Tibet. The region has launched a total of 130 air routes, with 61 cities connected by flights. The number of passenger trips made through these airports totaled 5.18 million in 2020. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 20:57:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close XI'AN, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Li Yinzhi, 38, glows with happiness as she stitches layers for plush toys in a workshop in Ankang, a city in northwest China's Shaanxi Province. The new urbanite resettled in Ankang from an inhospitable mountainous area and found a secure job she is good at in a residential community. It accommodates former farmers amid government-support poverty eradication efforts. "[The job] is on my doorstep. While having a stable income, I can take care of my children and parents," said Li, a mother of two. She now earns more than 50,000 yuan (around 7,737 U.S. dollars) annually at the workshop. "It's much better than my days working far away from home in Ningbo seven years ago." Starting in late 2017, when the plush-toy industry relocated to the city from Changzhou in east China's Jiangsu Province, Ankang has seen the rise of 569 companies based on toy-making within three years, said Wu Dalin, director of the administrative committee for the Hengkou demonstration zone in Ankang. He added that the businesses now generate an annual output of close to 2.8 billion yuan and create more than 12,000 jobs, including 3,000 for the once poor households like Li's. Amid China's poverty reduction drive, approximately 1 million poor people, who lived in inhospitable, poor, scattered mountainous regions in Ankang, moved to new urban residential communities, said Zhao Junmin, Party chief of Ankang. "The gathering of populations provides fertile soil for labor-intensive industries like toy making," Zhao said. The city seized the opportunity from industrial relocation in east China and offered incentive packages to toy-making businesses. Despite the advantage of lower labor costs, Ankang, like other places in west China, was throttled by high transportation expenses in developing export-oriented industries like toy making. Wu, who has been coordinating the relocation of the toy-making industry from Changzhou to Hengkou, would not allow the hope of enriching the newly-settled poor in their urban homes to be dashed. His team went around to explore potential partnerships to lower the transportation cost. The persistence was fruitful. In May 2020, the dry port set up by the Shanghai International Port (Group) Co., Ltd. began operation in Ankang. It turned the city into an inland intermodal terminal directly connected by rail to the Shanghai port, where plush toys are shipped to global consumers. Later the year, the city saw the departure of its first dedicated freight train heading to Europe by way of Xi'an, another route connecting it with the international market. To make the industry more competitive, Ankang extended the industrial chain by introducing a production line making polypropylene cotton for stuffing the plush toys. "The annual output has surpassed 20,000 tonnes, providing far more than sufficient supplies to local toy-making businesses," said Wu. Ankang has bigger plans for the industry and is poised to make plush toys enable even better lives for Li Yinzhi and her fellow urbanites. "In the next three years, we will work to boost creative industries inspired by the toy-related culture and make them one of the pillars of the local economy," said Zhao Junmin. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 21:20:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry on Saturday dismissed as "baseless" the recent Group of Seven (G7)'s allegations over a tanker attack, according to the ministry's website. On Friday, the foreign ministers of G7, including Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, as well as the high representative of the European Union, accused Iran of being behind a "reportedly" drone attack on July 29 against an Israel-linked oil tanker in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman, which killed a British national and a Romanian national. "We strongly condemn the baseless statement by the G7 foreign ministers ... in which baseless allegations have been made against the Islamic Republic of Iran," said Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Khatibzadeh called the incident as a "scenario" which took place a few days before the inauguration of the new president of Iran. Such "baseless scenarios" are designed to confuse the political climate, he was quoted as saying. The Islamic Republic is fully committed to securing the strategic waterway of the Gulf region and the Strait of Hormuz, considers it as part of its own security and will not hesitate defending its sovereign right, he said. In the meantime, Iran is "ready to cooperate with the regional countries in establishing a collective security system in the region," he added. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 22:15:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close -- A Western media firestorm suspecting China hid early COVID-19 data in Wuhan turned out to be much ado about nothing, as the Chinese clarification that Wuhan researchers' withdrawal of data originated in an editorial mistake by an international academic journal now backed by the journal. -- The Chinese researchers at the center of the controversy have been waiting for an official correction from the journal and kept the distance from the politicized debate in public. A U.S. researcher, who initiated the drama with a highly speculative theory, didn't respond to a Xinhua request for comment. -- The withdrawn data has little value to COVID-19 origin tracing, as it was based on samples collected on the day when China reported almost 10,000 confirmed cases in total; also, the data was meant for a new testing method and didn't reach the level of accuracy meaningful for origin tracing. by Xinhua writers Wang Zichen, Liu Yang BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- A Western media firestorm suspecting China hid early COVID-19 data in Wuhan turned out to be much ado about nothing, with a boring answer and alarming lesson for everyone who -- inadvertently or not -- played a part. In late June, Dr. Jesse Bloom, a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the United States, said on Twitter that a set of SARS-CoV-2 sequences based on samples collected in Wuhan was withdrawn by local researchers from a database in the U.S. Bloom also alleged that the fact the data "was deleted should make us skeptical that all other relevant early Wuhan sequences have been shared." Within a day or two, multiple Western media outlets reported Bloom's finding when the Wuhan researchers didn't immediately comment, fueling widespread suspicion such as "deliberate obfuscation" in the words of a U.S. professor in the Financial Times. On July 22, Dr. Zeng Yixin, vice-minister of the National Health Commission, refuted Bloom's allegations of a cover-up at a press conference in Beijing. A day later, two Xinhua journalists independently reached a Wuhan researcher at the center of the controversy by phone, who confirmed the Chinese official's account with more details -- and a self-reflection. Still spooked by the international hyperbole, the researcher insisted on anonymity. On July 29, SMALL, an international academic journal, published a correction with an apology, confirming the aligning accounts of the Chinese official and the researcher. EDITORIAL ERROR SMALL published a paper called "Nanopore Targeted Sequencing for the Accurate and Comprehensive Detection of SARS-CoV-2 and Other Respiratory Viruses" on June 24, 2020. The authors were led by a team of Chinese researchers. The researchers collected throat swab clinical samples from Wuhan residents and then performed their nanopore targeted sequencing (NTS) on the samples, producing COVID-19 data, according to the paper. The researchers uploaded their data on the U.S. database, and included a paragraph describing how to access the data, said Zeng on July 22. The State Council Information Office holds a press conference on the novel coronavirus origin-tracing work in Beijing, capital of China, July 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua) The Wuhan researcher said the same thing. As proof, the researcher shared, with the two Xinhua journalists, a snapshot of the Data Accessibility paragraph in their submitted paper to SMALL. But when SMALL sent a draft for publication back to them, the paragraph was gone, according to another snapshot shared by the researcher. "When we saw that the journal had deleted the paragraph, we believed that then the paragraph was unnecessary," the researcher said. The published paper did not include the paragraph. Following that, the researchers withdrew their data from the U.S. database, thinking its storage was no longer necessary. Furthermore, the information could have been deduced from the tables and graphs in the published paper, the researcher added. The Wuhan researcher's account of the events was first reported by the two Xinhua journalists in newsletters in their personal capacity. On July 29, what SMALL said in a correction on its website confirmed the Chinese account, "In the originally published article, the Data Availability paragraph of the experimental section was mistakenly deleted during the copyediting process. The original sequencing data has been submitted to China National Center for Bioinformation GSA database." "The editorial office apologizes for any inconvenience caused," the correction said. The Chinese database mentioned in the correction is open to international researchers. WILD SUSPICION But before the correction emerged, Bloom, the virologist in the United States, had already developed and published his suspicion. According to a snapshot shared by Wuhan researcher, Bloom wrote in a June 7 email asking, "why the raw sequencing data for the study are no longer available?" The Chinese researchers didn't reply, as the researcher said they didn't know Bloom, and that they thought -- they still think -- if they were to share the raw sequencing data, the best way was to upload them to a database and make it public, not exclusively with one person. Bloom is the lead signatory to a May 14 letter saying, on the origin of SARS-CoV-2, "theories of accidental release from a lab and zoonotic spillover both remain viable," the Wuhan researcher also noted in the phone interview. The lab leak theory was described as "extremely unlikely" in the joint World Health Organisation-China study on the origins of SARS-CoV-2. On June 23 Beijing time, Bloom published a preprint -- a paper not yet peer-reviewed -- and a lengthy Twitter thread, describing how he discovered and recovered the withdrawn data, adding that "there are also broader implications" such as "this data was deleted should make us skeptical that all other relevant early Wuhan sequences have been shared." The thread set off a wave of reports in major Western media outlets on the same day of its publication or the next, when the Chinese researchers "did not immediately respond to emails inquiring about Dr. Bloom's finding," as reported by The New York Times. The Wuhan researcher said the authors, who have little experience of talking to the media -- especially those in the West, found the accusation unacceptable and offensive, and they were overwhelmed by the sudden, simultaneous Western media focus. LITTLE VALUE Another key argument put forward by Zeng, the Chinese vice-minister, and the Wuhan researcher was that the withdrawn data was of little value to COVID-19 origin tracing. The paper said the data was based on samples from people in Wuhan of "suspected COVID-19 early in the epidemic (January 2020)," which was seized by Bloom and others to speculate that the withdrawal was to conceal valuable data. However, Zeng and the Wuhan researcher clarified that the earliest sample was collected on January 30, 2020, and thus was not valuable for COVID-19 origin tracing. According to the China Part of the joint WHO-China study, the earliest onset date in China's COVID-19 reporting system was December 8, 2019. By January 30, 2020, which is almost two months later, China reported 9,692 confirmed cases and 15,238 suspected cases. People have their information registered before taking COVID-19 nucleic acid tests in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Aug. 3, 2021. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun) The Chinese researcher also said that since the Wuhan researchers' intention was only to test a new sequencing method, the quality of their sequence and data didn't have to -- and therefore didn't -- reach the level of accuracy meaningful for COVID-19 origin tracing. The Chinese researcher said that their raw sequencing data was like covering only a few digits of a dozen-digit-long ID number; to use their raw sequencing data to identify the person behind the ID number would be impossible -- they don't even have the whole ID number; and that scientists in the same field worth their salt should have known this. A REFLECTION It was not until almost a month later when Zeng, the Chinese vice-minister, publicly addressed the controversy in Beijing on July 22. "After this incident was reported, we immediately conducted an investigation and gained an understanding of it," Zeng told the press conference. Zeng also blasted Bloom, saying the U.S. researcher "without confirmation from the Chinese researchers and having no knowledge of the ins and outs of the matter, made up a conspiracy theory saying it was a cover-up." In the meantime, Bloom's suspicion and sympathetic Western press coverage -- without Chinese accounts -- dominated the public discourse in English. After Zeng spoke and the two Xinhua journalists interviewed the Wuhan researcher, the Chinese side of the story surfaced. A New York Times column, on July 30, included the Chinese account by citing and corroborating the Xinhua journalists' personal newsletter. "While the disappearance of the sequences appears to be the result of an editorial error, Dr. Bloom felt that it was still worthwhile looking for other sequences of coronaviruses that might be lurking online," the column added. Compared with the media-savvy Bloom, who was widely quoted in the press coverage and whose lab counts over 20,000 followers on Twitter, the Wuhan researcher doesn't have identifiable social media accounts and approaches the controversy in a strictly academic fashion, patiently waiting for a correction from the journal. Throughout the interview and subsequent communication, the Wuhan researcher, apparently uninterested in politics or conspiracy theories, insisted that the only thing that could completely exonerate the authors was for SMALL to issue a correction confirming the Data Availability paragraph was indeed mistakenly deleted by the journal. That was one key reason the authors have remained silent, so as not to embarrass SMALL publicly, said the Wuhan researcher, adding that their concern had been if they highlighted the editorial error before SMALL did, that could complicate a correction from the journal. A staff member cultivates Vero cells at Sinovac Life Sciences Co., Ltd. in Beijing, capital of China, March 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei) When pressed by two Xinhua journalists on why not respond publicly earlier, the Wuhan researcher said "I ask for your understanding -- at the time, I didn't know what to do. There was nobody telling me what to do." That admission, coupled with Zeng's statement that the Chinese government only began to investigate the matter after media reports, stood in stark contrast with the wide speculation in the West that the withdrawal was a "deliberate obfuscation" and "deliberate obstruction." It's unknown if Bloom has any reflection from the drama that he started. He didn't respond to an emailed request for comments. Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 22:48:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Overseas experts and scholars have expressed appreciation of China's commitment to promoting international cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and making vaccines a global public good. China will strive to provide 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to the world throughout this year and offer 100 million U.S. dollars to COVAX, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday in a written message to the first meeting of the International Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine Cooperation, which was jointly held by 23 countries via video links. "It is imperative that the international community answer the call of President Xi Jinping to enhance and deepen greater cooperation in vaccine development and production," said Lee Pei May, a political expert at the International Islamic University Malaysia. China has played a fundamental role in ensuring vaccine equity and its decision to donate 100 million U.S. dollars to COVAX is "commendable," she said. Ronnie Lins, director of the China-Brazil Center for Research and Business, told Xinhua that China has helped many countries within its ability since the outbreak of COVID-19, adhered to the concept of a global community of health for all, and promoted international vaccine cooperation, setting a good example for other countries in the world. French writer and sinologist Sonia Bressler hailed China's open attitude to and incredible efforts in promoting international vaccine cooperation. Samer Khair Ahmed, a Jordanian writer and expert on Arab-China relations, said Xi's message manifested again China's highly responsible manner to the world and its deep-rooted values and morals. "China is helping developing countries with real assistance in providing vaccines for their people," he said. These efforts highlight the moral values of China and are also in line with the Belt and Road Initiative, the expert said, adding that China views the developing countries as partners in the world of humanity and in realizing world development. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 23:20:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A man receives a dose of China's COVID-19 vaccine in the city of Tabatinga in the state of Amazonas, Brazil, Jan. 19, 2021. (Photo by Lucio Tavora/Xinhua) China has helped many countries within its ability since the outbreak of COVID-19, adhered to the concept of a global community of health for all, and promoted international vaccine cooperation, setting a good example for other countries in the world, said Ronnie Lins, director of the China-Brazil Center for Research and Business. BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Overseas experts and scholars have expressed appreciation of China's commitment to promoting international cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and making vaccines a global public good. China will strive to provide 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to the world throughout this year and offer 100 million U.S. dollars to COVAX, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday in a written message to the first meeting of the International Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine Cooperation, which was jointly held by 23 countries via video links. A batch of China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines arrives at the Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, July 31, 2021. (Photo by Ly Lay/Xinhua) "It is imperative that the international community answer the call of President Xi Jinping to enhance and deepen greater cooperation in vaccine development and production," said Lee Pei May, a political expert at the International Islamic University Malaysia. China has played a fundamental role in ensuring vaccine equity and its decision to donate 100 million U.S. dollars to COVAX is "commendable," she said. A medical worker inoculates a woman with a dose of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine in Dhaka, Bangladesh, June 19, 2021. (Xinhua) Ronnie Lins, director of the China-Brazil Center for Research and Business, told Xinhua that China has helped many countries within its ability since the outbreak of COVID-19, adhered to the concept of a global community of health for all, and promoted international vaccine cooperation, setting a good example for other countries in the world. French writer and sinologist Sonia Bressler hailed China's open attitude to and incredible efforts in promoting international vaccine cooperation. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic checks blood pressure before receiving the second dose of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine in Doljevac, Serbia, April 27, 2021. (Photo by Wang Wei/Xinhua) Samer Khair Ahmed, a Jordanian writer and expert on Arab-China relations, said Xi's message manifested again China's highly responsible manner to the world and its deep-rooted values and morals. "China is helping developing countries with real assistance in providing vaccines for their people," he said. These efforts highlight the moral values of China and are also in line with the Belt and Road Initiative, the expert said, adding that China views the developing countries as partners in the world of humanity and in realizing world development. Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 00:14:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RABAT, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Morocco reported on Friday 11,358 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total infections in the country to 676,638. The death toll rose to 10,163 with 76 new fatalities during the last 24 hours, while 1,541 people are in intensive care units, according to a statement by the Ministry of Health. The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco increased by 8,916 to 598,958, the statement said. The COVID-19 fatality rate in Morocco stands at 1.5 percent while the recovery rate is 88.5 percent. Meanwhile, 14,981.732 people have received so far the first vaccine shots against COVID-19 in the country, and 10,870,130 people have received two doses. The North African country launched a nationwide vaccination campaign on Jan. 28 after the arrival of the first shipment of China's Sinopharm vaccines. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 17:06:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LUANDA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Angola is planning to invest about 10 million U.S. dollars to participate in the Expo 2020 Dubai, an Angolan official said here on Friday. During the expo, Angola would participate in five areas -- education, employment, new industries, financial capital and governance, said Albina Assis, Angola's national commissioner for the expo. "There is great expectation in attracting investment to Angola. We are facing a great business opportunity, which is why we are counting on the Private Investment and Export Promotion Agency (AIPEX) to achieve the best results," she told a press conference. The objective of Angola's participation in the event is to promote the country, its people, culture and attract investments in different areas, she said. During the event, Angola would hold several business forums in a bid to attract foreign investment, she added. The Expo 2020 Dubai was previously scheduled to take place from October 2020 to April 2021 under the theme of "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future," but it was postponed from October 2021 to March 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 17:45:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian government on Friday evening warned that the expansion of conflict to parts of the country by rebel forces is pushing it to change its defensive stance if humanitarian overtures for peaceful resolution are unreciprocated. The Ethiopian government in late June announced a unilateral ceasefire in the country's conflict-affected northernmost Tigray regional state. The government said the move followed a request by the Tigray regional state interim administration that was assigned by the federal government after the ouster of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which used to rule the region. However, the Ethiopian government on late Friday said the situation in Tigray and the unilateral humanitarian ceasefire declared by the government, including the need to enhance all-inclusive national dialogue, have been the major preoccupying issues of late. "Regrettably, the TPLF has failed to reciprocate," the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, adding that the group "chose to launch new attacks in neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara, which left more than 300,000 people displaced and thousands dead." "Cognizant of its moral, legal, and political obligation to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state, the federal government is being pushed to mobilize and deploy the entire defensive capability of the state if its humanitarian overtures for a peaceful resolution of the conflict remain unreciprocated," it said. The Ethiopian House of People's Representatives, the lower house of the Ethiopian parliament, had previously designated the TPLF as a terrorist organization. Since the early hours of Nov. 4, the Ethiopian government has been undertaking military operations against the TPLF. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 19:24:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KAMPALA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese language teaching in Ugandan secondary schools has taken root despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, officials said here on Saturday. Grace Baguma, director of the country's National Curriculum Development Center, said that Chinese language courses have been offered in over 30 secondary schools in Uganda after Chinese was integrated into the ordinary level curriculum. Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has disrupted the school calendar and despite the limited learning materials for teaching, teachers here have persisted in teaching the Chinese language, Baguma said, noting that more materials would be made available. Baguma made the remarks at the opening of the second online seminar for Ugandan secondary school teachers of the Chinese language. Barnabas Nawangwe, vice chancellor of Makerere University, said at the seminar that the university is ready to promote Chinese language learning for students who have advanced to the university level from secondary school. Charles Kahigiriza, head teacher of Ndejje Secondary School, one of the schools teaching the Chinese language, suggested that a China Day can be organized in the school calendar to attract more students to learn about the Chinese language and culture. Learning the Chinese language is critical, said Kahigiriza, noting that it opens up opportunities for students, for instance jobs after graduation, as well as further study opportunities in China, among others. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 14:00:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- About 350 militants were killed and 70 wounded during one-day offensives and airstrikes launched by Afghan government security forces on Friday, as clashes resumed in several cities early Saturday, the military confirmed. At least 276 Taliban militants were killed and 47 militants wounded after security forces backed by Afghan air force struck Taliban positions in southern Helmand and western Nimroz provinces, army's 215th Maiwand Corps said in a statement. Those among the killed was Abdul Khaliq alias Aka Abid, a Taliban's shadow governor for Nimroz. On Friday, Taliban militants attacked and seized control over Zaranj city, capital of Nimroz. Eight militants' vehicles, five motorcycles and a heavy gun were destroyed in the said provinces, according to the statement. Many Afghan cities and about half of the country's 34 provinces have been the scene of heavy battles and street fighting in recent weeks as Taliban militants continued their fighting against security forces since the start of withdrawal of U.S.-led troops in May. Some 40 militants were killed and many others wounded after security forces backed by local public uprising forces evicted Taliban from Shiberghan city, capital of northern Jawzjan province, army's 209th Shaheen Corps. The city has been the scene of heavy street clashes and fighting in recent days. Earlier on Saturday, fighting resumed in the city and militants captured control of several streets. In neighboring Samangan province, 19 militants were killed and 13 wounded while 13 Taliban died and eight others wounded in clashes and airstrikes in northern Takhar province during the cited period, according to statement of the army corps. The Taliban militant group has not responded to the report so far. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 15:50:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's Civil Aviation Authority announced that it had recorded a revenue of 2.4 billion afghani in the first four months of the Afghan calendar starting from March 21 and ending on July 22, 2021, the agency reported on its website on Saturday. "This is the highest level of revenue in the last two years that increased by 30 percent compared to the same period in 2020," the agency said in a statement posted on its website. The Afghan Civil Aviation Authority continues to receive revenue from aircraft flying over the country's airspace, according to the statement. Afghanistan currently has one private airline and two state-owned ones flying to the region and the world in addition to the country's major cities. However, the recent fighting and clashes between the security forces and Taliban militants have suspended domestic flights in at least four major Afghan cities. (1 U.S. dollar equals 78.3 afghani) Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 16:54:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's permanent representative to the United Nations Munir Akram on Friday denounced those who are encouraging the Afghan government to fight rather than compromise. "The role of those who are continuing to fuel the conflict by stating that the Afghan government must continue to fight rather than compromise is a disservice," Akram said. The Pakistani envoy stressed at a press conference at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York that the Security Council must urge the Afghan parties to negotiate, saying "I believe that the terms of a settlement, the possibilities of settlement, are present." "All parties must look at the realities and try to reach an agreement," said the ambassador. "The Security Council would do well to encourage the parties concerned to stop blaming others and try to find a solution themselves within the parameters of Afghanistan itself." The UN envoy for Afghanistan Deborah Lyons noted that the current main objective "must be to try and find common ground and to forge an agreement between the parties concerned to reach a ceasefire and to bring a halt to the conflict." Lyons told the Council meeting that Afghanistan is "at a dangerous turning point," while stating that "Afghans are facing this coming darkness with a sense of being abandoned by the regional and international community." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 17:14:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LAGOS, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Six teenage victims of human trafficking were rescued during a law enforcement operation in the southern state of Edo, Nigerian police announced on Friday. Philip Ogbadu, the state police chief of Edo, told reporters in Benin City, the state capital, that the victims, aged 16 to 19, were rescued on Friday by police operatives after an intelligence tip. He said the victims were travelling to Abidjan in Cote d'Ivoire in a bus when they were intercepted by police operatives on the busy Benin-Lagos road. The victims, who are from the southeast states of Delta, Edo and Enugu but all live in Edo, were recruited for the journey by a sister of one of them, he added. Unyimen Johnson, associate project officer of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Nigeria, said at an event to commemorate the 2021 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons held in Benin City on July 30 that Nigeria remains a country of origin, transit and destination for human trafficking. Driven by the demand for cheap labor and commercial sex, trafficking rings across borders and within countries capitalize on economic, social and political vulnerabilities to exploit their victims, Johnson said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 18:41:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn has called for international solidarity against COVID-19, not finger-pointing and politicization, according to a foreign ministry's press statement on Saturday. Sokhonn made the remarks during the 28th ASEAN ( the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Regional Forum (ARF) held via video link on Friday. "H.E. Deputy Prime Minister emphasized on the ARF's importance as a multilateral forum for consultative dialogue, confidence-building, and trust promotion for the entire Asia-Pacific, and that this should be leveraged upon to consolidate international solidarity against the COVID-19 pandemic without finger-pointing and politicization," the statement said. The statement said that during the meeting, the ARF ministers emphasized the importance of enhancing regional and international solidarity and cooperation towards a collective and effective response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Chea Munyrith, president of the Cambodian Chinese Evolution Researcher Association, last week called on some Western countries not to politicize the COVID-19 origin-tracing issue, saying that any origin-tracing should be scientific, not political. "Virus origin-tracing is a scientific issue, which can only be determined by scientists, not politicians," he said in an article published on the Fresh News website. Munyrith also accused the Western countries of ignoring the facts and putting the blame on China to cover up their own poor dealings with COVID-19 and to divert public attention from criticizing their governments. "I believe that science is fair, and the world can be deceived just for a while, not forever," he said. "I hope that the World Health Organization (WHO) will uphold the spirit of science, professionalism, and objectivity, oppose the politicization of the COVID-19 origin-tracing issue, and support the traceability work in the right way." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 18:50:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- India on Saturday granted the emergency use approval to American pharma conglomerate Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for its single-shot vaccine against COVID-19, officials said. The information was shared by India's federal health minister Mansukh Mandaviya. "India expands its vaccine basket! Johnson and Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is given approval for Emergency Use in India. Now India has five EUA (emergency use authorization) vaccines. This will further boost our nation's collective fight against COVID-19," Mandaviya wrote on social media. J&J had applied to the Central Drug Standard Control Organization of India on Thursday seeking emergency use approval of its single-shot vaccine. Previously the company had applied for a trial. However, it withdrew its earlier application following the federal government's decision to do away with the provision of trial for reputed and recognised vaccines. Officials said the company was asked to directly apply for approval. "This is an important milestone that paves the way to bringing our single-dose COVID-19 vaccine to the people of India, and the rest of the world, through a collaboration with Biological E Limited," read the company statement issued on Friday. "Biological E will be an important part of our global supply chain network, helping to supply our Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine through the extensive collaborations and partnerships we have with governments, health authorities and organizations such as Gavi and the COVAX facility," the statement read. Previously approved COVID-19 shots in India are Covishield, Covaxin, Sputnik V and Moderna. India is in the grip of an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the cases are increasing with each passing day. India's COVID-19 tally rose to 31,895,385 on Saturday as 38,628 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's data. Besides, 617 deaths were recorded since Friday morning, taking the death toll to 427,371. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 19:27:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- An Afghan air force member was killed and six of his family members were wounded after a sticky bomb attached to his private vehicle was detonated on the southern outskirts of the country's capital Kabul on Saturday, a local source confirmed. "Pilot Hamid was martyred following the blast in Charhar Asyab suburban district at midday on Saturday," the source told Xinhua anonymously. Further details are awaited with the absence of any official announcement. The Saturday's assassination was the latest targeted attacks against government security forces and officials. On Friday, the director of the Government Media and Information Center was killed following a shooting conducted by Taliban gunmen outside a mosque in Police District 7 of Kabul. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 20:44:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 Afghan civilians were killed and 64 wounded in two provinces of Afghanistan on Saturday, as fighting raged and street battles continued in several cities, multiple sources said. In Kunduz city, capital of northern Kunduz province, 10 bodies of civilians and 42 wounded were admitted to a government-run provincial hospital following early Saturday's clashes, Dr. Ehsanullah Fazli, director of Kunduz Public Health Directorate, told Xinhua. Taliban militants stormed the city from three directions, trying to capture the whole city. The Afghan Ministry of Defense claimed that 47 Taliban militants were killed and 39 wounded in the Kunduz clashes. In Taluqan city, capital of neighboring Takhar province, several militants and government forces were killed and wounded during Friday night clashes. Taliban attacked the city and Afghan government security forces backed by the local public uprising forces repelled the attackers. Heavy clashes lasted on Saturday. The Taliban took control of Shiberghan city, capital of northern Jawzjan province, on Saturday after week-long heavy clashes, reported local Tolo News TV channel. The militants broke the provincial prison and released all the inmates, according to the report. Security forces retreated to a local airport. Information about casualties on the side of security forces and Taliban militants were unclear. Also on Saturday, a 25-year-old medical doctor died of gunshot wounds in Kandahar city, capital of southern Kandahar province, Dawood Farhad, director of Mirwais Regional Hospital, told Xinhua. "At least 22 wounded, including one woman and six children, were admitted to Mirwais Hospital since early Saturday," he said, adding that "eight people got gunshot wounds while the rest were wounded by bomb and mortar shrapnel." Six militants' bodies and four wounded soldiers were also shifted to the hospital, according to the source. About half of the country's 34 provinces have been the scene of heavy battles and street fighting in recent weeks as Taliban militants continued their fighting against security forces. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 20:45:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHANGHAI, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Recalling their first experience in China more than 10 years ago, Pakistani brothers Mian Muhammad Zubair and Habib Ur Rehman said they only knew one thing -- future. "China is the future. That was what our father told us. So here we are," the two, now in their 30s, said with a beaming smile. Mian Muhammad Zubair, the elder brother, is 33 years old and graduated from Shanghai Jiaotong University majoring in aerospace. The younger, 31-year-old Habib Ur Rehman, is a graduate of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics with a degree in economics and trade. The two are the second generation of a family that has been engaged in the carpet business. Their father, Shahid Sohail, used to run a store selling traditional handmade carpets in Pakistan and was seeking opportunities overseas. Around 2000, a European diplomat suggested that Shahid Sohail come to China to explore business prospects. Three years later he was in Guangzhou, a coastal city in south China that had already drawn many foreign business persons. Soon Shahid Sohail, a person with strong business acumen, put his eyes on Shanghai, which was at the forefront of China's sweeping opening-up efforts. In August 2006, the Pakistani businessman decided to move the family business to Shanghai. Though back then he only knew three Chinese words -- "Hi, Thank you and Bye," it didn't deter his spirits. "To us, China is more than just Pakistan's good friend," said Mian Muhammad Zubair, adding that they believe in the famous Pakistani motto --"Even though knowledge is far away in China, we should seek it." The brothers came to study in Shanghai in 2008 and 2009, respectively, and soon found that China was developing at a speed far beyond their imagination. "Shanghai is a very safe and inclusive city, and the infrastructure changes so fast," said Habib Ur Rehman. Now their father, 66, has officially retired, and the brothers have taken over the store. "For us, the carpets are works of art. The delicate patterns on the beautiful handmade carpets are the inheritance of thousands of years of culture and a witness of cultural integration between China and Pakistan," Zubair said pointing to an exquisite carpet on the wall. "This pattern is a replica of a work by ancient Chinese artists, which contains jasmine flowers, Chinese porcelain and other unique elements." Their store has also witnessed China's transformation over the past decades. "At first, 99 percent of the customers were foreigners, now Chinese customers account for about 30 to 40 percent," Mian Muhammad Zubair said. "China doesn't impose a tariff on handmade carpets from Pakistan, so the price in China is almost the same as in Pakistan, while in other countries, the price may double or triple," he added. The two, who now speak fluent mandarin, are preparing to participate in the 4th China International Import Expo this year. "The expo is a good platform to bring more business opportunities and let more people know about handmade carpets from Pakistan," Habib Ur Rehman said, adding that they also plan to explore China's e-commerce market. "We are optimistic about the Chinese market and we are bullish on Shanghai," he added. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 22:49:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close YANGON, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar reported 3,651 new COVID-19 cases with 264 more deaths in the past 24 hours, according to a release from the Ministry of Health on Saturday. The release said the number of COVID-19 infections rose to 326,489 with its death toll increasing to 11,526 so far. A total of 238,747 patients have recovered as of Saturday. China recently donated surgical masks, oxygen concentrators and traditional medicine Lianhua Qingwen Capsules to Myanmar, the Chinese embassy's release said. Myanmar's State Administration Council has further extended the public holiday period to Aug. 15 for further prevention, control and treatment of COVID-19 infection. According to the council's order on Saturday, the Central Bank of Myanmar and its subordinate government banks and private banks will be exempted from the public holidays. Myanmar detected the first cases of COVID-19 on March 23 last year. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 22:55:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- A soldier was killed as terrorists attacked a military check post in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, an army statement said on Saturday. The military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in the statement that the terrorists opened fire on the post in the Ghariom area of North Waziristan district of the province. "Own troops responded in a befitting manner," said the ISPR statement, adding that during an exchange of fire with the militants, one soldier of the Pakistani army was killed. Area clearance is being carried out to eliminate the terrorists, the statement said. "Pakistan Army is determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve," it added. On Monday, a statement from the ISPR said that an army soldier was killed in terrorists' attack on a military check post in North Waziristan. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 18:44:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOSCOW, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Russia confirmed 22,320 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 6,424,884, the official monitoring and response center said Saturday. During this period, the nationwide death toll grew by 793 to 164,094, while the number of recoveries increased by 19,485 to 5,739,838. Meanwhile, Moscow, Russia's worst-hit region, reported 2,235 new cases, taking the city's total to 1,524,439. More than 168 million COVID-19 tests have been conducted across the country so far. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-07 10:39:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Politicians in Washington are good at covering their vicious political intent with warm but empty talk, and Hong Kong is a classic case in point. U.S. President Joe Biden recently signed an executive order, claiming to offer a "safe haven" for the Hong Kong residents. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also alleged in a statement that Washington stands with people in Hong Kong. But in addition to the empty rhetoric, Washington's unscrupulous smears and sanctions against China for adopting necessary measures to safeguard Hong Kong's security and stability indicate that it is not the Hong Kong people whom these U.S. politicians are truly standing with and providing a "safe haven" for. Rather, it is the Hong Kong rioters they are siding with. For quite some time, those U.S. politicians have been colluding with and even abetting rioters in Hong Kong, disregarding all the miseries Hong Kongers suffered during a months-long social unrest. A 70-year-old cleaner was killed after his head was struck by bricks; a 57-year-old father of two daughters was set on fire with flammable solution as he chased after violent protesters that sabotaged transportation facilities; a group of police officers were hit and seriously injured by a motorbike run by mobsters, just to name a few. Washington had repeatedly praised the rioters as "fighters" and "heroes," and slandered Hong Kong police's normal law-enforcement measures. But not even once did it really "stand with the Hong Kong people," as it repeatedly claimed. Later, when Hong Kong regained social order and stability after the implementation of the national security law and the adoption of a new electoral system, those hypocrites in the White House jumped up again to stigmatize the lawful and righteous efforts of the Chinese central government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government. With the national security law in force and the fresh electoral system in place, Hong Kong has finally emerged from the shadows of disorder to embrace long-term peace and prosperity. But Washington refused to acknowledge this. Its lie about supporting Hong Kong has fully exposed its double standards, prejudice and hegemony. It condemned the Capitol riot with utmost rage, but called similar acts in Hong Kong "a beautiful sight to behold." It has enacted the world's most thorough national security law at home, and granted its own federal government a leading role in drawing up election rules, but tried to smear China's parallel efforts in Hong Kong. It touts itself as a defender of international rules, but repeatedly tramples on international law and basic norms governing international relations, and grossly interferes in China's internal affairs. It seems that only a chaotic Hong Kong can meet Washington's political interests. To sow discord in Hong Kong to stifle the city's and China's development, Washington on one hand imposed coercive and unilateral sanctions against Hong Kong and China at large, and on the other ganged up with certain media outlets to stoke tensions in Hong Kong, spread pessimism about the city's outlook, and undermine the "one country, two systems" policy. President of Senate of Grenada Chester Humphrey once pointed out that some U.S. politicians intended to divert Americans' attention from their domestic problems with such malicious moves. However, Washington's vicious intent to destabilize Hong Kong and contain China will never succeed. The United States has deep and direct interests in Hong Kong. As former U.S. diplomat Kurt W. Tong wrote in a Foreign Affairs article published in mid-July, even the Treasury Department knows that sanctions on major Chinese banks will interrupt "the huge volume of financial transactions between the world's two largest economies," which would "in turn harm U.S. financial markets and the perceived reliability of the U.S.-centric global payments system." Also, the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people, including those in Hong Kong, as well as the broader international community, are no fools. Improving the electoral system has become a consensus in Hong Kong. Over 2.38 million people signed a petition in March to show their support, and a survey showed some 70 percent of respondents believe the improved electoral system will brighten Hong Kong's prospects. At the 46th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, more than 70 countries jointly stressed that Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs and should not be interfered with by external forces. Washington will in no way bend the will of the Chinese to do what it feels is right for Hong Kong and China, nor can it ever delude the international community with smears and lies. It is time for Washington to wake up to that, call off its vicious attempt to contain China, and learn to be in the right. Enditem The Federal Government has okayed the establishment of a specialized court for child offenders. The decision, which was announced by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, came barely a month after a nine-year old girl was identified as the culprit behind a fire incident that razed down a popular supermarket in Abuja. Malami, while inaugurating the Justice for Children Coordination Forum, an European Union- UNICEF programme aimed at enhancing access to justice for vulnerable children, on Thursday, said there was need for an urgent reform of the juvenile justice system in the country. The AGF said his office had already engaged respective Heads of Courts to ensure that the specialized courts would also guarantee the speedy and seamless trial of Rape/Gender-Based Violence Offences. According to him, "The project's overall objective seeks to improve children's access to child-friendly justice through age and gender-sensitive juvenile justice mechanisms and alternatives to detention for children on the move and vulnerable children in Nigeria". He said the Federal Ministry of Justice has continued to partner with UNICEF and other donor agencies, as well as respective Heads of Courts, to train Judges and Magistrates on the implementation and enforcement of the Child Rights Act, especially on the effective use of Family Court Rules and Procedures. "Every day, millions of children in Africa and around the world have their rights violated. They are denied access to school, health care and social benefits, unduly separated from their families, and affected by exploitation, abuse and violence in their homes and communities. "Everywhere, groups of children are being left behind as victims of prejudice and discrimination. "Among the most vulnerable are children born into poverty, children in detention, children on the street and children with disabilities. "Yet, only a fraction of children whose rights are violated come forward and seek redress, and even fewer obtain an effective remedy. "Today, a large number of children in Nigeria are survivors of violence, including sexual violence but very few of those cases make it to the courtrooms. "These are issues to be addressed by the EU-UNICEF Access to Justice Programme and the Justice for Children Coordination Forum. "It is worthy of mention that just last year, the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in partnership with UNICEF launched the 1st phase of the Amnesty and Decongestion Programme for Children deprived of liberty during COVID-19 and beyond. "The Ministry commenced the Second Phase of the programme in May 2021 with some juveniles from the Ogun State Borstal Institute currently undergoing assessment exercise to determine their psychological needs for release and reintegration. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Governance Legal Affairs 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. "The programme is aimed at reformation, reintegration and reunification of minors into the society for the development of our dear nation", Malami added. In his goodwill message at the event, the Chief Judge of Kano State, Justice Sagir Umar, commended FG for creating a platform he said would enhance access to justice for children. The CJ, who was represented by Justice Maryam Sabo, decried the rising rate of out of school children in the country. "In Kano alone as per statistics, about two years back, we had 3. 2million out of school children wandering about, some hawking, begging, truants, drug addiction etc. "In 2018, 1,142 cases were reported at Waraka SARC, while in 2019, 741 cases were received and only 194 were disposed of because of the high demand nature of proving the offence and stigma associated with offence. "Poverty and lack of awareness on parents are other factors. This year, the center received 57 and 68 cases of gender based violence in April and May, respectively. "There is need for the government to strategize more on women empowerment and to make it a policy all over the country. "Our educational sector, especially the basic, should be revamped for all children to have access to education as their fundamental rights", the Kano CJ added. While the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, who was represented by Mrs. Geraldine Okafor, called for stiffer sanctions for those that conscript underaged children into criminal gangs, the representative of UNICEF in Nigeria, Mr. Peter Hawkins, harped on the need for a comprehensive inter-agency assessment of children in conflict with the law. A group of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been detained in Zimbabwe after they were caught while heading to Botswana following their escape from the country's main refugee camp. The 104 refugees were found at a house in the south-western city of Bulawayo after travelling nearly 600 kilometres from Tongogara Refugee Camp near the Zimbabwe-Mozambique border. Authorities are now investigating how the refugees managed to travel so far despite Zimbabwe banning inter-city travel over a month ago to slow down the spread of Covid-19. Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare minister, Paul Mavhima, said the government was looking into the circumstances of their escape. "Our position as a ministry is that they are supposed to be at the Tongogara Refugee Camp," he said. "For now, they have to be processed by the police and their case reviewed by Immigration authorities to see if there is any law that has been broken. If any law has been broken, then justice will take its course." Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi said they were still investigating the case. "What is clear is that these are refugees from the DRC, who were coming the Tongogora Refugee Camp," he said. "Some of them have their papers and are currently going through Covid-19 screening processes and vetting by relevant government departments." Transit route Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Zimbabwe Legal Affairs Congo-Kinshasa 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. Zimbabwe is a major transit route for African immigrants seeking refuge in more economically stable countries like South Africa and Botswana. Last month, Zimbabwean police arrested 73 Malawians that were trying to cross into South Africa. At least 10 of the migrants tested positive for Covid-19. The previous month, the International Organisation for Migration facilitated the return of 100 Malawians that were found stranded along Zimbabwe's border with South Africa. Tongogara, the main holding camp for asylum seekers in Zimbabwe, last year registered 236 new arrivals. Most of them were from the DRC (196), Mali (29), Burundi (7) and Cote d'Ivoire (2). Rwanda and Somalia had one new arrival each at the camp that now has a total of 14,967 refugees, mostly from DRC, Burundi, Rwanda, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia. The police said the gunmen were repelled by the police after they burnt down the station. Gunmen on Thursday night burnt down a police station in Orlu, Imo State, and also killed a police inspector. Three of the gunmen were also killed in the ensuing gunfire between them and the police, an official said. The police spokesperson in the state, Mike Abattam, said the incident happened at about 9.35 p.m. He said the bandits threw explosives and petrol bombs on top of the roof of Orlu police station, damaging the roof and causing a fire in the station. He said the fire affected some of the vehicles at the parking lot. Mr Abattam said the command's tactical teams on the ground engaged the bandits in a gun duel. And due to the superior firepower of the police, the bandits were subdued, he said. "Three of the bandits were neutralised and their guns, one pump action gun and two locally made double barrel pistols were recovered while others escaped into the bush with bullet wounds. "Unfortunately, a police inspector lost his life in the attack," he said. The spokesperson urged the public to report anyone with bullet wounds to the police. He said, "Meanwhile the command is using this medium to call on the good people of Imo State especially, the Orsu community to assist the police with credible information that will lead to the arrest of the escaped bandits and to report to the nearest police station any person seen with or treating bullet wounds. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Legal Affairs Nigeria 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. "Also hospitals are advised to ensure that they report any person who come to them for treatment of bullet wounds," the police said. Imo State has been the worst hit by the recent attacks by gunmen in the South-east of Nigeria. Authorities blame the ESN, the armed wing of the separatist group, IPOB, for the attacks. Dozens of police officers have been killed in such attacks in the region and public facilities including vehicles and buildings destroyed. IPOB - whose leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was recently re-arrested in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria to face trial - has denied carrying out the attacks. IPOB is a secessionist group seeking an Independent State of Biafra to be carved out of the present South-east states of Ebonyi, Enugu, Anambra, Abia and Imo and some parts of South-south Nigeria. analysis South Africa's economy has taken a number of very heavy body blows recently. These include a slowdown due to measures taken to control the spread of COVID-19, on top of increased state dysfunctionality due to corruption. The country has also just experienced the worst riots since it became a democracy in 1994. All have left it struggling financially, while investor confidence has been shaken. The country's president, Cyril Ramaphosa, and finance minister, Tito Mboweni, have put in place measures to try to soften some of the hardships caused by the pandemic, and more recently the arson and violence. But a host of additional adjustments need to be made - to economic plans as well as budgets. One of these is the country's power generation and electricity supply programmes. Electricity demand projections are interlinked with economic progress. Changes in the economy therefore have a direct impact on the energy sector. In addition, energy generation technologies are evolving rapidly, affecting available technological choices and associated costs. A reappraisal of the country's long-term electricity requirements - and a review of technologies best suited under the circumstances - has therefore become a priority. Energy planning South Africa's energy policy is managed through the Integrated Resource Plan. The document is prepared by a panel of experts and sets out the preferred evolution of the power generation landscape (additions, closures, technologies to be used) based on scenario planning. These plans are supposed to be reformulated every two years. The most recent one was gazetted in 2019. Since then there have been a number of significant developments in the sector. The first revolves around technology, in particular electricity storage, a major enabler of wind and solar as sources of electricity generation. Renewables currently make up only 10.5% of electricity generation in South Africa. But there's widespread recognition that this needs to be increased. The push factor is that the country needs to reduce its dependency on coal. The pull factor is that it has ample supplies of both wind and sun. The cost of storage is a massive obstacle. Wind and solar can only function at specific times. The way round this is to store some of the electricity in batteries, to be released at times when the sun or wind aren't available. At the moment building batteries large enough to see the grid through dozens of hours without wind or sun is both impractical and too expensive. But batteries with more capacity are being developed with the use of hydrogen. Better and cheaper storage will make the intermittent renewable electricity generating technologies more viable and increasingly attractive. The other reason the plan needs to be revised is that it would allow South Africa to settle the lingering confusion about possible future nuclear builds. The 2019 plan did not envisage any new nuclear developments until at least 2030. Despite this, and in the face of opposition from various quarters, the government has been encouraging the nuclear sector to engage in preparatory work leading to a new build. In my view this option should be left out of any revised plan. The main reasons are South Africa's national fiscal shortages - nuclear is very expensive - as well as the ongoing global decline in nuclear technology. The other reason that the plan needs to be revised urgently is the changing patterns of demand. Electricity demand will grow less than projected A number of assumptions that were used to develop the integrated resource plan two years ago are no longer accurate. One has been a drop in electricity demand from the power utility Eskom. This has been driven by slower economic activity as was evident during the COVID-19 lockdowns. In addition, demand has been dampened by steep rises in electricity rates. Power cuts have also been a contributor to the drop in demand. This trend is likely to continue as the move to solar generation accelerates. Mines have been keen to set up their own on-site solar plants and there has been significant growth in solar installations on domestic rooftops and in shopping malls and factories. This will be given further wings by the fact that the government is changing the regulatory environment to make it easier for independent developers to set up power plants up to 100 megawatts. While a quicker than imagined economic recovery is always possible, this would be accommodated in future electricity plan revisions. But even here caution is required. Economic growth only leads to slightly higher electricity demand - an increase that's always been overestimated in the past. Plugging the gaps in the interim The national power utility Eskom has been unable to provide a steady power supply due to ageing infrastructure and an abnormally high number of breakdowns. This has led to periodic electricity blackouts at times when demand has exceeded supply. To alleviate power shortages in the interim, the Ministry of Mining and Energy launched an initiative to solicit 2,000 MW of emergency power from private developers. But the plans aren't panning out very well. Most of the capacity awarded under the programme was to a Turkish company that operates a fleet of ships with gas power stations on board. Three ships were to be moored off South Africa's coast. But the floating power stations have run into major difficulties related to environmental authorisation requirements. There are also court challenges. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines South Africa Energy Infrastructure 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. The remainder of the interim plan was to be taken up by renewable energy based projects. But a new requirement in the plan for emergency power was that wind and solar plants must be able to deliver power continually from 5am until after 9pm. This means that renewable projects require supplementation when there is no sun or wind, making them expensive. The most problematic aspect of the emergency power programme is that it will award 20 year contracts to successful bidders. So a short to medium term power shortfall is to be settled by long term contracts that will supply electricity at considerably higher cost than alternative sources. The emergency power programmes were supposed to be operational by 2022. This deadline is clearly not going to be met. What next South Africa needs a detailed and thoroughly researched set of scenarios mapped out to inform a new electricity plan. These would weigh up the various options - from renewables through to nuclear, coal or gas plants. They would also factor in the eventual completion of the three remaining much-delayed units at the Kusile coal plant. These will add 2,400 MW when they come on line in the next few years, corresponding to about 5% of the country's electricity generating capacity. Hartmut Winkler, Professor of Physics, University of Johannesburg While the Constitutional Court has agreed that certain sections of the Equality Act are unconstitutional, it has decided the issue of whether Jon Qwelane was guilty of hate speech. The Constitutional Court has declared sections of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (Equality Act) unconstitutional. However, in a unanimous judgment, the court also ruled that the newspaper article that brought the act into sharp focus amounted to hate speech. The late columnist and former ambassador Jon Qwelane penned a column for the now defunct Sunday Sun headlined "Call me names - but gay is not okay" in 2008. The column elicited strong condemnation with almost 1 400 complaints from members of the public directed at both the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and the press ombudsman. The court found section 10(1)(a), which states that "no person may publish, propagate, advocate or communicate words based on one or more of the prohibited grounds, against any person, that could reasonably be construed to demonstrate a clear intention to be hurtful" to be unconstitutional and violated the right to freedom of expression. The SAHRC took the matter to the Equality Court originally on the basis that the article amounted to hate speech after the press ombudsman ruled against Media24 and Qwelane. At the time, Media24 and Qwelane challenged the constitutionality of the hate speech provision on the basis that it was vague and unconstitutional because it violated the right to freedom of expression. Media24 eventually conceded that the article was "reprehensible" and should not have been published. They reached an out of court settlement with the SAHRC, leaving Qwelane alone to answer on the case of hate speech. The Equality Court dismissed Qwelane's constitutionality challenge and found his article to be hate speech against the LGBTQIA+ community. At the Supreme Court of Appeal, however, Qwelane was successful in his constitutional challenge of section 10(1) of the Equality Act. The appeal court was of the view that the hate speech provision was unintelligible and unconstitutional because it unjustifiably limited the right to freedom of expression. The complaint against Qwelane was dismissed. The matter then came before the Constitutional Court for confirmation and also on appeal by the SAHRC and the minister of justice. At the apex court hearing, the debate centred around the meaning of the word "hurtful" in the context of hate speech. In its judgment, the court held that "expressions that are merely hurtful, especially when understood in everyday parlance, are insufficient to constitute hate speech". Justice Steven Majiedt went on to say that the inclusion of the word "hateful" in defining hate speech "sets the bar rather low". The court therefore concluded that the limitation on freedom of expression was too extensive and could not be constitutionally justified. In a nutshell, the apex court agreed with Qwelane that "given the troubling meaning of 'hurtful' in the context of section 10(1), it is difficult for ordinary citizens to know whether their conduct will be 'hurtful' or 'harmful' and thus whether it meets the threshold required by section 10". The Constitutional Court concluded that section 10(1)(a) was irredeemably vague and unconstitutional. However, the court did not render the entire provision unconstitutional, but opted to salvage the good parts of section 10, namely 10(1)(b) and (c) of the Equality Act. It suspended the order of invalidity for 24 months to allow Parliament to fix the unconstitutional parts of section 10. In the interim, the word "hurtful" was removed in the recrafted provision pending the amendment by Parliament. Zooming in on Qwelane One of the major issues with the Supreme Court of Appeal judgment that was debated at length at the apex court hearing was that Qwelane was not held accountable for his grossly offensive article against the queer community. The appeal court had misdirected itself for relying on the criminal law principle of "no crime, no punishment without law", the Constitutional Court reasoned. It held that Qwelane's death before the court handed down its judgment did not bar it from determining whether his statements amounted to hate speech. "Mr Qwelane was advocating hatred, as the article plainly constitutes detestation and vilification of homosexuals on the grounds of sexual orientation. He was publicly advocating for law reform in favour of the removal of legal protection for same-sex marriages. In doing so, he was undermining the protection of the law, the dignity of the LGBT+ community and the public assurance of their decent treatment in society as human beings of equal worth, deserving of human dignity and the protection and enjoyment of the full panoply of rights under the Constitution," read the judgment. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines South Africa Legal Affairs Human Rights 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. The court reasoned that Qwelane would not be prejudiced for being held liable under the recrafted provision. This is because clear provisions of 10(1) (b) and (c) have always been there and Qwelane was in breach of them and it cannot be said he was ignorant of the law. The Constitutional Court ruled that "it would not be just and equitable to allow a person to escape liability in these circumstances". Qwelane's article amounted to hate speech on both the old provisions and the recrafted provision. Qwelane was ordered to pay the legal costs of the SAHRC from the high court, appeal court and Constitutional Court proceedings. Because of the partial success of his constitutional challenge, the court held that it would be fair for the minister of justice to pay half of Qwelane's legal costs. analysis "There's famine now in Tigray." That 10 June 2021 declaration by the UN's most senior humanitarian official was the clearest indication yet that embattled Tigray faced a severe food emergency. Close to five million Tigrayans were subsequently placed under watch for what constitutes emergency level conditions. The affected population now falls under emergency (phase four) and famine (phase five) of the Famine Early Warning System Network classification. A famine is declared when households have an extreme lack of food even after they've used all available coping strategies. It's when starvation, death, destitution, and extremely critical acute malnutrition levels are evident. The purposes of this article are threefold. First, I provide a brief insight into the food security situation in Tigray. For this I rely on recent reports from the World Peace Foundation and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Given that the Ethiopian government has imposed complete communication blackout in Tigray, these reports serve as benchmarks for evaluating the true magnitude of the humanitarian crisis. Second, I reflect on gains made on mostly public led land rehabilitation and restoration efforts to place the current scale of destruction into perspective. And address the long-term consequences of the looming famine on land use and ecosystems in Tigray. Lastly, I look at recommendations from the World Peace Foundation to help avert the impending humanitarian crisis. Man-made famines Research into the global history of famines highlights dual causality. Famines occur as a consequence of natural disasters, such as droughts. They can also be man-made, such as through armed conflict. Man-made famine accounts for nearly all documented cases of famine since the late 1960s. Research shows famines triggered by natural disasters have seen a sharp decline in recent times. The few exceptions in which natural and man-made causes were both to blame include the famine that devastated Tigray and environs during the early 1980s. More often than not, man-made famines involve human agents wreaking havoc on the processes of food production. This includes intentional destruction of crops and seeds, agricultural equipment and supplies, such as fertilisers. Human agency can also induce market collapse and restrict exchange of produce between farmers and consumers. However, such acts are not isolated but usually occur within the context of a deeper strategy of the political-military organs to use starvation as a means of war. This has been the case in Tigray. The population of Tigray, nearly 80% of which depends on subsistence farming, is intentionally being made to starve for the second time in 40 years as a means to win a war. By early August it was estimated that 4.5 million people in Tigray were in need of emergency food aid. Multiple pieces of evidence suggest that Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers and forces from the neighbouring Amhara region have engaged in the collective destruction of farming equipment and assets. They have also stolen crops and livestock, and engaged in activities to stop farmers from harvesting or ploughing farm lands. These actions will have long lasting consequences. Land rehabilitation and restoration Archaeological records show intensive agricultural activities in the Tigray region since at least 3,000 years ago. Centuries of continuous exploitation of land to meet food production needs, coupled with a clear drying trend in the region over the past 2,500 years, are thought to have led to large-scale land degradation in Tigray. Earlier estimates put the size of degraded land in Tigray at 50%. Land degradation refers to the consistent loss of productive capacity of the soils. In Tigray, land degradation along with frequently failing rains has led to recurrent food insecurity. In many cases this has led to famine or near-famine conditions. During the last three decades, following the end of the civil war of the 1970s and 1980s, largely public-led land restoration programmes were given due policy attention and implemented at a scale to tackle land degradation. These were supported by well-planned and well-executed safety net programmes. Research shows that these interventions have met a great deal of success in restoring large swaths of rural land in Tigray. Soil fertility has been significantly improved, and by extension food production capacity. But there is one important caveat. The kinds of interventions put into place in Tigray should be continuous and sustained. They also require farming activities to be carefully planned ahead of time to make use of the fluctuating rainy season, to allow land preparation just before the start of the rainy season, and sowing at the beginning of the rainy season. Interruption of these activities - as has happened this year due to the war - will have got in the way of farmers producing food. And over the long term, interruption of the public-led land rehabilitation activities will lead to further loss of the productive capacity of the region. The details of the destruction on the environmental front are still murky. But there are some indications that the scale of destruction may pose a threat to rural livelihoods long after the end of the war. For example, interruption of farming activities on the land that was tilled regularly is certain to reduce water and nutrient mobility and conservation capacity of the soil. If this is allowed to continue it would turn fertile ground into "abandoned land". Agricultural land abandonment is becoming a common problem globally, with serious implications for the environment including biodiversity loss and the reduction of landscape diversity. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Ethiopia Conflict 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. Averting a humanitarian crisis The World Peace Foundation has issued a series of recommendations to avert the looming famine in Tigray. These include a cessation of hostilities, unimpeded humanitarian access and freedom of movement, and freedom of communication. But major emphasis is placed on ending active hostilities and targeting activities critical for the survival of the civilian population. The government of Ethiopia is, therefore, obliged to provide humanitarian assistance. It should facilitate access to areas under the control of the Tigray government in accordance with international humanitarian law. This obligation also extends to the government of Eritrea, which is also a major player in the war on Tigray. First and foremost, averting the looming famine requires a ceasefire arrangement and unconditional withdrawal of Eritrean and Amhara forces from Tigray. And to avoid a full recurrence of one of the worst humanitarian crises of recent times at the very least an all-inclusive national dialogue with all relevant political actors needs to be initiated without further delay. Daniel Gebregiorgis, Climate scientist, Georgia State University The new Commander of the Zimbabwe National Army is Lieutenant General David Sigauke with President Mnangagwa promoting him from major general and appointing him to the army command with effect from July 30. Lt Gen Sigauke replaces the late Lt Gen Edzai Chimonyo who died last month. As part of the reassignments within the top ranks of the army, Brigadier General Emmanuel Matatu was promoted by the President to Major General. A third promotion came with the retirement of Brigadier General Sydney Bhebhe who moves to the retired list as a Major General. Before his promotion Lt Gen Sigauke was Chief of Staff general staff, the number two post in the army. His promotion has seen a general reassignment of senior army officers. Major General Kasirai Tazira moves from Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) headquarters, where he was Inspector General, to Army Headquarters as Chief of Staff general staff. In turn Maj Gen Paul Chima moves from Chief of Staff administration staff at army headquarters to ZDF headquarters as Inspector General while Maj Gen Matatu moves from the Zimbabwe National Defence University to Army Headquarters as Chief of Staff administration staff. Maj Gen Hlanganani Dube remains at Army Headquarters as Chief of Staff quartermaster. Conferring the new insignia of rank to the three promoted general officers, Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said their promotion was an acknowledgement of the generals' loyalty, hard work and diligence. She urged the generals to continue demonstrating high levels of professionalism which earned them the recognition. "I wish to express my sincere gratitude to His Excellency the President and Commander In Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces for promoting these three general officers to the next higher rank," she said. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Arms and Armies Governance Zimbabwe 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. To the new ZNA Commander, Lt-Gen Sigauke, Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said the appointment was challenging and came with many expectations from superiors. "As leader of the ZNA, you will be expected to rally soldiers in implementing Government programmes such as the NDS 1. You will also have responsibility to look after the welfare of the forces inculcating discipline and loyalty as well as capacitating them to adequately defend the country's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity," she said. Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said the promotion of Maj Gen Matatu was well deserved and would add value to the ZDF in the capacity he would serve. She said the Zimbabwe Defence Forces acknowledged Maj Gen Bhebhe's immense contribution during his long active service. "Be reminded that the organisation will call upon you to render service, from time to time, tapping on your wealth of experience. "It is my sincere hope that these three promotions inspire others as this is a reflection that the organisation rewards hardwork," she said. Lt-Gen Sigauke thanked President Mnangagwa for the recognition given to the three generals which he said was a show of confidence and trust. He promised that the work left by the late commander Lt-Gen Edzai Chimonyo would be continued. "As I take over, I will ensure the vision is brought to fruition. We promise to serve Zimbabwe and ensure its people and territorial integrity are safeguarded at all costs," he said. The late former First Lady Mrs Janet Madade Banana was buried yesterday besides her husband, the late Reverend Canaan Banana, at the family homestead in Bembe, uMzinyathi, in Matabeleland South. It was her wish to be buried next to her husband at the family home. Rev Banana was Zimbabwe's first president from 1980 to 1987. Mrs Banana died last Thursday at Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo after suffering a stroke four weeks ago. She had been suffering from a kidney ailment for a long time. Much of the former First Lady's life was spent supporting her husband. The couple married in 1961. In a speech read by Ms Andile Ncube, granddaughter of Mrs Banana, her son Mr Nathan Banana said although her death pained them, his mother left them with life lessons. "It is hard to say goodbye and we wish we had more time and perhaps during the time we had spent it more together. We wish that so much of her life had not been spent as a result of her illness and things could have been better for her and for us. Speaking on behalf of the Banana family, Mr Alfred Banana thanked everyone for their love and care during the times that Mrs Banana was ill up to her death. Mrs Banana's brother, Mr Alson John Mbuyazwe thanked President Mnangagwa and Government for helping the family. "I would like to thank everyone, the community, the Government officials and families who came here to console and support us during this time of grief. "My sister, you have left us and we are on the same path. We shall meet again one day. You were a pillar to the family and the children of Zimbabwe. Your works speak volumes as that is why people are gathered here," said Mr Mbuyazwe. "I would like to thank the Government especially, the President for helping my sister when she returned to Zimbabwe and when she was not feeling well. "They helped a lot. Even today when we are burying her, the Government helped. We would like to thank also the Banana family for keeping my sister." Mrs Banana's niece, Bulawayo proportional representation legislator, Mrs Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga said Mrs Banana should be remembered as the inaugural First Lady of the Zimbabwe. Brigadier General (Retired) Levi Mayihlome, who is Umzingwane constituency legislator, said: "We all know that umama (mother) wasn't feeling well when she returned to Zimbabwe some two years ago. Perhaps it was in God's plan that she comes here and finds her resting place in Zimbabwe at her homestead next to her husband. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Zimbabwe 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. "We know that when she returned, she asked for a farm, a piece of land. We know that everything has been done the papers are in Gwanda and her request will not be forgotten because Mrs Banana and her husband showed us the way during the liberation struggle." Matabeland South Provincial Development Coordinator Ms Lathiso Dlamini, who was representing Matabeleland South Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Abedinico Ncube said Zimbabwe had lost a mother and pillar of strength. "As Government we mourn the death of our First Lady with the Banana and the Mbuyazwe families. The nation has lost yet another gallant daughter who stood by her husband during the liberation struggle for independence. She was a pillar of strength and source of inspiration as well as family cohesion as a mother and as the First Lady. We shouldn't forget what who we are burying. she is the former first lady and first First Lady of this country, we recognise that," said Ms Dlamini. opinion The MDC Alliance in the UK and a two-man group calling itself the Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe organised a poorly attended demonstration in London at the Zimbabwe embassy. They were demonstrating against deportations of Zimbabweans from the United Kingdom to Harare. Reasons for the deportation included involvement in criminal activity, the end of a prison sentence, overstaying of a visa, or actions which cause the loss of legal right to remain. The Zimbabwean Embassy offered non-judgemental and practical support in such situations, and seek to ease the bureaucratic burden for the individual concerned and their family. The embassy does not make representations on the individual's behalf for a deportation order to be overturned, and Zimbabweans should be aware that decisions by immigration authorities are generally final and they have nothing to do with the embassy. Zimbabwe is horrified by the MDC and those organisations demonstrating at the embassy against deportations. This shows the mentality of some opposition members who just want to vilify Zimbabwe. One wonders how Zimbabwe is involved in the deportation of criminals from United Kingdom. Demonstrations at the embassy do not help. It is not the embassy which depots people. The embassy only verifies nationality of the deportees. The ambassador does not have any power to decide who should be deported. When these people are deported, their crimes are not disclosed to the embassy or to anyone for that matter. The British have an embassy in Zimbabwe so they know the situation on the ground. Deportation is not meant by nature to be rewarded. We cannot reward criminals for committing crimes. It is curious that the demonstrations are funded by John Burke. This John Burke is a white man who solicits funds purporting to be fighting a cause for human rights. He simply led the few Zimbabweans to soil the good name of Zimbabwe. Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term expulsion is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law. According to the UK Immigration Act 1971 sections 3(5) and (6), the secretary of state has the power to give an order for deportation against any criminal action of a foreign national. By the term deportation, it refers that the individual needs to leave the country and sanction their detention as well till their removal. All countries reserve the right to deport persons without right of abode even those who are longtime residents or possess permanent residency. Contrary to the utterances by the demonstrators, if the Home Office wants you to leave the UK, they'll tell you in writing. You can challenge their decision by explaining why you should be able to stay in the UK. Your letter will tell you how to challenge the decision. You should get help from an immigration specialist if you want to challenge the Home Office's decision. An immigration specialist will discuss your situation and help you challenge the decision. For example, you might be able to stay if leaving would go against your human rights or if you can apply for asylum. If you exhaust all the given rights, the only thing left will be your deportation. One of the striking aspects of the issue of deportation is that it is the state's ultimate and most naked form of immigration control. The omission is curious, as deportation goes directly to the heart of concerns raised by liberalism, democracy and human rights. Deportation, as a concept and as a policy, embodies what one might call the liberal democratic paradox. On the one hand, deportation or, more generally, the capacity to exercise border control, is fundamental to liberal democracy in two senses. And fundamental to the sovereignty of the state is the capacity to control borders. Second, policy in a liberal democracy must in some measure reflect the aggregated preferences of its citizens. And nowhere does a majority of the citizenry support open borders. Despite a growing normative literature hoping to problematize the ethical status of borders, immigration control remains a central and, arguably, a necessary feature in the maintenance of the liberal democratic state. Immigration control implies two capacities: to block the entry of individuals to a state, and to secure the return of those who have entered. What MDC and it's supporting rogues do not know is that the embassy represents its country and head of station, along with its policies, to a foreign host country of which they retain a governmental residence and their own sovereign territory. An embassy is headed by an ambassador, who directly represents their countries' own head of state who carries and sees out business on their behalf. A president or prime minister appoints their ambassadors who they see fit to properly represent their country, this selection of personnel has a huge role on the position of a country and its embassy's image. The ambassador has the responsibility to maintain and increase relations with its host country while acquiring key information and reporting back to the country it represents. Ambassadors also have the responsibility of protecting and offering information and help to its country's citizens abroad. But they do not interfere with the due process. The MDC is trying to force the ambassador to interfere in the internal issues of the UK. In this new dispensation, there are no reasons for Zimbabweans abroad to seek asylum. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Migration Legal Affairs Zimbabwe 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. The Government does not persecute opposition members. Zimbabwe has mayors who are from the opposition camp. A large percentage of the Members of Parliament are from the opposition camp. Those demonstrators in the UK cannot claim to be more MDC than Chamisa, who is freely roaming the streets of Zimbabwe. It is, therefore, laughable that we have people led by John Burke who claims that their lives will be in danger if they are returned to Zimbabwe. Those demonstrating and afraid to go back to Zimbabwe are afraid of crimes they have committed in Zimbabwe and are now hiding behind politics so that they cannot be brought to justice. The demonstrators are trying to hold the UK to ransom by demanding a stop to deportations. The embassy only assists with travel documents after they are satisfied that you are a Zimbabwean. The fact that one has worked in the UK for many years does not mean that he has a right to stay in that country. There are procedures to be followed in order to gain legality in your stay in the UK. The question John Burke and his lunatics need to answer is: Why demonstrating at the embassy? What do they want the embassy to do? Zimbabwe is doing what is expected, it is accepting and welcoming back its citizens. Like a parent who welcomes his or her prodigal son back, Zimbabwe welcomes its errant children back. The demonstrations have nothing to do with deportations. It is a well calculated ploy to soil the image of Zimbabwe. COLOGNE/BONN, AUGUST 6, ARMENPRESS. Eurowings airline is launching a new direct connection and will fly its passengers from Cologne/Bonn to the Armenian capital Yerevan for the first time. Starting August 6, every Friday, an Airbus A320 takes off for Armenia at 2.20 pm, arriving at 8.40 pm. The return flight departs on the same day at 9.30 p.m. and lands at Cologne/Bonn Airport at 00.20 am the next day. All flight times are local times, the airline said in a news release. Marcelo Wende, Director of Armenia International Airports CJSC, said: We are happy that Eurowings is entering the Armenian market. We congratulate the airline and wish them successful operation and safe flights. From now on, opportunities to travel directly to Europe will increase. It a big pleasure for us at Eurowings to serve for the first time the Armenian market and offer the regular Eurowings flights from Zvartnots International Airport of Yerevan to Cologne. Together with Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa as of next Friday and now Eurowings, as one of the leading European Low Cost Carriers, we are glad to increase our Lufthansa Group presence in Yerevan and therefore offer more opportunities for travelers from Armenia Rene Koinzack, General Manager Sales Ukraine, South Caucasus, Belarus and Turkmenistan at Lufthansa Group. YEREVAN, AUGUST 7, ARMENPRESS. Artsakhs Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan visited the Hin Shen community of the Shushi region and met with the mayor and residents. Before the 2020 war, the village had a population of 187, and only 86 people are now living there. Stepanyan noted that the main obstacle hindering normal life and return of the residents is the Azerbaijani military deployment on a nearby hill. The Azerbaijani military position deployed on a nearby hill overlooking the village is a clear and present danger to the life and physical and psychological inviolability of the peaceful population of Hin Shen, Stepanyan said. The ombudsman mentioned that the Azeri military presence is also a direct threat to the farmers, reminding that Azeri troops stole livestock belonging to the Armenian farmers in Hin Shen on two separate occasions, on July 29 and August 2. Without any doubt the relevant authorities of Artsakh, at the mediation of the Russian peacekeepers, must start negotiations in the direction of removing the abovementioned military position from the vicinity of the village for restoring the normal life of the residents and guaranteeing their safety and protection of rights, Stepanyan said. Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan Carmella Rogers Amburn, also known as Kitty Monterrey, has had her citizenship revoked The main opposition party in Nicaragua has been disqualified ahead of the country's November elections. The electoral council said the president of the Citizens Alliance for Liberty Party (CXL) holds dual US and Nicaraguan citizenship in violation of the law. President Daniel Ortega has been accused of silencing the opposition. Earlier on Friday, the US imposed visa restrictions on dozens of Nicaraguans linked to the government. Nicaragua's supreme electoral council accused CXL of carrying out "verbal acts that undermine independence, sovereignty and auto-determination". The electoral council, which is tied to the ruling party, also revoked the citizenship of CXL's leader Carmella Rogers Amburn, also known as Kitty Monterrey, leaving her at risk of deportation. It comes just days after a former beauty queen was arrested after registering as an opposition candidate. Authorities charged Berenice Quezada, who was crowned Miss Nicaragua in 2017, with inciting terrorism and she was released pending trial. Opposition to Mr Ortega, who is currently in his fourth term in office, three of them consecutive, has been growing in the past years. In 2018, mass anti-government protests swept through the country but were met with a violent police response. Hundreds were killed and thousands were injured in the clashes between the protesters on the one hand, and the security forces and pro-government militia on the other. After many of those who had lead the demonstrations were arrested, the protests eventually fizzled out later that year. Mr Ortega rejected calls made at the time for elections to be brought forward and continued to serve his term. But critics say that with the scheduled date of the presidential poll approaching - they are due to be held in November 2021 - he is now targeting anyone who may stand against him. A professor surnamed Ma who recently arrived home in Beijing from a business trip tested positive for COVID-19, making him another local case involving the more infectious delta variant in Beijing. However, this is just the start of the story. The 51-year-old mans itinerary, which is said to involve a first-class flight from the seaside city Sanya to Beijing, a massage and a hotpot dinner near his home in Beijing, made him the target of juicy gossip. Soon after the itinerary was revealed by the Beijing Municipal Health Commission, netizens began to work their imagination the professor had gone to Sanya with his mistress, which is why he was alone on the business trip. The professor has already announced that he will take legal measures to defend his reputation as the rumors were creating trouble for his family. This is not the first time that such imagination has run wild. A confirmed case in Wuhan was described as a playboy as he was with his ex-girlfriend on one day and present-girlfriend on another day when his itinerary was released by local health authority. Soon one of the involved girlfriend said that the story was not true and she hoped the public will pay more attention to official news instead of rumors. In fact, for those who are impacted, gossip can be downright painful and almost impossible to ignore especially if social media is being used to spread it. The professor issued a short statement titled Gossip is a fearful thing on social media denying the rumors, and said he could not deal with those fabrications as he was still in hospital with a temperature of 39 C. Spreading gossip in person or online is not helpful as it hurts the person being talked about. After all, those confirmed cases have contracted the virus and have given up their privacy for the public good to prevent the possible spread of the virus. The public should focus on official information to better prevent the spread of the virus, instead of looking for juicy gossip based solely on imagination. When Fidel Castro died last week many on the political left embarrassed themselves by praising the despot. A prime example is Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who was excoriated for saying that Castro was a legendary revolutionary and orator who made significant improvements to the healthcare system of his country. There are few modern myths the have been debunked as frequently yet have been accepted as incredulously as the idea that Cuba has a superior (or even adequate) health care system. Articles have been written since the 1960s debunking the nonsensical claims about health care in Cuba and yet it is invariably the issue that is trotted out to show how socialism can actually be effective. Although adding one more article to the pile probably wont make a difference, it cant hurt to be prepared with arguments in case youre cornered by a Castro apologist like PM Trudeau. Here are six facts that reveal the truth about the Cuban health care system: 1. Cuban hospitals are a horror show Michael Moore, the worlds most gullible leftist filmmaker, took a trip to Cuba in 2007 to show Americans what they were missing by not having free national health care. In his documentary, SiCKO, Moore takes three New York rescue workers injured in the September 11 attacks to Cuba for treatment. The Castro brothers, communisms last great master propagandists, played Moore for a fool. As the news agency Reuters wrote in an article titled, SiCKO patients got VIP treatment in Cuba: The 9/11 responders spent 10 days on the 19th floor of Cubas flagship hospital with a view of the Caribbean sea, a sharp contrast to many Cuban hospitals that are crumbling, badly lit, and which lack equipment and medicines. Most Americans wouldnt even take their family pets, much less a family member, to be treated in the hospitals the average Cuban has to endure. Take a look at these videos to get a glimpse of what Cuban hospitals are really like: 2. Cubans endure extreme inequality of healthcare In George Orwells dystopian masterpiece Animal Farm the idea that all animals are equal is soon changed to All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. Thats also true of the Cuban health care system. In Cuba, there are three tiers: One for foreigners who can pay with hard currency, one for Cuban elites (government officials, celebrities, etc.), and one for the common people. A primary selling point of socialism is that everyone is treated equally regardless of class or ability to pay. But in reality socialism keeps the inequality of capitalist systems and merely spreads the misery to more people. 3. Cuban doctors are woefully underpaid In America doctors are well compensated for their years of training and experience. Although the pay varies based on such factors as specialty and region of the country, the average physician in the U.S earns $472,000 a year. In most countries, of course, doctors are not paid nearly as well. In Hungary doctors earn an an annual income of $12,000, while in many regions of China the salary is half that amount, about $5,000 a year. But Cuba is near the bottom of the least when it comes to compensating health care professionals. Doctors in Cuba earn somewhere between $30 and $50 a month ($360 to $600 a year). At the high end, doctors with two specialties can earn as much as $67 per month. What about cost of living? Isnt it much cheaper to live in Cuba? No, in fact it can be quite expensive. A young doctor would have to work for more than a week just to afford a gallon of milk (average cost: $7.10). If he doesnt have such expensive taste he can go forgo the dairy for cheaper fare: a pound of potatoes only cost about one days wage (90 cents). 4. Medical care is free, but medication is costly and scarce In Cuba, medication for hospitalized patients is free, but all outpatient medications have to be paid for out-of-pocket. And all medications (even aspirin) require a prescription. There are also no private pharmacies (except on the black market) so you have to get your Tylenol at a state-run pharmacy. That is, if you can find one. American pharmacist Donna Kosteva tells of her experience traveling to Cuba: With a population of 11 million, and more than 2 million in Havana, I found only 2 of the nearly 2100 pharmacies presumably located on the island. The first was situated in a residential neighborhood in Havana. It was large yet incredibility rundown, just like its surrounding area. The narrow shelves lining the pharmacy were bare bones, giving the impression that the store was going out of business. The space focused strictly on pharmaceuticals; there were no cosmetic, greeting card, health and wellness, or candy aisles. In comparison, the second farmacia I visited with my pharmacist colleagues near the Ciengage de Zapata Biosphere Reservea 3-hour bus ride from Havanawas no larger than a backyard storage shed. Dressed in a white lab jacket, a female pharmacist manned the Dutch-door prescription window, counseling a patient who stood on the sidewalk. Her female assistant sat at a card table with a cardboard box containing filled prescriptions. Not surprisingly, the shortages allow health care workers to supplement their income on the black market. As Lucia Newman says, Some doctors, nurses and cleaning staff smuggle the medicine out of the hospitals in a bid to make extra cash. 5. Abortion keeps infant mortality low The doctors are underpaid, the system is unequal, and the hospitals are horrific. But at least they can take credit for having a low infant mortality rate, right? Actually, theres more to be said for that statistic. As Jay Nordlinger wrote in 2007: You might suspect a story behind this respectability and you are right. The regime is very keen on keeping infant mortality down, knowing that the world looks to this statistic as an indicator of the general health of a country. Cuban doctors are instructed to pay particular attention to prenatal and infant care. A womans pregnancy is closely monitored. (The regime manages to make the necessary equipment available.) And if there is any sign of abnormality, any reason for concern the pregnancy is interrupted. That is the going euphemism for abortion. The abortion rate in Cuba is sky-high, perversely keeping the infant-mortality rate down. 6. Cubans trade freedom for preventive care There is one aspect of Cubas health care system that seems to produce results: preventive care. As the BBC noted last year, the foundation of Cubas preventative health care model is for family doctors to oversee the health of those in their neighborhoods. But theres a catch. In Cuba when you hear The doctor will see you now it often means in your own home. And you dont have a choice about it. As the BBC says, Imagine your doctor knocking at your door to give, not just you, but your whole family an annual health check-up. As well as taking blood pressure, checking hearts and asking all sorts of questions about your job and your lifestyle, this doctor is also taking careful note of the state of your home, assessing anything which could be affecting the health of you and your family. Chances are the doctor is not just checking to see if youre hiding Twinkies in the pantry, but will be reporting other findings to the local magistrates. Since the U.S. included two amendments to our Constitution to keep government officials from coming into our homes without permission (the 3rd and 4th) that approach isnt like to work here in states. Canada's Laurence Vincent-Lapointe (right) and Katie Vincent have made history. ((Photo by LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images) The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have proven to be a record-breaking Games for the Canadians. Katie Vincent and Laurence Vincent Lapointe's bronze in the first-ever Olympic women's canoe double 500m on Day 15 put Canada's medal count at 23, the highest it's ever been at a non-boycotted Summer Games. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The two paddled to a time of 1:59.041, making Canadian history as soon as they crossed the finish line. China won gold with a time of 1:55.495 and Ukraine secured silver with a time of 1:57.499. While celebrating their victory, Vincent and Vincent Lapointe tipped their canoe over and ended up in the water. Not the worst thing after racing in the Tokyo heat at the Sea Forest Waterway. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The 23 medals surpassed Canada's total of 22 at Atlanta 1996 and Rio 2016. Canada did win more medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, accumulating 44. Those Olympics, however, were boycotted by the then-Soviet Union and 13 other nations in response to a U.S.-led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games. More from Yahoo Sports General 8/7/2021 3:13:27 PM CHSAANow.com CHSAA Board of Directors Reflects at Retreat CHSAA Board of Directors Reflects at Retreat CHSAANow.com AURORA On Friday and Saturday, the Colorado High School Activities Board of Directors convened for its annual retreat to discuss its approach to guiding the Association into the upcoming school year. The tone of the two-day meeting, led by new board president Luke DeWolfe, was positive and forward-thinking throughout while the Board of Directors worked to redesign its plan and philosophy for the future. "The CHSAA Board is ready to provide opportunities for kids to participate in activites," CHSAA Board President Luke DeWolfe said. "This weekend was an excellent opportunity for us all to reconnect as state leaders serving education-based activities. It was an opportunity for the Board to take some valuable time to discuss our vision, mission and core values and to collectively share our 'whys' for doing what we do and we will continue to focus on the needs for all student-athletes and programs across the state of Colorado." Thanks to CHSAA for helping to elevate the gifts and talents in our student-athletes that the world communities need, said Tony Exum Sr., who serves in the Colorado House of Representatives. Keep on keeping on. It is an honor and a privilege to serve on this distinguished Board, said Dr. Emma Rae Martinez, Superintendent of Schools for South Conejos School District. It is refreshing to know this board is solution-focused. I live in belief that when someone comes to me with a problem, they should also have a solution or they are part of the problem. The CHSAA Board Retreat provided a great opportunity for the members to connect with each other and our 'whys' (individual and collective) as we enter the upcoming school year and work to create and enhance relationships and communication as we all strive to meet the vision and mission of CHSAA and provide opportunities for all of our students from all parts of the state, said Alfie Lotrich, District 9. "A retreat is always an opportunity to evaluate where you were, where you are and where you are going," CHSAA Commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green said. "And my staff and I are just ready to work collaboratively with the CHSAA Board of Directors." Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7) Coronavirus infections will continue to rise in Metro Manila even if the government decides to extend the hard lockdown to six weeks, a Health official said on Saturday. The government is imposing hard lockdowns to boost the health care capacity and "delay" the uncontrollable COVID-19 spike, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said as she warned active cases in Metro Manila are expected to reach tens of thousands by end-September. Metro Manila is under enhanced community quarantine from August 6 to 20. During a virtual briefing, Vergeire shared the Health department's initial case projections for the capital region: one week of general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions + five weeks of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) = 15,000 active cases by the end of September one week of GCQ with heightened restrictions + three weeks of ECQ + two weeks of MECQ = 42,000 active cases by the end of September one week of GCQ heightened restrictions + two weeks of ECQ + three weeks of MECQ = 58,000 active cases by the end of September The figures were higher compared to the health authority's case projection last week, which stated that the National Capital Region's active cases could range from 18,000 to 30,000 by end-September even if the ECQ will be extended to four weeks. On Friday, the Health department said the new variant was detected in all of Metro Manila. It also reported 119 new Delta cases, pushing the total to 450. Vergeire said the agency has yet to confirm community transmission of the new variant, but the government is already "acting as if there is community transmission." "Nakikita na po natin na sumisipa na ang mga kaso. Nararamdaman na po natin ang epekto ng Delta variant sa ating bansa," she said. [Translation: We can already see that the cases are kicking in. We are already feeling the effect of the Delta variant in our country.] "Ang ginagawang paghihigpit, ang adhikain dyan ay (The restriction aims) to delay further increase. Ang ginagawa ngayon ay (What we're doing is) we're preparing our system for this continuous increase in the number of cases," Vergeire said. Vergeire said the government is expanding beds and stocking up medical supplies in different facilities across the country. (CNN) -- All of Amazon's US warehouse employees will once again be required to wear masks indoors beginning on Monday, whether they are vaccinated or not, the company confirmed to CNN Business on Friday. The move comes one day after Amazon said it would delay its office return date for corporate employees until early next year. The back-to-back announcements highlight how one of America's largest employers is rethinking its coronavirus policies in the face of rising infections linked to the Delta variant. "In response to the concerning spread of new Covid-19 variants in the US and guidance from public health authorities and our own medical experts, we are requiring face coverings indoors regardless of vaccination status," said Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson, in a statement to CNN Business. "We are monitoring the situation closely and will continue to follow local government guidance and work closely with leading medical healthcare professionals, gathering their advice and recommendations as we go forward to ensure our buildings are optimized for the safety of our teams," Nantel said. A growing number of big companies have shifted their policies for corporate and frontline workers as the pandemic has worsened, in some cases requiring vaccinations. But for now, Amazon does not appear to be taking that step: Nantel declined to comment on whether the company is considering a vaccine mandate. The announcement was first reported by Bloomberg. Amazon had relaxed its mask requirement on May 24 for fully vaccinated US warehouse workers, at least in areas where local regulations did not continue to require them. More recently, Amazon said it would stop offering on-site Covid-19 testing by the end of July, citing the wide availability of testing and vaccines. Amazon's business boomed during the pandemic as households and companies leaned on its various services. But the company was criticized early on in the pandemic after some workers said the company had not provided sufficient protective gear or adequately sanitized its warehouses, leading to protests and lawsuits. This story was first published on CNN.com "Amazon reinstates mask requirement for all US warehouse workers". Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7) Global investment banking giant Goldman Sachs said it is optimistic the Philippines could weather pandemic woes and eventually witness economic gains over the next two years. Todd Leland, Goldman Sachs president for Asia ex-Japan, said in a letter to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III that the investment firm is "delighted to see Moody's (Investor Service) affirmation of its Republic of the Philippines (ROP)'s stable Baa2 rating." He said he considered Moody's Investor Service's latest credit analysis report on the Philippines as "a vote of confidence". "This is reflective of ROP's relative resilience in view of Moody's negative rating action on 58 sovereigns globally since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. We believe that this rating affirmation is a vote of confidence on ROP's fiscal and external buffers, and policy flexibility during crisis periods...," Leland said. The letter also stated that Moody's echoed Goldman Sachs' assessment "of ROP's (Republic of the Philippines) strong positioning versus its rating peers globally." Goldman Sachs' bullish outlook was driven by these factors: low debt burden, current account surplus, and the country's expected strong recovery over the next two years. Last week, debt-watcher Moody's said the local economy is expected "to grow faster than nearly 85 percent of rated sovereigns." Based on Moody's report, the Philippines will regain its full-year economic growth to 2019 levels next year. Moody's economic growth forecasts for the Philippines were at 5.8% and 6.5% for 2021 and 2022, respectively. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7) Tropical Storm Huaning has left the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), according to state weather bureau PAGASA's 5 p.m. bulletin. The tropical storm exited the country's monitoring area at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, PAGASA said. Huaning entered PAR at 5:00 a.m. Saturday. The forecast track of Huaning shows it is moving northeastward over the East China Sea going to Kyushu Islands in southern Japan, and will remain as a tropical storm. PAGASA earlier said Huaning will not directly affect the country but it is expected to enhance the southwest monsoon or habagat, which will bring strong winds to Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Apayao, Abra, Batanes, and the Babuyan Islands. The bureau also warned the southwest monsoon enhanced by Huaning will cause rough to very rough seas in the northern seaboard of Northern Luzon and western seaboards of Northern and Central Luzon. Huaning is the eighth tropical cyclone to enter PAR this year. PAGASA weather specialist Ariel Rojas said the agency is monitoring another low-pressure area east of Mindanao that may enter PAR on Sunday. The LPA may develop into a tropical depression, he added. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7) Two Chinese fishermen were found dead while two others were rescued after their life raft drifted towards waters off Palawan due to rough seas, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported on Saturday. The PCG said it deployed a search and rescue team to Barangay Canipaan in Rizal town after receiving information about the incident on August 5. According to the PCG statement, witness Mario Mabuhay recounted he was fishing near the village shoreline when he saw the Chinese fishermen on board the raft. Mabuhay said he found out that two of them were dead. "He (Mabuhay) carefully towed the [raft] towards the shoreline of Barangay Canipaan and immediately coordinated with the barangay officials for further assistance," the PCG said. The two survivors natives of Hainan, China were brought to the hospital. The PCG said the fishermen were conducting a "fishing venture" when they encountered bad weather and rough sea conditions, prompting them to abandon their vessel and launch a life raft. One of the casualties succumbed to serious head injury after being hit by debris from their fishing vessel, while the other died due to drowning, the PCG added. The Chinese Embassy in Manila, meanwhile, thanked the Filipino fisherman and authorities who helped the distressed Chinese fishermen. (CNN) Ten people were stabbed Friday night on a train in Tokyo by a man with a knife, according to the Tokyo Fire Department. The department responded to a call at 8:38 p.m. and found victims with bloodstains when they arrived at the scene. All victims were conscious and one person walked away on their own, the department said. No deaths have been reported. According to Japan's public broadcaster, NHK, the suspect walked to a convenience store and turned himself in, saying to the clerk, "I am the suspect of the crime that's playing in the news right now. I'm tired of running." Tokyo Metropolitan Police say the man admitted the charge and confessed he "just wanted to kill any women who looked happy, anyone," NHK reported. NHK reported the suspect appears to be in his 30s, and the store clerk said he had bloodstains on a part of his body. The incident occurred on an Odakyu Line train, between Seijogakuen-mae station and Soshigaya-Okura station in Setagaya Ward, Reuters reported. Video recorded and posted on social media by one of the passengers shows medical workers who were on the train putting on plastic gloves. Violent crime is rare in Japan but there has been a spate of violent knife attacks by assailants unknown to the victims. In June 2008, a man in a light truck drove into a crowd in the popular Akihabara district and then jumped out of the vehicle and started stabbing pedestrians, leaving seven dead. This story was first published on CNN.com "At least 10 people injured in stabbings on Tokyo train" (CNN) They're one of the greatest cultural and religious treasures not only in Ethiopia but also in Africa and in Christendom: the ancient rock-hewn churches of Lalibela. And now a United Nations agency is worried they could be in peril after reports that fighters from Ethiopia's Tigray region have seized control of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. In a statement released Friday, UNESCO called for "the respect of all relevant obligations under international law in ensuring the protection of ... this precious site by refraining from any act that may expose it to damage, and by taking all necessary precautions to prevent any attempts of looting and pillaging cultural properties located in the area." UNESCO stated, "Lalibela is a place of pilgrimage, devotion and peace: it should not be a place for instigating violence and conflict." History and unusual architecture of Lalibela The 11 medieval monolithic cave churches of this 13th-century "New Jerusalem" are in a mountainous region in northern Ethiopia, UNESCO said. They joined the World Heritage List in 1978 and are about 645 kilometers (about 400 miles) from the capital of Addis Ababa. The structures were commissioned by King Lalibela of the Zagwe Dynasty, which ruled much of the country back in the 12th century. Nearly impossible to see at a distance, the impressive feat provided a safe space for Christians to hide from Muslim expansion from the north at the time. Christianity here goes back many more centuries, though. It dates to the 4th century in this region, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is one of the oldest Christian organizations in the world. The churches were hewn from monolithic blocks below ground level, according to UNESCO. These blocks were further chiseled out, forming windows and doors. The famous churches have been built in a variety of styles. Some of them were chiseled into the face of the rock, while others stand as isolated blocks, such as the church of Saint George, constructed in the shape of the cross. A complex and extensive system of drainage ditches, tunnels and subterranean passageways connects the underground structures. Following the faithful In 2016, photographer Tariq Zaidi followed the pilgrim route in and around Lalibela. He recalled the majesty of the architecture and beauty of the region, but most of all its people. "They're very poor, very humble," he told CNN then. "They come for the pilgrimage hopefully once in their life if they can afford it. Many people have walked across the country, with almost nothing with them." Zaidi described the local community coming out to help pilgrims, feeding them and even helping to wash their feet. "It's very beautiful, poetic -- even romantic -- in a way very few things in our world are," Zaidi said. "They all support each other." This story was first published on CNN.com UN fears for revered Christian and tourist site in Ethiopia that goes back 900 years (CNN) The select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection is weighing whether to pursue call logs from the Trump White House on the day of the riot, a move that could present a potentially thorny dilemma for US President Joe Biden who would ultimately have to determine whether the records should be covered by executive privilege or qualify as essential evidence for the ongoing probe. The committee has been engaged in ongoing discussions with the Biden administration about its plans for the investigation as it has taken the lead role in examining all things related to January 6 and prepares to issue its first round of subpoenas, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. Phone records from former US President Donald Trump's White House will likely not be among the first subpoena targets as a source familiar with the matter told CNN that the committee has not broached the topic during preliminary discussions with the Executive Branch. But the panel is actively considering the possibility of pursuing those records and other relevant documents that could raise additional executive privilege questions, the source added. Members of the committee, including GOP Rep. Liz Cheney, have made clear investigators must "get to every piece of information that matters" in order to piece together a detailed understanding of what Trump and his closest allies were doing that day. But what that will entail still remains unclear. Select committee chairman Bennie Thompson has declined to say specifically if investigators will bring in former Justice Department officials who were considered key witnesses in the probe led by the House Oversight and Judiciary committees, including former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen. Rosen was set to be interviewed by the House Oversight and Judiciary committees this week but that plan was scrapped once House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decided to shift all January 6 investigative responsibilities over to the select panel. Still, the select committee has expressed an interest in speaking to former DOJ officials who have been linked to Trump's effort to push false voter fraud claims and could seek relevant White House call logs from the National Archives, which has legal custody of all the presidential records from Trump's time in office. The Archives acknowledged to CNN that it has possession of the Trump-era call logs and other potentially relevant records from the previous administration. In March, the Archives received a letter from several House committees "requesting records related to the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol," but it is unclear whether White House call logs were considered part of that specific ask. Still, the Archives noted that there is a process "by which the Congress and the incumbent administration may request access to records of former administrations." But doing so may be fraught with political challenges. Biden has the ultimate say over whether those phone records from the Trump White House can be shared with the committee or if doing so could compromise the privilege of the presidency itself. Deciding the latter could pose a potentially uncomfortable political scenario should the Democrat-led committee decide to pursue more extreme legal avenues in an attempt to obtain those records. A source familiar with ongoing engagement between the committee and Biden administration suggested the panel is still deciding if it wants to go down that road, telling CNN it is still "TBD" whether specific requests will be made during staff meetings with the executive branch. Biden's executive privilege and Trump's The Biden administration has formally declined to assert executive privilege over testimony related to January 6, telling former Justice Department officials in a letter they were free to provide "unrestricted testimony," but it remains unclear if that view also applies to records and documents from the Trump White House. Trump can also assert executive privilege if the committee does ultimately request the records, though Biden would still have the opportunity to overrule him, according to federal regulations for presidential records managed by the National Archives. The process for requesting the call logs and other executive branch records begins with a court-established doctrine known as the "accommodation process," according to Norm Eisen, who served as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee for Trump's second impeachment and trial, during which investigators say the White House largely refused to hand over any relevant documents or records that were requested. "First you have some combination of written requests and phone conversations to describe what you want, because of constitutional balance of power issues, both sides are supposed to work with each other informally. If that breaks down, you move to the subpoena process, if that breaks down, you go to court," Eisen, a CNN contributor, said. Should Biden deem the White House call logs and other internal documents as being protected by executive privilege, the committee will then have to decide if it wants to challenge that decision through litigation -- a move that would likely require a months-long court battle. So far, the Justice Department and the White House Counsel's Office are letting the six former DOJ officials who witnessed Trump's pressure on election fraud share what they know with Congress, because January 6 and what led to it is an "exceptional situation" in "which the congressional need for information outweighs the Executive Branch's interest in maintaining confidentiality." "The Counsel's Office conveyed to the Department that President Biden has decided that it would not be appropriate to assert executive privilege with respect to communications with former President Trump and his advisors and staff on matters related to the scope of the Committees' proposed interviews," Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer wrote in a letter last month. There are also other ways the committee could potentially get its hands on those call logs. During Trump's second impeachment, House investigators faced obtained White House call records from the phone provider after the executive branch made clear it was not going to cooperate. Shedding light on Trump's January 6 whereabouts Questions about how the committee will proceed with regards to potential subpoenas come as it has taken over key witness interviews that were just about to be conducted by another congressional panel. The select committee, which met virtually on Monday to discuss plans for the weeks ahead, is still in the process of hiring staff and determining the exact scope of its investigation, but members of the panel have already made clear it will issue "quite a few" subpoenas, likely by the end of August. Specific subpoena targets, however, remain unclear as members have expressed interest in hearing from anyone who might be able to shed light on Trump's whereabouts on January 6 and reviewing all relevant documents that might exist, including various memos written by senior Trump officials that have not yet been handed over. That includes former Department of Justice officials believed to have direct knowledge of efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 presidential election -- individuals emerged as potential witnesses in the more narrowly focused probe being conducted by the House Oversight and Judiciary committees. Those committees have already released hundreds of pages of documents and requested transcribed interviews from a host of former DOJ officials that could contribute meaningful testimony in the January 6 investigation, including: - Rosen - Former Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue - Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows - Former Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark - Former Associate Deputy Attorney General Patrick Hovakimian - Former US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Byung Jin Pak - Former Acting US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Bobby Christine. Some of the former officials who have already been contacted by the Oversight and Judiciary committees, including Rosen, Clark and Donoghue, also expected to hear from the January 6 panel, according to people briefed on the matter. Last week, Thompson, a Democratic congressman from Mississippi, declined to say if the panel would bring in Rosen and former Attorney General Bill Barr, but contended the Justice Department's decision to greenlight testimony from former officials who served at the department under Trump will make their job easier. "We are not putting names to it," he said. "We think it is important now that the process of accessing individuals is easier that is important for the committee. I appreciate DOJ's position on it ,and it makes the work of the committee that much easier." Thompson wouldn't say whom he wanted to subpoena. "It's early," he said. "I can tell you that when we issue them, they will be part and parcel to the individuals who are germane to the investigation." Targeting McCarthy, Jordan and other Trump allies Members of the select committee have also expressed interest in hearing from lawmakers who spoke to Trump on January 6, like House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and GOP Rep. Jim Jordan, as well as those who participated in the former president's rally that day, like Rep. Mo Brooks, suggesting they too could be subpoena targets. "I'm sure we will want to talk to members of Congress," Rep. Zoe Lofgren told CNN's John King on Sunday when asked about Brooks. She also said that "sounds like [Jordan] has something to hide," pushing back on Jordan's threats to us that the GOP would seek to depose Democrats Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell in a Republican majority next Congress. But the committee may have a harder time securing testimony from Trump and aides such as former White House chief of staff Meadows, as well as McCarthy, Jordan and Brooks. Even if the Biden administration doesn't intervene, Trump could still try to go to court to stop the select committee from obtaining documents and testimony from the Trump White House by attempting to assert privilege, an effort that could delay the probe. Officials could also defy congressional subpoenas as they did frequently during the Trump administration. GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger said on Sunday he expects the select committee to issue "a significant number of subpoenas for a lot of people," in order to learn details of Trump's whereabouts on January 6, but indicated he would be reluctant to subpoena Trump himself immediately. "Well, look, I don't know. Again, it's going to depend where the facts lead. We may not even have to talk to Donald Trump to get the information. There were tons of people around him, there were tons of people that were involved in the things that led up to January 6. Obviously if you talk to the President, the former President, that's going to have a whole new set of kind of, like, you know, everything associated with it," Kinzinger said, when asked on ABC This Week whether he would want to hear from the former President. Kinzinger struck a different note when asked whether he would support issuing subpoenas to McCarthy or Jordan, saying, when asked, that he would support subpoenas "to anybody that can shed light" on what Trump did on January 6. He added: "If that's the leader, that's the leader. If it's anybody that talked to the President, they could provide us with that information. I want to know what the president was doing every moment of that day." McCarthy has long been among those considered to be a likely subpoena target given previous reporting about his conversation with Trump on January 6. Interest in hearing testimony from Jordan has increased in recent weeks after a series of interviews during which he failed to directly address questions about the nature of his phone call with Trump on January 6. While subpoenaing Jordan could carry political risks, Democrats have left the door open to that possibility. "The odds go up every time he opens his mouth," one Democratic aide said about the possibility of issuing a subpoena to Jordan. This story was first published on CNN.com, "January 6 committee considers whether to seek Trump White House call logs as investigators eye next steps." 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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 Statement by Ambassador Flynn at the UNSC Briefing on the UNAMID Drawdown Statement Thank you Madam President, And I would like to thank USG Khare for his briefing and also welcome the participants participating today from Sudan. This kind of follow-up reporting, Madam President, to the Council is a vital element of protecting gains made by the mission towards achieving sustainable peace. Before I begin, like others, I would like to take this opportunity to commend all of those peacekeepers and staff who served in UNAMID over the years, and to remember particularly those who lost their lives doing so. As others have said, UNAMID has achieved a lot in its years of operation. Madam President, Moving from the UNAMID peacekeeping mission to the UNITAMS special political mission has been amongst the most complex and challenging transitions that this organisation has undertaken. It has highlighted the need to plan and execute the drawdown, reconfiguration and exit of UN Peacekeeping Missions in a way that helps maintain progress towards sustainable peace. Transitions should take place in a responsible, coordinated and graduated manner responsive to the needs on the ground. Transitions must engage with host state governments to reinforce national ownership. So the engagement by Sudanese authorities with USG Khare is very positive. It is vital to have high-level political engagement, but also support from a representative range of national stakeholders. Engagement with civil society, including women and youth, reinforces local ownership and supports peacebuilding objectives. We note that UNAMID is currently on track to complete its closure by 30 June 2022. Until that time, all stakeholders must comply with the provisions of the Status of Forces Agreement this is essential for the safety of all remaining personnel, as well as for the continued protection of civilians. Regrettably, the drawdown has not been without incident. We condemn looting of former team sites on multiple occasions this year. All armed elements positioned around the El Fasher site and steps taken to avoid further looting. As USG said, UNAMID assets must not be used to fuel insecurity. Despite the significant progress in Sudan's political transition toward democracy, the security situation remains deeply concerning, particularly in Darfur. In the past six months, the vacuum created by the withdrawal, and delays in implementing the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA), have fuelled new struggles for power and resources. Armed clashes have caused large-scale casualties and displacement as well as worrying reports of rising sexual violence. . This again underlines the necessity of a comprehensive transition process that incorporates appropriate risk assessment and mitigation. As part of the drawdown of UNAMID, responsibility for protection of civilians now rests solely with the Government. We call for the full and immediate implementation of the National Protection of Civilians Plan and the security pillar of the Juba Peace Agreement. The work of the Joint Protection force is important, but it must be accompanied by community-negotiated deployment agreements, civilian oversight, and effective mechanisms to ensure accountability for crimes against civilians. This is vital to breaking the cycle of impunity. Particular attention must be given to the protection of women in Darfur from sexual violence. Services for vulnerable women must be available at the local level, and womens organizations should be actively involved in the implementation of any protection initiatives in the context of the roll-out of UNITAMS. Madam President, the transition from UNAMID to UNITAMs illustrates that the key to creating sustainable peace rests on finding long-term and nationally owned political solutions. I encourage all Council Members to consider the lessons learned from this transition and to continue to engage and help Sudan find political solutions. Thank you, Madam President. Previous Item | Next Item An Adidas logo is seen at the new Futurecraft shoe unveiling event in New York City, New York, U.S. April 6, 2017. Photo by Reuters/Joe Penney. Adidas felt the impact of a Chinese boycott of Western brands on its second-quarter results and is also suffering from the closure of factories in Vietnam due to Covid-19 infections. The German sportswear company still raised its outlook for full-year sales and profitability as it said it has seen demand recover in China since calls for a boycott in late March, and said it hopes to restore production in Vietnam soon. But Adidas shares were down 4.1 percent by 9:50 GMT as analysts noted that its growth was lagging rivals Nike and Puma, which both reported that sales nearly doubled in recent earnings releases. Second-quarter sales at Adidas rose 52 percent to 5.077 billion euros ($6 billion), while operating profit came in at 543 million euros, ahead of analysts' average forecasts. Adidas raised its 2021 outlook to predict sales will grow up to 20 percent, and net income from continuing operations will reach 1.4-1.5 billion euros. That compared to Puma's forecast for sales to rise at least 20 percent for 2021. Adidas already saw online sales return to growth in China in June, Chief Executive Kasper Rorsted told journalists, adding he expects the country to record strong growth for the full year and he welcomed a government drive to promote youth sport. The company hopes to be able to restart production in Vietnam after the scheduled end of a coronavirus lockdown on Aug. 15 and is working on reallocating production to other centres in the meantime. Vietnam usually accounts for 28 percent of Adidas sourcing and its factories mostly make shoes for the company, with a lag of three to four months before products hit the shelves. The combined impact of supply chain problems, new Covid-19 lockdowns in Asia and tensions with China could amount to more than 500 million euros in lost sales in the second half, said finance chief Harm Ohlmeyer. Ohlmeyer added he expects Adidas to seal a deal to divest the underperforming Reebok brand by the end of the summer. The Swiss government has announced a donation of 5 million francs ($5.46 million) worth of medical equipment to support Vietnam's Covid-19 fight. During a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart Vo Thi Anh Xuan on Thursday as part of a two-day visit to Vietnam, Swiss Vice President Ignazio Cassis announced the $5.46 million emergency medical aid including 500,000 rapid test kits, 300,000 antibacterial masks and 30 oxygen ventilators to Vietnam as the Southeast Asian country battles a new wave of Covid, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Cassis also praised Vietnam's efforts in responding to the ongoing Covid outbreak. Xuan thanked Switzerland for its timely support, requesting it to help Vietnam access Covid-19 vaccine sources as well as continue to supply it with medical equipment to fight the pandemic effectively. During his two-day visit to Vietnam that wrapped up Friday, Cassis also paid courtesy visits to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. Cassis called for the early conclusion of the negotiation of the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) of which Switzerland is a member to create a strong impetus for bilateral trade and investment. "We look forward to supporting Vietnam's sustainable development and making the economy more resilient to crises like the Covid-19 pandemic," Cassis said. Since 1991, the Swiss government has provided 600 million francs to boost Vietnam's socio-economic development. Vietnam has recorded over 196,000 local Covid-19 cases in the fourth coronavirus wave that struck the country late April. Without a summer travel season, a flight attendant, a co-pilot and a tour guide have volunteered to be on the frontlines of epicenter HCMCs Covid-19 fight. With all tours for the peak summer travel season canceled because of the worsening pandemic situation, Ho Phuong Duy, a tour guide with a HCMC-based travel company, left his home in District 10 to volunteer for a medical center in Tan Binh District where several Covid clusters have been detected. He is in charge of taking samples from residents in locked down neighborhoods but this has not been an easy job for the 29-year-old. Everyday, he wakes up at 7 a.m. and starts his job at 8 a.m. He drives his motorbike along with his team to locked down areas and calls on residents to queue up for testing. In the first days of working as a volunteer, Duy was frightened and stressed as he was continuously scolded and even threatened by residents who had to wait for long after queuing up for Covid testing. "After three days, I wanted to give up this job and return home to my family but my colleagues encouraged me to overcome the challenges, saying the city now needs more young volunteers to support frontline medical staff," Duy told VnExpress International. Before he joined the anti-pandemic fight, Duy had not been vaccinated; therefore, he was also worried about being infected with the virus because he was always coming into contact with residents in locked down areas. "My parents supported me in joining the anti-pandemic fight to help HCMC quickly contain the outbreak. They also called me every day to get updates on my situation," he said, adding that he and other volunteers chose not to go home and stayed on at a centralized facility to avoid the risk of spreading the virus among family members. Like Duy, many tour guides and travel bloggers in HCMC have joined groups that run charity kitchens or transport vegetables from the other regions to those in need in the hard-hit city. With most domestic flights suspended since June, Nguyen Thi Thanh Nga, chief flight attendant for Vietnam Airlines, took unpaid leave. But, instead of staying at home, she registered to become an anti- pandemic volunteer in HCMC. Nga was first assigned to be on duty at Covid-19 checkpoints in Tan Binh District to prevent people from moving into Go Vap District, which was locked down in early June due to linkage with a cluster at a Christian congregation. When the pandemic situation worsened in HCMC, Nga switched to supporting medical staff in Covid-19 testing for residents at the Binh Dien wholesale market, one of the largest hotspots in the city; or at vaccination points at the Tan Thuan export processing zone and Phu Tho stadium. Every day, she works on different shifts from 8 a.m. in the morning or from 2 p.m. until late night. She returns home in sweaty clothes after wearing protective suits all day. There are days she does not have time to have lunch. Nga said her work was mostly routine, but there were times when additional responsibilities were imposed by the situation. "I cannot forget something that happened at the Binh Dien Market. I had to work from morning to 10 p.m., standing among thousands of people to check body temperature and help them make medical declarations. "I was surprised that some residents from Mekong Delta provinces were illiterate; and I had to give detailed instructions or use my phone to help them make medical declarations." Nga said most volunteers who join the anti-pandemic fight to support frontline staff get no benefits, but many are under great pressure because of resentful neighbors and family members who do not support what they do because of the high risk of contracting the virus. Still motivated Without no flight schedule, Vietnam Airlines co-pilot Dang Hoang Hieu has also volunteered to join the anti-pandemic fight in HCMC. Hieu's first job was at a Covid checkpoint on Nguyen Thuong Hien Street in District 3. Then he participated in taking samples in locked down neighborhoods in Thu Duc City and assisted in quarantine facilities in Go Vap District. In order to focus on volunteer work and ensure safety for his family, Hieu too has been living in a quarantine area designated for anti-pandemic volunteers. On his first day at a quarantine facility in Go Vap District, Hieu helped a Covid patient receive breathing support from an oxygen tank, but the patients situation got worse in the evening, requiring an urgent transfer to a nearby hospital for emergency care. It was the first time Hieu was being part of caring for a critically ill patient and he has not forgotten the anxiety he experienced then. Another unforgettable incident happened when Hieu took samples of two sisters for screening. The elder sister who was 8 months pregnant tested negative but her younger sister was positive with the novel coronavirus. The two sisters cried a lot on learning the results and he had to become a "psychologist" in calming them down and encouraging them to overcome difficulties. Without foreign tourists due to border closures and prolonged flight suspensions, travel companies and airlines had been banking on domestic tourism during the peak summer holiday season to survive. However, the new Covid wave triggered by the fast-spreading Delta variant has dashed all of their hopes. After nearly two years and four waves of Covid-19, travel firms and domestic airlines are nearing financial crisis. The situation warrants the sectors employees becoming dejected and despondent, but people like Hieu are buckling down. "In good health and being fully vaccinated, I want to do something useful these days instead of staying at home." The opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games are steeped in tradition and have remained largely unchanged since the first modern Olympiad held in Greece in 1896. The structure and content of the stage-setting opening ceremony and the closing celebration are governed by the Olympic Charter and therefore the host nation has little say in proceedings beyond the opportunity to showcase their culture and national pride within the confines of the opening ceremony, each of which carry their own national stamp with fireworks, artistic displays, cultural references and so forth. Doves released There have of course been slight tweaks down the decades, such as the opportunity for the leader of the host nation to deliver a speech at the opening ceremony, which was shelved after Berlin 1936. The host nations allotted dignitary is also supposed to follow a script to officially open each Games, but this has been variously, if ever-so slightly, altered by various royal scions and presidents. There were also live doves released as a symbol of peace at every Games until 1988, when a mishap involving the Olympic flame led future organizers to adopt a digital version of the avian display. When it comes to the flags and the order of parading nations, Greece has always taken preference as the birthplace of the ancient Games and the first host of the modern Olympiad in 1896. Since the 1928 Olympics, Greece has always entered the main Games stadium first with the host nation last. This is the case with both the opening and closing ceremonies, although in the finale the flag of the host nation is raised before any other and the national anthem of that country played. Parade of Athletes During the Parade of Flags at the closing ceremony, the Greek standard is the first to enter the stadium and the host nation is again the last to raise its flag. Since 1958, then follows the Parade of Athletes, which was first suggested as a way to bring all nations together as one and in which all the athletes enter the stadium as one group. At the end of the closing ceremony the flags of Greece and the flag of the next host nation are raised with their national anthems in accompaniment. The Greek national anthem, Hymn to Liberty, which became the countrys official anthem in 1865, has been performed at every closing ceremony of the modern Olympiad. Also played at every summer and winter Games is the Olympic Hymn, also of Greek origin, composed by Spyridon Samaras with lyrics by poet Kostis Palamas. Sometimes performed at the closing ceremony, sometimes at the opening ceremony and occasionally at both, it was sung in English by the students of Fukushima Koriyama High School and Toshimagaoka Girl's High School at the opening ceremony of Tokyo 2020. Egypt started on Friday evening transporting the first Khufu solar boat from its current display in a special museum located at the southern side of the Great Pyramid of Khufu on the Giza Plateau to its new permanent exhibition at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), in a journey that was to take around 10 hours. Using a smart, remote-controlled vehicle imported from Belgium, the 42 metre long and 20 ton boat was being transported amid tight security measures. Khufu's first boat, known in the media as the solar boat, was discovered in May 1954 by the late renowned Egyptologist Kamal El-Malakh, during an expedition to remove sand from the southern side of the Great Pyramid of King Khufu. After its restoration and reconstruction, the boat was then put on display in a museum bearing its name on Giza Plateau which, unfortunately, marred the beauty of the pyramids, the only surviving wonder of the ancient world. In addition, the museum was not equipped to house this magnificent wooden artifact, one of the most important in the world, whose organic structure soon began to decay. Thus, the transportation of the boat to a new venue was imperative. Many ideas to move Khufus boat were studied. All of them involved dismantling the boat and reconstructing it at the GEM. Such ideas proved risky, however, because this could be more dangerous than keeping the boat in its current location. Moving the boat in one piece was the only suitable solution, like the transportation of the Ramses II colossus from Ramses Square to the GEM. Upon its arrival, the boat would be installed inside its permanent location for restoration and will be available for viewing by visitors following the grand opening of the GEM. Short link: Egypt is set to receive the first shipment of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Monday, said the Unified Procurement Authority (UPA), a government body responsible for purchase orders. The step is in line with the country's plan to make vaccines available for the Egyptian citizens and travelers, the UPA said in a statement on Friday. Late in May, head of the UPA Bahaa El-Din Zidan said Egypt contracted with the African Export-Import Bank to import 20 million Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses. New shipments of Sinopharm, Sinovac, Sputnik, AstraZeneca vaccines are expected this month as well, Health Minister Hala Zayed said on Thursday, as the country seeks to widen the rollout of the inoculation process. Up to five million citizens have been vaccinated out of 10 million people who have registered on the country's vaccination programme, according to health ministry officials. Egypt has recorded a total of 284,580 coronavirus cases, including 16,562 deaths and 232,601 recoveries. Egypt's single-day toll of infections and deaths has been on a downward curve since early June as the country has passed the peak of the third wave. However, the cases are expected to rise again in September due to the fourth wave that is hitting many countries currently. Short link: The General Command of the Armed Forces sent two Chinook helicopters to Greece to take part in efforts of extinguishing fire in Greek forests, which enters its fifth day in a row. The two helicopters are equipped with all equipment and advanced systems to help the Greek side, the Egyptian military spokesman said in a statement on Saturday. The move comes as per directives by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, the Supreme Commander of the Armed forces, to support all friendly countries in times of crises, the statement added. The Greek authorities and hundreds of firefighters with water-bombing aircraft have been struggling against more than 150 wildfires across the country, including the north of Athens, the island of Evia and areas in the Peloponnese as well as Mani, Messinia and the site of the first Olympic Games. Two people were killed and tens were injured, while others were evacuated from their homes, due to the fire that broke out on Tuesday. The fire, fanned by strong winds, comes as the European country is facing unprecedented extremely hot weather like many other countries in the continent. Short link: In a meeting with Iraqi Minister of Defense Lieutenant General Juma Inad Saadoun in Cairo, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said the country wants to bolster cooperation with Iraq in all fields. El-Sisi said Egypt is keen on offering Iraq everything the Arab country needs to achieve its interests. Cairo wants to help Baghdad overcome its challenges, combat terrorism, and maintain its security and stability, read a presidential statement released after the meeting. Saadoun delivered a written message from Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi to El-Sisi who asserted his country's appreciation of the Egyptian efforts in support of Iraq on all fronts. The premier expressed his aspiration for Baghdad to strengthen cooperation with Cairo and to benefit from the "inspiring" Egyptian success experience led by the president in the development field and to transfer it to Iraq. He also praised the Egyptian role in supporting Iraq, describing it as a strategic depth for the Arab nation, especially when it comes to facing common challenges, foremost of which are the fight against terrorism, achieving security and stability, and development. The meeting, which was attended by Egypt's Defence Minister Mohamed Zaki, tackled bilateral military cooperation, including joint training programmes, exchanging experiences, and enhancing capabilities. El-Sisi and Saadoun also reviewed a number of regional issues and files of common interest, the statement added. Short link: The Public Prosecution has ordered a policeman to be remanded into custody for four days pending an investigation into charges of deliberately killing two people during a quarrel in Qalyubia. The preliminary investigation has revealed the the policeman shot and killed the two after a quarrel erupted because the policeman filed a traffic violation against a vehicle moving goods to a shop belonging to the two deceased. The prosecution has inspected the scene, seized recordings from nearby surveillance cameras, and examined the bodies of the deceased. Short link: Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry headed to Bahrain on Saturday night in an official visit, a statement by the ministry said. Shoukry is scheduled to deliver a written message during his visit from Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, according to Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Hafez. The message is related to advancing bilateral relations across various fields, and coordinating responses to regional developments in a way that enhances regional stability and preserves Arab national security, Hafez said. During the visit, Egypts top diplomat will also hold an official consultation session with his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif Al-Zayani, the statement noted. Short link: As fighting erupts between rival factions in South Sudan, threatening to destabilise the fragile democracy, we look back at the world's youngest country's bloody first decade, marred by a civil war that claimed 380,000 lives. - 2011: New nation - On July 9, South Sudan proclaims itself independent from Sudan following six years of autonomy and two decades of war. The president is Salva Kiir, with Riek Machar as his deputy. From different ethnic groups, the rivals also led the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) that spearheaded the push for independence. The new South Sudan takes over three-quarters of oil reserves of the old Sudan while Khartoum retains control of all pipeline and export facilities. Other thorny issues are the tracing of the new border and the status of disputed regions such as oil-rich Abyei. - 2012: Oil clashes - The countries clash between March and May over rights to the oil fields around Heglig, a town just inside Sudan. South Sudanese troops briefly occupy the area, which accounts for half of Sudan's crude oil production. Arguments erupt over pipeline transit costs and Sudan confiscates millions of barrels of South Sudan crude. South Sudan halts its production in January for more than a year, accusing Khartoum of theft. - 2013: Civil war - Kiir fires Machar and all government ministers, their deputies and several police brigadiers on July 23. Machar later accuses him of "dictatorial" behaviour. After a night of fighting in the capital Juba, Kiir says on December 16 his forces had thwarted an attempted coup by Machar, who denies the claim. Rival army units clash in Juba. The fighting spreads beyond the capital, fuelled by rivalries between Kiir's Dinka group and Machar's Nuer. It sets off tit-for-tat massacres that turn into five years of war. - 2016: Leader in exile - Machar and Kiir sign a peace accord in August 2015 that provides for Machar's reappointment as vice president. He returns to Juba and is sworn in on April 26, 2016. But fighting between supporters of both leaders breaks out again in July. Machar goes into exile, accusing Kiir of trying to have him killed. - 2018: Peace deal - Kiir and Machar meet for the first time in two years on June 20. On September 12 they sign a new peace agreement to end a war that has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced roughly four million. It paves the way for a power-sharing government which is eventually installed in March 2020, with Machar again vice president. - 2020: Slow progress - However, sporadic fighting continues. The UN several times extends its peace mission, as well as an arms embargo. In June 2020 Kiir and Machar agree on control of the country's 10 states, the main remaining sticking point. - 2021: Violence flares - A UN report in April warns that the slow pace of implementing the peace accord risks a relapse into "large-scale conflict". On May 8, after a delay of more than a year, Kiir includes opposition lawmakers in a new parliament. A final drafting of a constitution begins on May 25. Barely 19 weeks later, growing murmurs of discontent in Machar's camp come to a head, when a rival faction of his party led by General Simon Gatwech Dual announces his ouster as chief, accusing him of failing to represent their interests. Machar insists he remains in full control and dismisses the "peace spoilers", who he says are out to derail the formation of a unified national army, a key component of the agreement that ended the civil war. Within days, fresh fighting erupts between the two sides, according to Machar's military spokesman, who says forces loyal to the 68-year-old have fended off an alleged attack by Dual's camp. Short link: Secretary General Antonio Guterres announced the appointment Friday of Swedish diplomat Hans Grundberg as his special envoy for conflict-torn Yemen. Grundberg, who has served as the European Union's ambassador to Yemen for almost two years, succeeds Martin Griffiths of Britain who recently took up his new post as U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator. U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Grundberg brings to his new job over 20 years of experience in international affairs, including more than 15 years working in conflict resolution with a focus on the Middle East. He previously served with both Swedish and EU missions, including postings in Cairo and Jerusalem as well as Brussels, where he chaired the Middle East/Gulf Working Group of the EU Council during the 2009 Swedish presidency of the European Union. Search Keywords: Short link: The United States on Friday urged Lebanon's government to prevent Hezbollah militants from firing rockets into Israel, as tensions between the long-time foes escalated. "We call upon the Lebanese government urgently to prevent such attacks and bring the area under its control," State Department spokesman Ned Price said. "We strongly encourage all efforts to maintain calm." Hezbollah, a Shia movement backed by Iran, has long exerted a powerful role in Lebanon, which is wracked by an economic meltdown and has only had a caretaker government for nearly a year. The United States said it condemned "in the strongest terms" the volley of rockets fired by Hezbollah into Israel, which responded with its first air strikes on its northern neighbor in seven years. The United States is the leading international supporter of Israel and earlier said that Israel had a right to defend itself. Short link: Iran is ready to resume talks reviving the nuclear deal with world powers under new president Ebrahim Raisi, and meetings could take place in Vienna from early September, an EU official said on Saturday. The senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the EU's negotiator on the file, Enrique Mora, attended Raisi's swearing-in in Tehran last Thursday and spoke with the Iranian official designated to take charge of the nuclear talks, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. Amir-Abdollahian "is supposed to be the new foreign minister" in Raisi's cabinet, but that has not yet been announced, the EU official said. He added that it was unclear whether the nuclear talks would remain under the responsibility of the Iranian foreign ministry or be taken over by another body, such as Iran's National Security Council. Raisi is a hardliner expected to consolidate the ultraconservatives' power during his four-year term. He succeeds the relatively moderate Hassan Rouhani whose landmark achievement during his own two-term presidency was the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers: the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany. Former US president Donald Trump pulled out of the deal in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions that have choked Iran's oil-dependent economy. Iran responded by walking back measures it had agreed to abide by. Talks have been happening since April in Vienna to find a way to bring both sides back into full compliance. The last round took place on June 20 with no date set for when they would continue. The EU chairs the meetings. The United States has said it is "an urgent priority" to get Iran back to the table. But tensions have risen, notably with an attack by drones last week on an Israeli-linked tanker off Oman that killed a Briton and a Romanian on board. The G7 -- the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan -- blamed the attack on Iran. Tehran denies the accusation. - Iranians want 'success' - Iran's decisions to increase uranium enrichment and restrict UN inspectors' access to some nuclear facilities have unsettled the West. "The EU would like Iran to freeze the nuclear activities," the EU official said, but admitted Russia and China did not back its language on that position. He added that Mora's meeting with Amir-Abdollahian was "very useful", even though many issues remain unclear. The Iranians said they want to get back to Vienna "as soon as possible, not just for talks but to achieve an agreement -- they want a success," the EU official said. He added that the Iranians had not mentioned any changes to their position in the talks, and Mora had informed the United States of the substance of his talks with Amir-Abdollahian. "If there is no agreement, the situation for Iran will be much worse," the EU official predicted. "We will work on the assumption we will get an agreement." Short link: Iran's oldest Kurdish separatist party, now based in neighbouring Iraq, on Saturday accused Tehran of murdering one of its leaders. Mussa Babakhani, a member of the central committee of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), was "assassinated by a terrorist affiliated" with Iran, a statement from the party said. Tehran refers to the KDPI, which is based in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, as a "terrorist" group. Babakhani was "kidnapped Thursday by two terrorists and found dead and bearing marks of torture" on Saturday in a hotel room in Arbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, the statement said. Kurdish security forces have said they are investigating his death. The KDPI accuses Iran of murdering several of its leaders in recent years. It said Babakhani, born in 1981, joined the party in 1999. The group was banned after Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution. In September 2018, an Iranian missile strike on the KDPI headquarters in Iraq's Kurdish region killed 15 people. In July 2019, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had attacked suspected "terrorists" in Iraqi Kurdistan, killing and wounding several. Kurds, a non-Arab ethnic group, have long agitated for their own state. They number between 25 million and 35 million people and are spread across Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. In Iran, they make up around 10 percent of the population. Tehran has warned the authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan not to allow "terrorist groups" to set up camps near the border. Short link: Thai riot police on Saturday fired water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets to repel a crowd of several hundred young anti-government protestors who marched on an army base where Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has his residence to demand his resignation. The demonstrators threw rocks, bottles, fireworks and fired slingshots during the hourslong confrontation in the Din Daeng area of Bangkok, which was obscured by swirling smoke. The rally was led by the Free Youth, a student protest group that drew tens of thousands to its protests last year. It's demanding Prayuth's resignation over his handling of the coronavirus crisis, which has seen the number of cases spiraling and the health care system stretched to the limit. Prayuth has been criticized for a slow vaccination program. Thailand reported a new high of 21,838 confirmed cases on Saturday, with 212 more deaths. Bangkok and surrounding provinces have been under lockdown, including overnight curfew, for weeks. According to the city's Erawan Medical Center emergency services, five people were hospitalized, including three police officers. The march was called off in the early evening but disturbances continued, with protesters battling the police and hurling objects. The protesters are also calling for part of the budget for the monarchy and the military to be redirected into the COVID-19 fight. Saturday's protest was originally planned in an area near the Grand Palace in the old part of the capital but switched to the compound of the 1st Infantry Regiment, where Prayuth - a former general who originally took power in a 2014 coup - continues to live. The protest movement began last year with demands for sweeping political change, including unprecedented public calls for the reform of the powerful monarchy to make it more accountable. After going dormant due to prosecutions, internal disagreements and the pandemic, protests have returned in recent weeks, fueled by the growing discontent over the government's response to the health crisis and its massive impact on the economy, which is reliant on tourism. Short link: A German charity boat carrying 257 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean docked Saturday in Sicily after Italian authorities granted permission, and hours later a French humanitarian vessel with 549 migrants aboard received a similar port assignment. After several days in limbo at sea, Sea-Watch 3 sailed into port at Trapani, western Sicily. Among the migrants aboard were 70 minors, some traveling without adults while trying to reach Europe. Health workers were administering COVID-19 tests to the migrants. The German maritime rescue group Sea-Watch said Italian authorities assigned the ship a port on Friday after sea conditions in the central Mediterranean deteriorated. Italy appealed to the European Union this week to press fellow EU nations to take some of the thousands of asylum-seekers who have arrived in the country in recent months, a sharp uptick since 2020. But similar past appeals for EU solidarity largely went unheeded, and there was no immediate signal the Italian government's latest pitch would prove more effective. A French charity, SOS Mediterranee, said Saturday that Italy had granted port permission to the Ocean Viking, which is carrying 549 passengers, including a 3-month-old infant, who were rescued in six separate operations this week. The Viking was expected to arrive at the port of Pozzallo, Sicily, on Sunday. The Italian coast guard had taken one migrant off the boat for medical reasons on Friday night, the fourth such evacuation from the Ocean Viking in recent days. Amid the influx, Italian right-wing leader Matteo Salvini, whose anti-migrant League party is a member of the country's wide-ranging governing coalition, is insisting that Premier Mario Draghi act decisively to stem the flow of migrants arriving on Italy's shores. Short link: As the international community sets its course toward creating green environments and mitigating the impacts of climate change, Egypt has potently engaged in the green growth plan by setting in motion numerous nationwide initiatives, including Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt Vision 2030; National Strategy for Cleaner Production in Egyptian Industry; and Towards a National Strategy for Sustainable Development. Egypt also ratified the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the Kyoto Protocol in an attempt to decrease greenhouse emissions on its end. (Osama, 2019) However, these efforts seem to be undermined particularly in the agricultural sector in Upper Egypt, which has been greatly susceptible to climate change. (El Mowla and Abdelaziz, 2020). This is largely due to poor governance and over-centralization of local (municipal) administrations, as well as ineffective anti-corruption agencies and regulations in Upper Egypt. (El Menofi et al., 2014) This paper argues that traditional acts of corruption do not only hamper socio-economic development plans in the rural sector, but also result in green corruption, which is defined as private gains in agribusiness that are made at the expense of the environment. (Di Cortemiglia and Pauwels, 2016). As a result, this triggers economic, human, social and environmental insecurity, while disrupting economic development and investment efforts within the agrarian sector. (Di Cortemiglia and Pauwels, 2016) The World Bank defines governance as effective, efficient and transparent public management of economic and social resources for development by State institutions, in the presence of an anticipated and translucent framework of rules, regulations, and policies, as they help reinforce the integration and coordination necessary to achieve sustainable development. (El Menofi et al., 2014) The rural areas in Egypt, however, reflect poor governance due to lack of coordination and collaboration between relevant entities and stakeholders, be it capital, financial, natural or human resources. (El Menofi et al., 2014).This is due to a complex, weak, and overly centralized local administration system compounded by fragile follow-up, underperforming systems that rely on nepotism rather than merits in the hiring and retention of employees. (El Menofi et al., 2014) As a result, this precipitates corruption in various forms, most evidently nepotism, and bribery for the issuance of permits and licenses that lead to the exploitation or theft of natural resources, as well as the facilitation of business operations that stimulate private gains. (Gamal El-Din, et. al, 2018) Corruption therefore affects land title and use, credit availability, quality of supplies, water allocation, product standards and certification, marketing, and the development of agribusinesses, (Fink 2002, 1) thus sabotaging economic and social development, while wasting government spending and depleting public services. (Fink, 2002) For example, an official source from the Ministry of Local Development (MoLD) reported that he encountered a robbery incident related to the sale of sanitary drainage pipes. The pipes were sold at 4,700 EGP per pipe (Gamal el-Din 2018), despite an original official estimated cost of 2,500 EGP each.(Gamal el-Din 2018) This not only cost the government 245 million EGP due to theft of public resources, but also hindered farmers access to drainage systems due to high pricing. (Gamal el-Din 2018). This prevents them from disposing of excess water that limits the establishment of an environment fit for plant nurturing, and greater productivity of crops yield. (Gamal el-Din 2018) A similar issue is seen with regards to quality. The local administration has allowed the sale of poor-quality sewage pipes by private companies in return for bribes. (Gamal el-Din 2018). This leads to the depletion of the physical and chemical properties of soil and the loss of air inside the pores of the soil decelerating the oxidation of organic materials, thus changing it into a water-repellent soil that is no longer good for cultivation. (El-Nashar, 2017) Furthermore, the acceptance of bribes by officials for the issuance of building and factory permits on agricultural lands is another significant form of green corruption. In light of weak monitoring systems, poor governance, absence of rule of law, and the inability to deter and penalize violations by the local administration, over the past nine years, has resulted in 2 million (El Youm 7, 2020) construction infractions on agricultural lands, posing major threats to Egypts agricultural production and development under the banner of urbanization, mismanagement of resources, nepotism, and incompetence. (Gonzales de-Asis, 2000) In Egypt, agriculture directly accounts for about 2.57 million tons of carbon, representing 1.25% of the total greenhouse gas emissions for different sectors in 2017/2018. (El Mowla, 2020) Furthermore, Egypt ranked 107 out of 181 countries in the 2019 ND-GAIN Index, according to which countries with lower scores show more susceptibility to climate change. (Reliefweb, 2021) Causes of greenhouse emissions in the agrarian sector encompass deforestation or degradation of terrestrial ecosystems; biodiversity loss; machine-intensive cultivation methods; accelerated soil erosion and loss of soil organic matter, all of which exacerbate carbon concentrations in the atmosphere and induce climate change. (Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change, 2019). This is largely due to the misuse of agricultural lands and other public resources as a result of unsustainable and poor management practices reinforced by the lack of governance, and incompetence of the administrative (municipality) system. (Elmenofi, 2014) Climate change is menacing since it causes food and water insecurity, socio-economic inequality, poverty, and climate change-related conflict over resources or climate wars. According to the UNFCCC, climate change studies anticipate that the yield of Egypts two major crops: wheat and maize, will diminish by 15 percent and 19 percent respectively by 2050 due to frequent temperature increase, a deficit of irrigation water, and plant disease. (UNFCCC 2021, 5) This takes away from the strains of efforts put in sustaining socio-economic development, and hence pose major threats to the national security of Egypt, given its immensely growing population and their rising associated demand, coupled with the constraints of a finite resource base. (World Resources Institute, 2013) Green initiatives alone cannot decrease greenhouse emissions in the agricultural sector. In fact, the execution of such initiatives requires strong anti-corruption mechanisms, and more hands-on, civil participatory tactics to monitor and combat regular corruption that leads to green corruption. In this vein, a plethora of laws, executive orders, and strategies were established with the purpose of curbing corruption, including Egypts Penal Code (art. 103), which penalizes corrupt individuals with permanent hard labour and a fine of not less than one thousand pounds and not exceeding the donation or the promise he (she) was given. (Egypt Today, 2019)Similarly, the national anti-corruption strategy was developed by the National Coordinating Committee for Combating Corruption, which demands public officials disclose their assets while assuming their government positions at the end of their term and every 2-5 years during their mandate. (Egypt Today, 2019) Numerous agencies and committees were also set up to monitor and follow up on regulations and systems, uncovering the shortcomings in the administrative, technical, and financial systems, as well as the corrupt behavior of individuals, including the Illicit Gains Authority and the Administrative Control Authority. Nonetheless, corruption cases are still part and parcel of daily business life in Egypt. Nonetheless, in 2020, Egypt ranked 117 out of 180 (1 being very clean and 180 being highly corrupt), in Transparency Internationals Corruption Perceptions Index. (Transparency, 2020) This is largely attributed to the poor enforcement of laws, as well as the weak regulatory mechanisms that exist. (GAN Integrity, 2020) Addressing the shortcomings of the institutional reforms placed for curbing corruption, the following recommendations aim to tackle these issues by encouraging collaborations and partnerships between civil society actors and local government. This is to ensure an efficient combating of corruption, and reinforce a better mode of governance and management of public resources. Establishing an online platform for civil-local government engagement: The platform will help simplify administrative procedures for interested investors/entrepreneurs, private actors, grassroot organizations and NGOs that make up civil society, since the complexity and unpredictability of administrative procedures creates confusion, and hence an incentive for corruption. Initiating and regularizing computerized data systems for registering and storing administrative data, such as tax registers and estimates, can help in enhancing integration and coordination amongst offices, and in precluding the overlap of duties and abuse of administrative discretion. (OECD Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, 2021) The presence of an online public portal can also increase transparency by allowing civil society agents to follow up on municipal transactions via the internet. Likewise, all companies/individuals engaging in agribusiness within the municipal region/administration should register and submit their status reports online in order to increase transparency and accountability. This can even be reinforced by the currently-standing regulatory bodies and committees through obliging municipalities to create online networks to incorporate civil society actors and mitigate corruption. Encouraging offline platforms that still enhance civil society actors (CSA) engagement in government decision making and effective policy discourse. (EGY918 - CARE Organization, 2017) For instance, these measures can promote public hearings as one of the main tools to guarantee access for the public representatives (i.e. CSAs) to information, and be part of public budgetary hearing program and planning. (De-Asis 2000, 5). This public hearing can serve as a medium for increasing public awareness about the municipal budget, including revenues and expenses. (De-Asis 2000, 5). This will further help civil society agents, including grassroot organizations, and NGOs, to co-manage municipal resources; evaluate the commitments and services handled by municipal officers and public servants; create opportunities for participation in public affairsand demand efficiency, accountability and transparency in the execution of projects. (De-Asis 2000, 5) Establishing corruption risk assessment programs that are based on identifying the causes and conditions of corruption, as well as, determining, creating, and implementing an action plan for curbing corruption. This program/action plan should delineate the guidelines that supply information and practical advice on the elaboration of internal control, the identification/ analysis/ evaluation of corruption risks and setting appropriate countermeasures. (OECD Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, 2021, 29.) In that respect, the regulatory/legislative bodies should encourage the municipal councils to co-opt civil society in setting up these programs, and stimulate their capacities. Amongst several pioneers in the Middle East and North Africa region in the area of sustainable development, Egypt has relentlessly led numerous green initiatives to sustain a green environment. It further tailored several initiatives for stabilizing green growth in rural areas, such as Decent Life or Hayah Karima '' national initiative, whose aim is to provide human security and promote sustainable, socio-economic development for citizens residing in these areas. To safeguard the aims of these initiatives, more effective mechanisms need to be created and adopted by the local government with the concerned civil society actors in the agricultural sector to ensure a better combatment of corruption at the municipal level, and guarantee that agribusiness rather sustains a green economy within the sector. *The writer is a research at The Badr University Centre for Global Affairs. Short link: Some weeks ago, after over a decade of arctic temperatures between Ankara and Tel Aviv, the former began to grope for ways to sidle up to the latter. This was prompted at least in part by the fact that Israel was developing much closer relations with Turkeys historic enemy, Greece. Athens and Tel Aviv had signed a series of cooperation agreements in defence and energy, which included the construction of natural gas pipelines in the Eastern Mediterranean. For this reason, rekindling relations with Israel became an imperative of the first order for Ankara. Evidence of this thinking is to be found in Foreign Ministry officials statements and remarks calling for urgent efforts to mend the rift, so that Turkey would not be left behind or isolated as the train of normalisation with Arab Gulf countries pushed full steam ahead. The continued freeze was exacting an exorbitant political toll, they warned, adding that Turkish officials needed to take the first step. And so it came to be. In April, the presidential palace gave several positive signals towards those its principal occupant had often called terrorist occupiers. It expressed a desire to clear the fog filled air with the Hebrew state, then it invited the Israeli Minister of Energy Yuval Steinitz to the Antalya Diplomatic Forum. Held on 18-20 June 2021 in a beautiful Antalya resort on the coast of the Mediterranean, as the ADFs webpage says, the title of the forum was, significantly, Innovative Diplomacy: New Era, New Approaches. Mouthpieces of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) were optimistic about the results of such overtures. Above all, they had their hopes set on positive responses from the other side of the Atlantic, which would certainly welcome a rapprochement between Washingtons Israeli and Turkish allies. But then the Israeli war on Gaza erupted on 10 May, bursting that brief bubble of hope as Erdogan gave vent to his vitriol against Israel and Israelis, using expressions, moreover, that earned him hasty rebukes from Washington and elsewhere. Three days after the assault began, Turkey withdrew the invitation to Steinitz so much for turning a new leaf. Or so it seemed. Two days after Erdogan met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, his spokesman told the press that the Turkish president had phoned his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog to congratulate him on his election on 7 July. It was the first communication between the two sides on that level since 2017. According to the spokesman, the two leaders discussed matters related to energy, tourism and regional security, and they emphasised the importance of dialogue in overcoming disputes and the need to open a new page in Turkish-Israeli relations. Erdogan then posted a statement on his social networking sites in which he stressed the importance of Turkish-Israeli cooperation for the sake of the security and stability of the region. Herzog reciprocated with a tweet echoing the same sentiment. After the phone call with Erdogan, Herzog took pains to reassure Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou that any improvement in Israels relations with Turkey wont come at the expense of Greece, the Axios news site reported on 21 July, citing Israeli officials. Is there, indeed, a possibility that Ankara and Tel Aviv can overcome their profound differences and start over? Views vary, but all agree that there are deep-seated mutual doubts and suspicions that will be difficult to overcome. The most pessimistic estimate places the chances of reconciliation at minimal to zero, especially now that Netanyahu is gone. They believe that the new Israeli leaders, Naftali Bennet and Yair Lapid are likely to be more forthright in their criticisms of Erdogan than their predecessor. True, Netanyahu had locked horns with Erdogan many times, but Israeli-Turkish trade also increased under Netanyahu. The paradox is not so difficult to grasp. In many ways Erdogan and Netanyahu are mirror images of each other. They balance populism with pragmatism. They engage in loud verbal sparring while essential economic bonds continue calmly and steadily. Bennet and Lapid, on the other hand, who are strongly anti-Erdogan and more open about it, are unlikely to take Netanyahus two-track approach. Some predict that the post-Netanyahu government may officially recognise the Armenian Genocide, in fact. Both Bennet, who has used this issue as ammunition in his attacks against Erdogan before, and Lapid have said more than once that Israel should recognise the Armenian Genocide. Naturally, if the Israeli government takes this step, it will deliver a debilitating blow to the Erdogan regimes plans to revive relations. Here, in Turkey, anti-AKP opposition circles agree that the prospects of reconciliation are poor. They cite Israeli political analysts, such as Eyal Zisser, a lecturer in the Middle East History Department at Tel Aviv University, who recently addressed the subject in an article in the Israel Hayom newspaper. As reported on the Ahval news site, Zisser cautioned that Israel needed to be careful so as not to be caught off guard when Erdogan engages in another vitriolic tirade against it, despite ongoing efforts for rapprochement. He attributed Ankaras shift in tack and tone to Erdogans combative and contrarian policies towards the entire world [which] have led him to a dead end, referring to Turkeys ailing economy, the uncertainty surrounding its military involvement in Syria and Libya, and tensions in US relations. Recalling his experience in a number of small meetings with Erdogan, during the days in which he still met with Israeli leaders, Foreign Israeli Chief of Staff Jacob Dayan said, in an op ed piece in Haaretz, In all of these meetings I felt one thing clearly: the conspicuous lack of affection for Israel, and even hatred, did not come from his head but from his heart. He continues, The cold wind blowing in the direction of Turkey from the Biden administration, which will only grow stronger, the failing economy and the Turkish vision of the Middle East, which has collapsed, may be causing a tactical change in Erdogans attitude towards Israel, but this change will always be only tactical, not strategic. Observing how one telephone exchange between Erdogan and Herzog had changed the spirit of commentators, Dayan said, Can a leopard change its spots? Highly doubtful. I dont rule out a tactical narrowing of differences. Israel also has weighty interests in such closer relations, but we need to go there with our eyes open, and know that the man who provided a base for Hamas activists and permitted the Mavi Marmara to sail to Gaza will not suddenly turn into Anwar Sadat or King Hussein. *A version of this article appears in print in the 5 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: On the evening of Republic Day on 25 July and after multiple protests across the country, Tunisian President Kais Saied announced a series of measures that turned the countrys political scene upside down. Ennahda, the Islamist movement that had controlled the political scene for years, found itself isolated without significant support inside or outside the country and with no allies or prospect of national dialogue in sight after Saied suspended the Tunisian parliament whose speaker is Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi. This sudden and unexpected change has muddied the waters not just for Ennahda, but also for the country as a whole, already on edge as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and an ongoing economic crisis. It is not known what will happen at the end of the 30-day period of suspension announced by Saied as part of the exceptional measures taken on 25 July. For Sarah Yerkes, a senior fellow at Carnegies Middle East Programme and an expert on Tunisia, there are several possible scenarios including a negotiated roadmap drawn up with the assistance of civil-society groups that Saied could agree to and allow the parliament to return to its normal functioning. We could also see Saied extend the emergency period past the 30 days and for another 30 days or more. We could see more protests if Saied does not begin to deliver on economic growth or pandemic relief or fighting corruption, Yerkes, a former US state department and Pentagon official, told Al-Ahram Weekly. For many Tunisians, the option of relaunching a national dialogue including Ennahda remains out of the question. Most believe that the president will take time before he shows his hand and may even extend the state of emergency. I expect the 30-day emergency period to be extended. Saied himself has said that this is possible, so the most likely scenario to my mind is some sort of roadmap put forward by Saied, possibly in consultation with civil society, that calls for new elections and a constitutional referendum on the electoral law, Yerkes said. This scenario worries Ghannouchi, who has said that Ennahda is ready to make concessions to protect democracy. The president of Ennahda and speaker of parliament said in an interview with the French news agency AFP that his party was ready to make any concessions necessary to restore democracy. For us, the constitution is more important than power, he said. Ghannouchi added that a new national dialogue would enable the country to emerge from the crisis. If no agreement is reached on the next government, I will call on the people to defend their freedom and to reopen the doors of parliament, he said. The statement has been considered to be an indirect threat and a message to Saied and his supporters. However, such statements do not seem to affect most Tunisians, who no longer see Ennahda as the powerful force it was after the Jasmine Revolution in 2011. It has been weakened substantially, and there is tremendous popular anger at Ghannouchi and his party for their failure to deliver over the past decade. As the only party to have been in power continuously since 2011, Ennahda shoulders an immense amount of blame for the present situation. However, despite such reactions, observers say that while Ennahda has received a hard blow, it is not a fatal one, and the party could find a way of upsetting Saieds plans. The chances of achieving a specific scenario depend on the tactics of the main players, especially the president whose ability to manage things in the coming period, fight corruption, mitigate the economic crisis and control the pandemic will be important if he is to retain his authority and the confidence of his partners. According to Yerkes, one of the keys to preserving this young democracy is civil society. Tunisian civil society is incredibly strong and dedicated to seeing the gains the country has fought for so hard over the past decade succeed. It is not going to be easy, but as long as civil society keeps pushing Saied to follow the democratic path, Tunisia can weather this storm, she said. Some 30 national figures in Tunisia signed an open letter addressed to national and international public opinion this week. Tunisian academic and social media activist Olfa Youssef, one of the signatories, told the Weekly that the goal of the initiative was to respond to the allegations of the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters that what had happened in Tunisia was a coup against the constitution. The letter was designed to support the president in his actions in response to a popular uprising and as a result of the situation in the country where collapse is looming in every field. Our call aims to correct wrong political choices and affirm that we are committed and adhered to democracy, individual freedoms and accountability within the framework of the law without redress or retaliation, Youssef said. Tunisia is a sovereign state, and we reject any foreign interference in the peoples choices. The list of names remains open to all who wish to join it, she concluded. *A version of this article appears in print in the 5 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: The West is wary of tensions between Iran and Israel, which at the very least could ruin nuclear negotiations between Tehran and the 5 + 1 countries. That is why Washington and European capitals took their time to respond to an attack on an oil tanker belonging to an Israeli company off the coast of Oman. Only under Israeli pressure did London and Washington blame Tehran for the attack. The attack is the latest in a long series of skirmishes, direct and indirect confrontations between Iran and Israel, in a shadow war or grey war raging on several fronts, including shipping, nuclear activities, allies and proxies in the arenas of Syria, Iraq and Yemen. The escalation occurred in the week in which Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi will take office. It is a turbulent start to his presidency that opens the door to further tensions between Tehran and the West. Benny Gantz, Israels defence minister said Monday that Irans alleged attack on a merchant ship in the Arabian Sea last week was a stepping-up of the escalation of hostilities by Iran, and called for international action. Addressing the Knesset, Gantz said that the drone strike on the MV Mercer Street, which is managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime, which left two crew members dead one from the United Kingdom and one from Romania was in violation of international law and human morality. He charged that Iran was behind at least five attacks on international shipping in the last year. This is exactly the reason why we must act now against Iran, which is not only striving towards nuclear arms but is also bringing about a dangerous arms race and intends to destabilise the Middle East with terrorist militias who are armed with hundreds of drones in Iran, Yemen, Iraq and other countries in the region. Gantz also said that any future agreement between world powers and Iran to rein in its nuclear programme must also address Irans aggression in the region and harming both innocent people and to the global economy This is not a future threat, rather a tangible and immediate danger, he said. For its part Tehran has denied any involvement, but US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said America was confident that Iran carried out this attack. It follows a pattern of similar attacks by Iran, including past incidents with explosive drones, he told reporters at the State Department. There is no justification for this attack on a peaceful vessel on a commercial mission a direct threat to freedom of navigation and commerce that took the lives of innocent sailors. Blinken said the US was in close contact with the U.K., Israel and Romania, and there will be a collective response. He did not elaborate on what that response might be. In London, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that Iran should face up to the consequences of what theyve done. He described the incident as an unacceptable and outrageous attack on commercial shipping... It is absolutely vital that Iran and every other country respects the freedom of navigation around the world, and the UK will continue to insist on that. Johnson also said that Iran must immediately cease actions that risk international peace and security. Calling it an unlawful and callous attack, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the UK and its allies were planning a coordinated response. But a senior Iranian official has sought to ease a diplomatic row with the UK that erupted after London blamed Tehran for the fatal drone attack on the oil tanker in the Gulf, cautioning that an escalation doesnt help anybody. Mohsen Baharvand, Irans ambassador to London, told the Financial Times that Londons decision to blame Tehran for the assault on the MV Mercer Street was a very premature reaction. Speaking hours after he was summoned to the Foreign Office over the incident, he added that the dispute should not damage relations between the two countries or derail talks with the UK and other nations intended to revive the nuclear deal Tehran signed with world powers. We understand one of the UKs citizens has lost life and that is for everybody a regrettable act, but that doesnt mean you can put the blame immediately on one country. You have to investigate the case, you have to have evidence, Baharvand said. We are not for escalating escalation doesnt help anybody. Baharvand also emphasised that the nuclear talks should not be affected by the current tensions. He said that the talks, held in Vienna, had made very good progress. But he added three key requests by Iran: a guarantee that the US could not unilaterally abandon the deal in the future; the lifting of sanctions; and avoiding linking the talks to Irans missile programme or its regional policies. In response to the UK summoning Irans ambassador, Irans Foreign Ministry summoned the British charge daffaires in Tehran to protest Raabs comments. The Iranian Foreign Ministry rejected and condemned hasty, contradictory and unsubstantiated statements, the ministry said. Iran will defend itself with a timely, appropriate and decisive response to any adventurous action, adding that this is not the first time that Britain has made accusations against Iran without providing evidence. Iran and Israel are locked in a shadow war, trading accusations that they launched attacks against each others merchant vessels and other interests. Tehran accused Israel of assassinating a top nuclear scientist last November and of attacking its main uranium enrichment site at its Natanz atomic facility in July this year. Baharvand also said Israel had attacked 11 Iranian merchant vessels this year. US President Joe Biden has pledged to revive the 2015 accord and remove sanctions if Iran moves back into compliance with the agreement. But the tanker attack risks complicating an already complex and fragile process. The nuclear talks have in effect been put on hold since Raisi won Irans presidential election in June. Raisi has said he will continue with the negotiations, but with hardliners, who are wary of engaging with the West, in full control of all branches of the state, Tehran is expected to take a tougher stance. For ordinary Iranians, the current tension threatens to cast doubt on the success of negotiations to return to the nuclear deal and the lifting of sanctions, which have devastated the economy and exacerbated social pressures in the country. The escalation with the West may also push the new Iranian president to adopt a more hard-line approach at home and abroad and repeat the mistakes of successive Iranian governments. In a rare farewell statement by outgoing president Hassan Rouhani, his words were filled with apologies to the Iranian people for the pain they suffered. In his final cabinet meeting, Rouhani defended his eight years in power but admitted that his regime was not always entirely honest with Iranians, who in recent months have endured a series of crises including power cuts, water shortages, the worst coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East, many protests and several mysterious incidents including a fire at a chemical plant in Shiraz, an explosion at a power plant in Ahvas, an explosion at a liquid fuel production facility near Parchin, and east of Tehran. These incidents have left the Iranians in a dark mood. It is no wonder that Rouhani should end his term with an apology, amid fears that the next few days might be no better. *A version of this article appears in print in the 5 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: Chinese and Russian forces will take part in joint military exercises in southern Russia later this month along with troops from Armenia, Belarus, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan and others, China's defense ministry announced Thursday. The ``Caucuses 2020'' drills will deploy wheeled vehicles and light weaponry to be flown to the drill location by China's latest transport aircraft, the ministry said in a statement. The exercises running Sept. 21-26 will focus on defensive tactics, encirclement and battlefield control and command, the ministry said. The exercises have special meaning for China-Russia ties ``at this important moment when the whole world is fighting the pandemic,'' it said. China has reported no new domestic coronavirus cases in weeks, while Russia is continuing to see new cases and has reported more than 1 million people infected. Since establishing a ``comprehensive strategic partnership`` two decades ago, China and Russia have cooperated increasingly closely on military matters and diplomacy, largely to counter U.S. influence. Their militaries regularly hold joint exercises and they back each other in the United Nations over issues including Syria and North Korea. Short link: Will the new UN special envoy to Yemen, the Swedish diplomat Hans Grundberg, succeed where his predecessor Martin Griffiths failed? This is the question on everyones minds as the time approaches for Grundberg to assume his duties and as analysts and commentators urge a reassessment of the strategies used to resolve the more than six-year-old Yemeni Civil War. Experts have cautioned that if the incoming new envoy follows the same approach as his predecessors, he will get nowhere. However, devising a new approach to resolving the Yemeni crisis has to contend with a number of difficulties related to the context of the UN missions work. The most immediate problem is the state of the conflict and its impact on the negotiating process. At present, the military situation favours the Ansar Allah (Houthi) Movement, and this is encouraging it to press forward with its campaign and undermine UN peace initiatives. The Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa and large portions of northern Yemen, now have their sights set on seizing control of Marib. The last government stronghold in the north, this governorate is also rich in oil and gas. As Houthi success in this campaign would impose new military equations on the ground, the Houthis have little interest in responding to current ceasefire initiatives. Instead, they want to defer the ceasefire talks until after a separate agreement is concluded on the Sanaa and Hodeida airports. The Yemeni government wants the ceasefire and status of the airports to be combined in a single agreement. But the Houthis insistence on taking the last government stronghold in the north, using Iranian support, will definitely hamper the new UN envoys efforts to broker a ceasefire and restart the political process. A second problem is that the adversaries in the conflict have refused to respond to incremental confidence-building measures. In general, complicated wars, such as the one in Yemen, necessitate the use of a mediating strategy that seeks to persuade the adversaries to undertake steps designed to build mutual trust, thereby giving them an incentive to engage in negotiations over the major bones of contention. Unfortunately, the six years of the Yemeni experience, as well as numerous analyses, have established the futility of this approach. The Stockholm Agreement signed by the Houthis and the legitimate government of Yemen in 2018 failed to produce a permanent ceasefire, even if it met with the limited success of averting a potentially fierce and bloody confrontation in Hodeida. Ultimately, the agreement only led to a relatively limited prisoner exchange. It did not generate a sufficient impetus towards solving any of the basic problems. Moreover, it turned out that the UN Mission to Support the Hodeida Agreement (UNMHA) was unable to carry out its duties in the areas that fell under Houthi control, and the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC), the mechanism created under the UNMHA to implement the ceasefire in Hodeida, was unable to continue its remit after March 2020 when the Yemeni government suspended its participation in the mechanism. Meanwhile, Griffiths was unable to advance his four-point initiative, which called for a nationwide ceasefire, the reopening of Sanaa Airport, the lifting of restrictions on shipping from and to the Hodeida sea port, and initiating a political process. Not only have incremental confidence-building measures as an avenue towards a breakthrough on basic areas of dispute failed to achieve their objectives, no progress has been made using a top-down approach focusing on shuttling between the opposing leaderships. Griffiths replacement clearly needs to come up with a new and different approach that the key local and regional stakeholders will respond to. Fortunately, Grundberg will be able to draw from his familiarity with the dynamics of the conflict and the causes of the failure of mediating efforts up to now that he has gained in the course of his duties as EU ambassador to Yemen since 2019. A third problem is the precarious cohesion of Yemen itself. While the international community has been trying to resolve the Yemeni crisis while preserving the unity of the state, many observers fear scenarios ranging from the disintegration of the country into several statelets to, at best, a partition between north and south. According to many reports on the situation in the country, the idea of a return to the pre-1990 situation by recreating an independent state in the south has considerable support among southern Yemenis as well as among some foreign stakeholders. Although the southern forces have allied with government forces in the battle against the Houthis in Marib, both sides realise the temporary nature of this alliance and that as soon as the battle in the north is over, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) will take steps to create autonomous governmental institutions. The underlying mistrust and tensions between the government and the STC forces continue to flare up in intermittent skirmishes, despite the Riyadh Agreement of 2019. At the same time, the Houthis continued to hold Sanaa and other areas in the north carry the potential for the emergence of a Houthi-controlled state in the north of the country. Many regional and international stakeholders would be unlikely to acquiesce in such a scenario, especially Saudi Arabia which would not tolerate an entity on its southern borders ruled by a movement loyal to Iran. Nor would the US, which has already taken actions to dry up the Houthis sources of funding and has intensified its criticisms of the Houthis human rights violations, accept an Ansar Allah regime as a legitimate government in the north. In the light of the foregoing, if the new UN envoy is to succeed in carrying out a new approach that has the potential to yield a peace agreement in Yemen, certain elements of the negotiating context will have to change. The following are possible measures that might be taken. First, there is a need to find a means to persuade the Houthis to cooperate with the envoys mediating efforts, though opinions vary on how to go about this. Some recommend using the prospect of an agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme to leverage Tehran into making concessions that would facilitate an agreement in Yemen. Others even urge including the Yemeni question in the nuclear negotiations with Iran, as part of the regional issues on the table. On the other hand, some observers believe that the Saudi-led Coalition that backs the Yemeni government should escalate militarily against the Houthis in Marib in order to prevent further Houthi expansion and convince them that they have no chances of further territorial gains and that their wisest option is to return to the negotiating table. Second, there is a need to develop a political approach and negotiating strategy that would win a consensus among regional and international stakeholders. This task would involve closer and more intensive dialogue with the diverse components of Yemeni society, from the southerners to NGOs and womens organisations. It should also strive to benefit from previous local mediating initiatives that have succeeded in producing agreements on certain basic elements of a potential peace agreement. Third, there is a need to explore the potential for new UN resolutions that would take into account the current situation on the ground and the need to bring other parties on board the negotiating process. The UN resolutions that laid the foundations for the UN peacemaking drive have not helped to create a negotiating framework conducive to the work of the UN mission. This applies, in particular, to UN Security Council Resolution 2216. Last months report of the International Crisis Group, an international NGO, pointed out how diverse interpretations of this resolution have hampered progress towards a political settlement and mentioned that many observers and politicians wanted it replaced. Fourth, there is a need to take advantage of the Biden administrations current diplomatic momentum on Yemen, as represented by Bidens pledge to end the war in Yemen and his appointment of Tim Lenderking as the USs special envoy for that purpose. Simultaneously, it will be important to coordinate more closely with Russia, which has also recently intensified talks with the concerned parties, such as former president of South Yemen Ali Nasser Mohamed, the leaders of the Southern Transitional Council, and, most recently, the late Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Salehs nephew Tarek Saleh, who commands the National Resistance Forces. Lastly, there is a need to step up the provision of humanitarian relief to Yemen. Significant progress in this regard, which should be separated from the political track, is essential to creating an environment conducive to negotiations in a country that has been universally described as being in the grips of the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. *The writer is a researcher on security and crisis management. *A version of this article appears in print in the 5 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Short link: Allyson Felix brought the curtain down on her glittering Olympic career with a seventh gold medal as the United States stormed to a crushing victory in the 4x400m women's relay on Saturday. Felix, who on Friday became the most decorated female track and field athlete of all time with a bronze in the individual 400m, helped a 'Dream Team' US quartet romp home in 3min 16.85sec. Poland took silver, while Jamaica took bronze. The USA fielded a star-studded line-up which included world record-breaking 400m hurdler and newly crowned Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin, 400 hurdles silver medallist Dalilah Muhammad and teenage 800m gold medallist Athing Mu alongside the veteran Felix. With McLaughlin getting the American women off to a blistering start before handing off to Felix on the second leg, it soon became clear that the US quartet were racing against history and the Soviet Union's 33-year-old world record of 3:15.17 set at the drug-tainted Seoul Olympics. But while Muhammad built up a massive lead for Mu, the record remained just out of reach even though the 19-year-old from New Jersey crossed the line four seconds clear of Polish anchor runner Justyna Swiety-Ersetic. Felix, 35, is competing in her fifth and final Summer Games and now has 11 total Olympic medals, extending her record as the most decorated female track and field Olympian in history. "I came out at peace, wanting to soak it all in," said Felix after her final Olympic race. "I think this was a really special team because we're not 400m runners. It was really cool to come together to close out the Olympic games and my Olympic career." Felix's 11th medal also took Felix one clear of Carl Lewis' 10 medals as the most decorated US track and field Olympic athlete. Felix's team-mates paid tribute to her. "I was honoured, especially when they told us who the four was," Muhammad said of being picked alongside Felix. "I've been inspired by her throughout her entire career and I'm honoured to have been a part of this team with her in her last Olympics. "I think we'll look back on this and just think about how special this team really was." McLaughlin added: "It's an honour, just being able to be part of her last race." Felix meanwhile praised the leading contribution of the American women to the USA's track and field campaign, winning five out of seven golds. "It was awesome," Felix said. "I think the women showed up. On the track and off the track in lots of ways. "I loved it, and loved seeing it. Sitting back and watching each woman perform was inspiring. It was really cool." (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) KYODO NEWS - Aug 7, 2021 - 23:36 | All, Japan A man who told police he wanted to kill "happy looking women" was arrested Saturday after injuring 10 passengers in a random knife attack on a running commuter train the previous evening in Tokyo, where the Olympics are being held under tightened security. Yusuke Tsushima, 36, who had fled the scene after the rampage, told police he chose a rapid express Odakyu Electric Railway train because passengers would have no way to escape. He was charged with attempted murder for allegedly stabbing a 20-year-old female university student with a knife. The woman, among the 10 wounded, was seriously injured with multiple stab wounds to her back and chest. None of those hurt was acquainted with the man. Tsushima has admitted to the assault, telling the police, "I have been wanting to kill happy looking women for the past six years. Anyone would have been okay." Investigative sources also quoted him as saying, "I came to want to kill happy looking couples and women" after being ridiculed at social gatherings and rejected at dating services. He also told the police, "I thought I could kill a large number of people as there is no space to flee on a train." At the time of the attack around 8:30 p.m., some 400 passengers were on the Shinjuku-bound, 10-car train. It was running in Setagaya Ward in the western part of Tokyo and around 15 kilometers from the National Stadium, the main Olympic venue. Tsushima, a resident of Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, also said he chose to carry out the attack on the rapid express train as passengers would be on board for a longer period between stops, according to police. Tsushima, who left his home at around 7:30 p.m. and boarded an Odakyu train from the closest station, switched to the rapid express train, which was to travel eight minutes before stopping at the next station 11 stops away, police said. He boarded the No. 6 car before stabbing the woman sitting in the No. 7 car and injuring others by attacking them with the knife or punching them. He also spread cooking oil on the floor of the No. 8 car with an intent to start a fire, but the fire did not break out, police said. As the train made an emergency halt, Tsushima escaped from a door of the No. 9 car that a passenger opened with an emergency handle, police said. The police initially said one woman and eight men were hurt in the train attack but later said a total of 10 passengers including four other women and five men on the train were injured. Earlier Friday, Tsushima was suspected of shoplifting at a grocery store in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward and a female staff member at the store had informed police. Tsushima told the police about his intention of killing the staffer, saying, "I had thought of returning to the store to murder the staffer, but since it was closed I thought of killing people in the train." The police have confiscated from the train a lighter, a container that is believed to have been used to carry the oil, a 20-centimeter-long chef's knife that Tsushima purchased two years ago on the internet, and a mobile phone found outside the train. After fleeing the site, Tsushima was detained by police later that night at a convenience store, around 4 kilometers north of the scene, in neighboring Suginami Ward, police said. A worker at the convenience store called the police after the man said, "I am the suspect in the incident reported by news media. I am tired of fleeing," it said. Tsushima was able to carry out the attack even as Tokyo police strengthened security measures for the Summer Games, shedding light on the difficulties of preventing crimes on trains. Japan has had other incidents on trains. In 2015, a man set himself on fire on a shinkansen bullet train, killing himself and another female passenger as well as injuring 26 others aboard. In 2018, a man killed a passenger and injured two others in a knife attack on a bullet train. People living in the same apartment building as Tsushima said he hardly talked and they never saw family members or friends visit. After the suspect had left the scene, the train crew guided passengers along the tracks to a nearby station. "There were a lot of people with blood on their clothes running away in panic," said a 19-year-old university student who witnessed the incident. The incident prompted Odakyu to temporarily suspend train operations between Shinjuku Station in Tokyo and Mukogaoka-yuen Station in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. With the Tokyo Olympics ongoing, the transport ministry has asked all the railway companies to ensure safety by thoroughly checking their surveillance activities with security staff and cameras. Related coverage: 9 passengers stabbed or punched on Tokyo train, suspect detained KYODO NEWS - Aug 1, 2021 - 11:13 | All, Japan, Coronavirus Japan has signed an agreement with Mongolia to extend 883 million yen ($8 million) in grant aid to help the country fight the coronavirus pandemic. Under the agreement, the Japan International Cooperation Agency will provide Mongolia with cold chain equipment such as refrigerated vaccine transport vehicles as promptly as possible, according to the government-backed body. Aside from procuring COVID-19 vaccines, Mongolia and other developing countries are facing distribution issues. Vaccines must be kept at low temperatures when transported and stored, a process known as the cold chain. In a meeting with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in Tokyo on July 22, Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene expressed his appreciation for Japan's assistance over the pandemic, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. The new aid for Mongolia -- signed between JICA and the Mongolian government in Ulaanbaatar on July 19 -- is part of the "Last One Mile Support," a Japanese government project intended to ensure every country gets vaccinated. JICA has recently signed similar agreements with Mozambique and Palestine, worth 430 million yen and 897 million yen, respectively. Japan has been one of the leading contributors to multilateral efforts to ensure equitable delivery of vaccines, especially to the developing world, through such initiatives as the U.N.-backed COVAX global vaccine-sharing program. However, the establishment of cold chains within developing countries is not always part of the COVAX scheme. Japan has been promoting Last One Mile Support to complement COVAX, according to government officials. KYODO NEWS - Aug 7, 2021 - 06:32 | World, All The United States and Japan expressed concerns over the situation in the South China Sea, where China has been aggressively pushing its territorial claims, and took up Beijing's nuclear arms issue during talks with ASEAN and partner nations on Friday. Speaking at the foreign ministerial meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, one of the few international security dialogue frameworks in which North Korea participates, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined other countries in calling for Pyongyang's denuclearization while urging ARF members to press Myanmar's junta to end its violence against the people, according to the State Department. The meeting of the 27-member ARF, which also includes countries such as China and South Korea, was held as part of this week's series of virtual gatherings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Brunei is serving as ASEAN's chair this year. Ongoing U.S.-China tensions cast a shadow over the event, with Blinken calling on Beijing to "cease its provocative behavior in the South China Sea" and raising "serious concerns" about its alleged human rights abuses against the Muslim Uyghur minority in the western Xinjiang region as well as in Hong Kong and Tibet. The top U.S. diplomat also noted "deep concern" over the rapid growth of China's nuclear arsenal, saying it highlights how Beijing has "sharply deviated from its decades-old nuclear strategy based on minimum deterrence," according to the State Department. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told the meeting that he wants to encourage China, along with other countries, to fulfill the responsibilities of a nuclear-weapon state, touching on an agreement between the United States and Russia earlier this year to extend the last remaining treaty capping their nuclear arsenals. He called for Beijing to "engage in bilateral dialogue with the United States on arms control," according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. Turning to the situation in the East and South China seas, Motegi stated that unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force are "continuing and intensifying" in the waters, in a veiled criticism of Beijing's assertiveness there. "Japan strongly opposes this," Motegi was quoted as saying in the ministry's press release. Beijing has frequently sent official vessels to waters around the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea in an attempt to lay claim to them. It has also built artificial islands with military infrastructure in the South China Sea, claiming sovereignty over almost the entire maritime area. China has conflicting territorial claims with four of the 10 ASEAN members -- Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam -- as well as Taiwan in the South China Sea. U.S. warships have carried out freedom of navigation operations there in an apparent bid to counter Chinese claims and actions in the sea, a strategic waterway through which more than one-third of global trade passes. On North Korea's nuclear issue, Motegi expressed Japan's "strong hope" for a resumption of dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang and emphasized that Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga remains willing to meet directly with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un without any preconditions, according to the Japanese ministry. In response, participants pointed out the importance of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and full implementation of U.N. Security Council resolutions aimed at curbing North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, the ministry said. But Wang called for an easing of sanctions on North Korea to seek a breakthrough on the issue, and expressed his opposition to joint military drills expected to be held between the United States and South Korea later this month. The exercises "fall short of a constructive move under the current circumstances," the official Xinhua news agency quoted Wang as saying. He also took a veiled swipe at the United States as it pursues engagement with Southeast Asian nations as a way to shore up international support to counter China's rise. "There should be no more 'lecturers' or 'saviors.' The destiny of each country should lie in the hands of these countries themselves, and the future of the region should be jointly created by all countries in the region," Wang was quoted as saying. On the current situation in Myanmar, Motegi voiced grave concerns and welcomed the appointment of Brunei's second foreign minister Erywan Yusof as special envoy to the country, tasked with facilitating dialogue between the military rulers and their opponents following the Feb. 1 coup. Japan fully supports the envoy's activities and hopes they will lead to the start of a dialogue between the parties concerned and other developments in the near term, Motegi was quoted as saying. The ARF comprises the 10 ASEAN states as well as China, Japan, the United States, Russia, North and South Korea, India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the European Union, Papua New Guinea, Bangladesh, East Timor, Mongolia and Sri Lanka. According to a Southeast Asian country source, North Korea was represented by its ambassador to Indonesia rather than its foreign minister during the ARF meeting. KYODO NEWS - Aug 7, 2021 - 13:10 | All, Japan, Coronavirus Japan has begun a study on whether it should administer third shots of the coronavirus vaccine next year, officials said Friday. Spurred by the likelihood of vaccine efficacy waning over time and the need to respond to highly infectious virus variants, the government will proceed with the study while trying to secure the supply of at least 200 million doses next year, the officials said. Tokyo will reach a decision on the matter after taking into consideration the situation of virus infections and how other governments are dealing with COVID-19 booster shots. Overseas, Israel's booster shots have already been in full swing for people aged 60 or older, while Germany is scheduled to start providing third COVID-19 shots for the elderly in September. Sweden has also decided to do likewise, possibly in the fall, with Britain preparing to start offering booster shots in September. Japan's vaccination program was launched in February, initially for health care workers. It was expanded to the elderly in April and later to other members of the public. The country's minister in charge of vaccination efforts, Taro Kono, said July 30 Japan "will likely administer next year" third doses of COVID-19 vaccine. The government struck a contract in July to receive an additional 50 million doses of Moderna Inc.'s coronavirus vaccine from the beginning of 2022. Discussions are also under way to secure 150 million doses of the vaccine developed by Novavax Inc. starting in early 2022. As judgment on the necessity of booster shots varies among nations, Japan will collect data on clinical trials conducted abroad and study not only on the necessity but also whether it should allow a person's third dose to be from a different company than the one that developed their first and second doses, the officials said. On Thursday, Moderna said its coronavirus vaccine maintained 93 percent efficacy through six months after the second shot, but pointed to the likelihood of the need for a third booster shot afterward to protect against new variants, citing a decline in antibody levels. Meanwhile, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday called on some advanced countries to suspend their ongoing or planned administration of third shots until at least the end of September, saying fair access to COVID-19 vaccines among all countries is a higher priority. Noting that many people must work to make a living even amid the pandemic, the WHO chief told a press conference, "While hundreds of millions of people are still waiting for their first dose, some rich countries are moving towards booster doses." KYODO NEWS - Aug 7, 2021 - 18:11 | World, All, Coronavirus Singapore will ease restrictions from Tuesday on dining and gathering for people who received two doses of the coronavirus vaccine, the government has said. The relaxed measures, part of the government's plan announced Friday, will allow groups of up to five fully vaccinated people to eat together at restaurants, which has been banned since last month. Over two-thirds of the population in Singapore had received two doses of the vaccine as of Thursday, the government said. Singapore has promoted vaccination while it restarted imposing strict restrictions on public activity in late July amid the resurgence of the virus, fueled by the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. Under the new measures, the limitation on the number of people attending large events will also be relaxed, assuming the participants received two doses of vaccine. Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said at a press conference held online Friday that the government will ease other coronavirus restrictions when 80 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. Bengaluru: The comfortable victory of the NDA nominee Harivansh Narayan Singh for the post of deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, having polled 125 votes in favour and 105 against with two abstentions, is a shot in the arm for the ruling coalition. Harivansh is a first-time member of Parliament and is from Janata Dal-United (JD-U). By the same token, it is a defeat for the joint opposition candidate and thrice member of Parliament B K Hariprasad in a House in which the ruling conglomerate does not command a majority and the Opposition did not prove united enough to force a win. Coming as it has at a time when the Lok Sabha elections are less than a year away, and close on the heels of a morale-boosting NDA win in the unsuccessful no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition against the BJP-led government at the Centre in the last session, the win is indeed significant for the Narendra Modi government. Also Read | Rajya Sabha Election: Harivansh Narayan Singh is new RS deputy chairman That the JD-U nominee was accepted as the NDA candidate reflected the compromise the BJP was forced to make to tilt the scales definitively in its favour. Tactically, this was an unexceptionable move, considering that the NDA lacked the requisite numbers and the Opposition unity was being much touted and was waiting to be punctured. In the process, the Shiv Sena and the Akali Dal were initially sore with the BJP for having chosen the nominee from a party that had joined forces with the NDA only recently. That they stuck to voting for the NDA nominee stemmed from their realisation that JD-U support in the Upper House was sorely needed for the guaranteed success of the NDA in the prestigious election. The post of the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman has been lying vacant since the retirement of PJ Kurien on July 1 last. The clincher was the enlistment of support to their candidate by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) which had walked out of the Lok Sabha on the no-trust vote signifying its equi-distance from the Congress and the BJP. Now that the BJD has decided to swim with the NDA, there is a strong likelihood that even in the Lok Sabha polls due next year, the party of Naveen Patnaik may go with the ruling combine. This is despite the fact that the main challenge to the ruling BJD in Odisha in the polls ahead is from the BJP. Also Read | Meet Harivansh Narayan Singh, the new Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Significantly, Patnaik was won over to their side by telephonic persuasion by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Sometime ago, Nitish himself was dilly-dallying on whether to stay with the BJP or go back to the UPA but was wooed back by the NDA. The opposition camp drew support from the Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the DMK, Left parties, the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the NCP and Telugu Desam. The Aam Aadmi Partys three members decided to stay away when the Congress failed to approach the party. The BJP propped up its numbers with BJDs nine, AIADMKs 13 and TRS six besides the NDA constituents. Evidently, the Opposition is not gaining traction despite all the hoopla around it. It has yet to come up with an alternative blueprint for action and is distant from agreeing on a joint candidate to challenge Narendra Modi. By present indications, it could well leave the selection to after the elections which would grievously damage its cause. While the Congress is hoping to lead its own front, regional parties are looking at floating their own front as a third force. The defeat in the deputy leader of Rajya Sabha elections has further soured the pitch for anti-Modi forces. CLICK HERE for MORE OPINION New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has no place for Dalits in his heart and mind, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said on in Delhi and vowed that his party will fight for an India where there is place for everybody. All Dalits and people from the weaker sections know that the prime minister has no place for Dalits in his heart and mind and wants to crush Dalits. That is why we are standing against him, Rahul said. Also Read | Rahul Gandhi to inaugurate new Congress office 'Rajiv Bhawan' in Chhattisgarh The Congress president was addressing a Dalit protest over the dilution of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. The atrocities act was brought by the Congress and the party will protect it together with everybody, Rahul said, adding that Dalits are being crushed in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states. Read More | Harivansh Narayan Singh is new RS Deputy Chairman We dont want an India like this. We want an India in which there should be place for everybody, whether Dalits, poor, tribals or minorities... everybody should progress. We will fight for such an India, Rahul added. Meanwhile, Rahul will be visiting Chhattisgarh on Friday to inaugurate the newly built office of the state party in Raipur - Rajiv Bhawan. The Congress president will also visit Rajasthan on Saturday to launch the party's election campaign for the Assembly election in the state. Here, he will address scores of party leaders and workers from across the state in preparation for the elections. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Karachi: For the first time, divorced or widowed Hindu women in Pakistans Sindh provincce have been allowed to remarry under a landmark amendment made by the provincial assembly, a media report said. Earlier, divorced or widowed Hindu women were not permitted a second marriage. The Sindh Hindu Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2018 not only accords the right of separation to both the spouses, but also ensures the financial security of the wife and children, The Express Tribune reported. It was moved by Pakistan Muslim League-Functional leader Nand Kumar and passed by the assembly in March. Either party to Hindu marriage, whether solemnised before or after the commencement of this Act, may present a petition to the court praying for decree of judicial separation, according to the law. The law also places a general ban of underage marriages among members of the Hindu community. Also Read | Large protests by Hui Muslims halts demolition of mosque in China: Report The Hindu community had been protesting forced conversions and marriages of underage girls. This law has banned the marriage of minors from the Hindu community, said Nand Kumar. Kumar has also moved a bill against the forced conversions of members of religious minorities, but the bill was gathering dust in the Sindh Assembly secretariat. He said that before the enactment of this law, Hindu women were considered lesser mortals and not even accorded the right to divorce. The amendment to this law is aimed at getting rid of old and outdated customs, Kumar said. Pakistan Peoples Party chairperson Bilawal Bhutto and other party leaders also felicitated the last provincial assemblys lawmakers on the passage of the act, which was ratified by the Governor last week. Read More | First Muslim woman set to be elected to US Congress Before the passage of this law, there was no legal cover for Hindu marriages for the past seven decades. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: Kangana Ranaut might have an opinion about the countrys politics but the actor says she is does not see it as a career option. During her interaction with Yogi Sadhguru on Wednesday evening, Kangana addressed a range of topics, including lynching. When a reporter asked if she sees herself joining politics in the future, the actor told reporters, Politics shouldnt be a career. I feel if someone like me wants to join politics, then first of all they have to achieve detachment. The 31-year-old actor said one should give up ones family, home and children to best serve the country. Also Read | Karan Johar believes one must have a 'BROKEN HEART' to be a good actor Right now, I am so successful (in films) that I dont want to make career anywhere else. But if I want to serve my land then I cant do it if I have some vested interest in some other department. That becomes conflicting then. So, if people want to pursue politics they should, but they need to achieve some kind of renunciation, she said. Last week, she attended a screening of a film, based on the childhood of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where she spoke highly of him, calling him the rightful leader of the country. The actor also spoke about how its unfair that her contemporaries in Bollywood shy away from speaking about politics. Artistes always say that we should not talk about it (politics), we get into trouble but if (someone), who is so successful and has 25 cameras and media persons covering him or her, doesnt talk then who else will? Then why are you successful? Read More | Manmarziyaan Trailer OUT! Abhishek Bachchan, Vicky Kaushal, Taapsee Pannu in love triangle What does success mean to you? Just earning money, eating and having fun? You havent been kept at a pedestal so that you can live your small life easily, the people have kept you there so that you also think about them, she added. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Technology needs to be used as a tool by people to empower themselves and bring the government closer to them, according to experts who highlighted the need to realise its implications. Yamini Aiyar, chief executive of Centre for Policy Research, said there are challenges of what technology can do and what it can be used to do. She noted that technology can play a very crucial in both empowering people as well as disempowering them. Aiyar was speaking at an interaction covering different dimensions of the digital revolution. Also Read | Researchers find flaw in WhatsApp Underlining on the need to bridge the gap between new technologies and society, former foreign secretary Shyam Saran said one has to realise that internet also helps one in asserting themselves. Sunil Abraham, an Indian Open internet steward, and vice president of Leadership Programs at the Mozilla Foundation said people need to realise that just because technology is produced in a particular trajectory does not mean it is appropriate an need to know the implications. Technology needs to be used as a tool by people to empower themselves and bring the government closer to them, the experts said. New Delhi: Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday urged Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to support the bill on banning instant Triple Talaq and wondered if she stands for womens dignity and equality than why does her party continue to oppose the measure in Parliament. He also questioned demands to remove the provision of up to three-year jail term for husband for giving instant Triple Talaq to his wife. It is asked if the husband is jailed, who would take care of the wife. Under the Dowry Act, Muslim husbands and mothers-in-law go to jail, in Domestic Violence Act people go to jail ... Dont Muslim criminals go to jail in other offences ... why only raise the issue of Triple Talaq, he told reporters here. He said if Congress does not support the Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Marriage Bill, Gandhi should not talk of gender justice, dignity and equality. Prasad said the bill should not be opposed by Sonia Gandhi, Mayawati and Mamata Banerjee as it seeks to achieve gender equality. Also Read | Centre adds safeguards in Triple Talaq Bill Provision of bail was one of the demands of the opposition parties Seeking to allay their fears, the government today approved certain safeguards in the bill such as adding a provision of bail for the accused before trial. The minister said in 2017, a total of 389 cases of instant Triple Talaq were reported. Between January and August last year, 229 cases were reported. This shows that the bill is required even after the Supreme Court struck down Triple Talaq as illegal. Even after the bill was introduced, 160 cases were reported. The bill has been cleared by Lok Sabha and pending approval of Rajya Sabha where the government lacks numbers. Read More | Congress says will support triple talaq bill if alimony provision added Friday is the last day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament and the government could introduce amendments in Rajya Sabha. If the bill is cleared by the upper house, it will have to go back to Lok Sabha for approval of the amendments. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: It is not only crime against women, but also crime at all level is on the rise in Delhi. In a second case of shooting in the national capital since Wednesday, a shopkeeper in East Delhi has been shot dead by two unidentified bike-borne assailants, police said. On Wednesday, a man was shot dead in South Delhi. The latest shooting incident occurred at Ghazipur Dairy Farm area around 11:30 pm on Wednesday. The shopkeeper was identified as 32-year-old Shamin, police said. Shamin and his cousin were standing outside the shop when the two men came and shot at them after picking up a fight, a senior police officer said. Also Read | Bharat Bandh: Dalit group AIAM call off protest Shamin's body has been sent for post-mortem and a case registered. CCTV footage are being scanned and the police are investigating if it was a case of personal enmity. Earlier on 8 August, a man was allegedly shot dead following a fight that broke out among some youths in South Delhi. Following the incident two people were arrested and a juvenile apprehended. The incident took place at Tigri area around 10 pm. The victim and the accused are said to be distant relatives, police said. (With inputs from agencies) New Delhi: A bill to amend the law for speedy disposal of commercial disputes and seeking to reduce the pecuniary jurisdiction of commercial courts from Rs 1 crore to Rs 3 lakh was passed by Parliament on Friday. The bill, passed in the Lok Sabha in July 31, was adopted in the Raya Sabha by voice vote amid opposition demand for strengthening the necessary infrastructure for speedy disposal of cases. Also Read | BJP blames Rahul Gandhi for Triple Talaq Bill not being passed Replying to the debate on the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts (Amendment) bill 2018, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said small businesses should get their disputes redressed like the big ones. Maintaining that efforts were being made to improve the court infrastructure, he said under a central scheme, 42 per cent of the Rs 6,302 crore was given to the states for infrastructure development in the last four years alone. Even measures to fill up vacant posts of judges in the higher judiciary were being undertaken, he said. However, the government has no powers to address the vacancies in subordinate courts where the 5,000 posts are lying vacant at present, he said. Prasad suggested that an All India Judiciary Exam will help address the current problem but big courts are opposing to this idea. Earlier while introducing the bill for consideration, Prasad said that commercial disputes need to be redressed faster at a time when the countrys economy is growing at a faster rate. Also Read | NCW to train 60,000 women to promote digital literacy: Maneka Gandhi Participating in the debate, Bhubaneswar Kalita (Cong) expressed concern over the government taking the ordinance route frequently to bring amendments to various laws. He, however, supported the bill saying it was necessary considering the increase in financial disputes. He pointed out that reducing the pecuniary jurisdiction of commercial courts to 3 lakh will overburden the courts. Harshavardhan Singh Dungarpur (BJP), A Vijay Kumar (AIADMK), Ramnath Takur (JD-U), Manjoj Kumar Jha (RJD) and D Raja (CPI) also participated in the debate For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: With Stalin as its new leader after a span of 50 long years, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam celebrates a new era. It must be said to late M Karunanidhis credit that though he retained the leadership of the DMK in his hands till his last breath, he did leave behind a clear successor, his youngest of three sons, M K Stalin, who he groomed assiduously and christened as working president in 2016. That was not easy because his elder son M K Azhagiri was a contender for leadership and had to be ejected from the party to clear the field for Stalin. ALSO READ: With a succession plan, post-Karunanidhi DMK rallies around Stalin On the stipulation that his political heir would be from within the family, Karunanidhi was never prepared to compromise. There was a time when Vaiko was riding high in the DMK. But it was the partisan attitude of Karunanidhi in favour of Stalin that forced Vaiko to quit the party since he found no future in it for himself. This is reminiscent of late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, who anointed his son Uddhav in preference to his nephew Raj Thackeray even though the latter was looked upon as being more dynamic and a better organiser and hence well suited as his political heir. Stalin is accepted within the DMK as Karunanidhis successor by the DMK cadres and the attempts by Azhagiri to challenge him failed to find favour in the DMK. Even within the extended Karunanidhi family, Stalins position is well recognised. ALSO READ: Why Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan cant replace Karunanidhi? However, so overweening was Karunanidhis influence that Stalin always lived under his shadow and never came out of it in his lifetime. Consequently, his ability or lack of it is essentially untested. Stalin, indeed, has not held many positions during his over five decades in politics (he had plunged into student politics at the age of 14). He was the mayor of Chennai Corporation between 1996 and 2002, was the minister of municipal administration and rural development in 2006. He was appointed Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister in 2009. Initially appointed as secretary of the DMK youth wing in 1984, he was elected DMK deputy general secretary in 2003. Stalin has been the treasurer of the party since 2008. ALSO READ: Karunanidhi: Tamil leader who scripted superhit political potboiler Stalin has taken effective charge of the party at a time when it is poised to recover lost ground after the demise of his familys arch-rival AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa, with her successors making a total mess of governance. It is now up to him to capitalise on the situation when there is a virtual power vacuum in the state. It is more or less certain that he will go into the Lok Sabha elections in combination with the opposition alliance opposed to the BJP. While other parties in the alliance would make little difference to the fortunes of the DMK, it remains to be seen whether aligning or sharing seats with the Congress would bring his party any dividends. With 39 seats at stake from Tamil Nadu, the party winning a lions share of the seats in the Lok Sabha can have considerable bargaining position in the Lower House. Stalin has a challenge on his hands in forging the right alliance and making the right moves. The Assembly polls will come later and would be crucial for the partys fortunes. The DMK must come up with a credible and effective campaign to win the hearts of the voters and to defeat the challenge of the AIADMK. Stalin would indeed be on test, more in the coming months than ever before with Karunanidhis departure from the scene. READ MORE OPINION New Delhi: The first week of August is celebrated as the World Breastfeeding Week across country. World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action pronounced the first-very World Breastfeeding Week in 1992. Since then, the campaign has veraciously spread awareness about breastfeeding. The social campaign runs to encourage breastfeeding to the babies and improve the health of babies around the globe. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeed for the first six months to nourish the health of babies. Here are the ten benefit facts of breastfeeding: Paris: French hotel and restaurant owners are lobbying the government to regularise more illegal migrants in order to fill 100,000 jobs for which they have found no French takers. Were facing a huge shortage in our sector, Roland Heguy, president of the hotel industry body UMIH, told AFP. Companies are finding no one, which is why we want to facilitate the integration of refugees in our businesses, he said. France, like many developed economies, is struggling to fill low-paid, manual jobs. Turnover is high in the hospitality sector, where kitchen work and cleaning jobs are seen as particularly unattractive by many. Also Read | Shanghai heat turns shopping street into giant slumber party At a meeting with government in mid-July, industry representatives called for measures to make it easier to hire migrants. In an interview on Wednesday, Heguy said the industry was in a position to issue 100,000 job contracts straight away, half of them for permanent positions and half for seasonal jobs. France received a record 100,000 asylum requests in 2017, up 17 per cent from the year before. Under French law, refugees can work once they get their papers but asylum-seekers must wait nine months after filing their claim for refugee status before taking up a job. Read More | US hits Russia with sanctions over nerve agent attack in Britain An immigration bill passed by parliament last weekbut which President Emmanuel Macron has yet to sign into lawcuts the waiting time to six months. The CGT, Frances biggest trade union, said it supported the idea of regularising undocumented workers but said employers also needed to try to make low-paid jobs more attractive. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kabul: Afghan security forces are continuing to crack out at the Taliban, a terror group. Security forces have gunned down 25 Taliban militants in Kunduz and Nimruz provinces. The militants include the Taliban governor. Afghanistan's Deputy Spokesman for the Defence Ministry Fawad Aman said this on Saturday. He said, 11 terrorists, including the Taliban governor of the province, were killed in an encounter with jawans of Afghanistan National Defence and Security Force and public rebel forces in Dasht Archie district of Kunduz province on Friday night. He said, 14 militants, including Taliban Governor Abdul Khaliq, were killed in an Air Force attack on a gathering of Taliban militants in Jaranj town of Nimruz province. With this, Taliban attacks on Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan province, and Tablain, the capital of Takhar province, were foiled by security forces last night. Several militants were killed and several others injured in a counter-offensive by security forces on the outskirts of the cities. The Taliban has been witnessing a spurt in attacks since the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan began in May. Afghan troops are also gearing up to prevent Taliban violence and are eliminating terrorists by carrying out air and ground operations almost every day. Lebanese army mentions Israel fires 40 artillery shells into southern Lebanon 'Pick up the girl you want over 12 years,' Taliban enforces Sharia law in its occupied area Afghan at dangerous turning point as the war entered a new phase, Says UN envoy Heavy fighting between Afghan security forces and the Taliban in the city of Sheberghan, the capital of Jawzjan province, continued for a second straight day on Saturday. The Taliban took over the provincial Governor's compound on Friday, but it was re-taken by Afghan forces. Since the fighting started on Thursday, the Taliban has thus far captured some key areas, including the provincial prison, according to media reports. The security forces are being supported by public forces loyal to Junbish-e-Milli or the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan led by former Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum. Some key areas in the city remained contested for the last 24 hours. Sources have said that the Taliban recaptured the compound and a municipality building. At least 150 members of the public uprising forces loyal to Junbish and led by Commander Ali Sarwar have arrived in Sheberghan to help other forces on the ground, TOLO News quoted a senior official as saying. Dostum's son Yar Mohammad is leading the public uprising forces. The group took over Zaranj city, the capital of Nimroz province, on Friday that was the first province to fall to the Taliban since the announcement of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Israel attacks Hamas sites in Gaza in response to arson balloons Joe Biden administration extends a student loan payment pause Israeli PM Bennett appoints president's brother new ambassador to US Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore was born on 7 May 1861 in Kolkata, undivided Bengal. Rabindranath Tagore was a poet, novelist, playwright, painter, and philosopher. Rabindranath Tagore was the first person in Asia to be awarded the Nobel Prize. At the age of eight he wrote his first poem, at the age of sixteen he started writing stories and plays. In his life, he wrote a thousand poems, eight novels, eight-story collections, and many articles on different subjects. Not only this, but Rabindranath Tagore was also a music lover and he wrote more than 2000 songs in his life. Two songs written by him are today the national anthems of India and Bangladesh. For 51 years of his life, all his achievements and successes were confined to Kolkata and its surrounding area only. At the age of 51, he was going to England with his son. While traveling from India to England by sea, he started translating his poetry collection Gitanjali into English. He had no motive behind translating Gitanjali, he started translating Gitanjali just out of a need of doing something to pass the time. He himself translated Gitanjali into English in a notebook. While getting off the ship in London, his son forgot to take off the suitcase in which the notebook was kept. But it was not written in the fate of this historical masterpiece to be lost in a closed suitcase. The person who got the suitcase himself delivered that suitcase to Rabindranath Tagore the very next day. When Tagore's English friend in London, the painter Rothenstein, learned that Gitanjali had been translated by Rabindranath Tagore himself, he expressed his desire to read it. After reading Gitanjali, Rothenstein became infatuated with it. He met his friend W.B. Told Yeats about Gitanjali and gave him the notebook to read as well. What happened after that is recorded in history. Yeats himself wrote the foreword to the original English version of Gitanjali. In September 1912, a limited number of copies of the English translation of Gitanjali were printed in collaboration with the India Society. The book was widely praised in the literary circles of London. Soon the melodious words of Gitanjali mesmerized the whole world. For the first time, the western world saw a glimpse of Indian intelligence. Rabindranath Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1913, a year after the publication of Gitanjali. Tagore was not only a great creative person, but he was also the first person who did the work of becoming a bridge between the eastern and western worlds. Tagore is a great beacon of literature, art, and music not only of India but of the whole world, which will continue to give light to eternity. Raj Kundra Case: Sherlyn Chopra reveals new exposures in 8-hour inquiry Yo-Yo Honey Singh breaks silence on wife's allegations, requests this to fans and public MP Weather Update: Today, these 17 districts may receive torrential rains Guwahati: The Border Security Force (BSF) on Saturday arrested 10 Bangladeshi nationals along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam. Among them are 5 children and four women who were trying to cross the border without a valid document. According to BSF, 192 battalion personnel deployed under Guwahati frontier have arrested these Bangladeshi nationals. State that BSF jawans are deployed to protect the Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Pakistan border and prevent illegal infiltration and illegal activities like smuggling of drugs, weapons, animals, fake Indian notes. Earlier on Friday also, an attempt to smuggle was foiled by BSF near Satbhandari outpost on the Guwahati border. Based on intelligence inputs, BSF personnel launched a special operation on Friday morning, which was followed by a breakthrough. The jawans seized 25 kg of ganja which was being transported from India to Bangladesh. India and Bangladesh share a 4,096 km long international border with each other, the fifth-longest land border in the world. It has a 263 km border in Assam, 856 km in Tripura, 318 km in Mizoram, 443 km in Meghalaya, and 2,217 km in West Bengal. Assam's 263 km long border with Bangladesh has 143.9 km of land and 119.1 km of water. Also Read: Jhanvi Kapoor shares black and white photoshoot pictures on social media This Asian Country becoming hotspot for Covid, records 22,320 cases in past 24 hours Talibans forcibly removed nishan sahib from gurdwara New Delhi: Cambodia's Health Minister Mam Bunheng said in a statement that Cambodia has lifted the ban on Indian travelers following a decline in cases of new corona infections. According to the Xinhua news agency, PM Hun Sen has approved the lifting of the ban. In a statement late on Friday night, Bunheng said the effect of lifting the ban will take effect from Saturday. The Southeast Asian country of Cambodia banned the entry of foreign passengers from India to Cambodia at the end of April to prevent the spread of the infection of delta variants of the Coronavirus. Tell you that Cambodia has been reeling under the third wave of the epidemic since February 20. According to the Health Ministry, a total of 80,813 confirmed cases have been registered in the country so far, out of which 1,526 deaths have been reported while 74,045 have been recovered. On the other hand, India has registered 38,628 new cases of Corona Virus Disease (Covid-19) in the last 24 hours, taking the number of infected people across the country to 31,895,385, while the death toll has gone up to 4,27,371 with 617 deaths in the last 24 hours. 'America will suffer if we leave us..', Pakistan's Foreign Minister threatens US Jeff Bezos, world's richest man outclassed by this French businessman Lebanese army mentions Israel fires 40 artillery shells into southern Lebanon A massive fire engulfed Nepal's oldest biscuit company Nebico on Saturday morning. Smoke nosedived into the sky which was apparent from various parts of the capital. Fire tenders from all three municipalities rushed to the spot, along with those of security agencies and water trucks used for household stocks also moved it but the fire kept on burning for hours. Till late Saturday morning, fire brigades proceeded to fight to contain the fire. "We were reported about the incident at around 2:15 am and we have reached the spot by 2:20 am and continued the effort to douse the fire," Nirmal Budhathoki, DSP at Balaju Metropolitan Police informed. Located inside Balaju Industrial Area, firefighters tried to contain the fire by using all state and security mechanisms. "We have requested and called in other security agencies- the Armed Police Force, Nepal Army, firefighters and other mechanisms to contain the fire," Deputy Superintendent of Nepal Police, Budhathoki added. Established in 1964 as the first biscuit company of the Himalayan Nation, Nebicoalso has been providing confectioneries and biscuits to the Nepal Army. Situated inside Balaju Industrial Area in Kathmandu, the company claims that it occupies 73,000 square feet of land with an installed capacity of 2400MT per day. "We are still not able to access the estimated loss as the fire is still out of control. We also are not in the mental condition to access or point out the reason or the site from where the fire started as we are mentally disrupted. It indeed has left everyone shattered and are in a situation of grief," Arun Paudel, Brand Manager at the company told the media. "There are highly inflammable inside the factory, such as ghee, flour, sugar, cartoons which easily catches fire which has created confusion about when will the fire brought under control. We are continuously attempting to bring it under control," DSP Budhathoki said. Janhvi Kapoor shares black and white photoshoot pictures on social media KELTRON collaborates with NPOL to manufacture Defence equipment This Asian Country becoming hotspot for Covid, records 22,320 cases in past 24 hours Gurugram: A case of kidnapping and raping a Class X student on the pretext of getting tuitions in Gurugram in Haryana adjoining the national capital Delhi has come to light. Police have registered a case at Sector-10A police station on the complaint of the victim and arrested the accused and sent him to jail. The mother of the student, originally from Nepal, in her complaint to the police, said that her 17-year-old daughter is a class X student. At the same time, a young man from Uttar Pradesh was studying in the school and was now working after completing his studies. The accused youth used to talk to his daughter frequently. She wanted to study tuitions to get better results in class X. Both the parents of the student work. He approached the accused youth to get tuitions done. The accused said after being identified by a teacher from Kadipur. It is alleged that on Thursday, the accused youth took the student in a car with him to a deserted house in Kadipur on the pretext of talking to the teacher and took her there and raped the student. When the student did not return till late in the evening, the family members worried about her and reached Kadipur looking for her daughter. The student was coming back to her house crying. She narrated the ordeal to her mother and the duo then lodged a police complaint. Police said the accused will be punished severely in the case. Woman's body found in room on rent, police stated chances of murder Tokyo Olympics: Aditi Ashok, who missed the medal, spilled the pain Country reeling under third wave of corona, lifted ban on passengers, freeing doors to India Kabul: Amid Taliban violence in Afghanistan, India has called Pakistan a haven for terrorists without naming it in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). India's permanent representative to the United Nations and president of the UNSC for august TS Tirumurthy has said that responsibility for those who harbor terror needs to be fixed. Referring indirectly to Pakistan, Tirumurthy stressed on immediate destruction of terrorist sanctuaries in the region and disrupting the supply chain of terrorists to restore peace in Afghanistan. He said there is a need to ensure that Afghanistan's neighboring country and region are not threatened by terrorism, separatism, and extremism. All forms of terrorism need not be tolerated at all. He further said, "It is equally necessary to ensure that the territory of Afghanistan is not used by terrorist organizations to attack any other country. Terrorist organizations must be held accountable for material and financial assistance. Tirumurthy asked the 15-member UNSC to take stock of the situation and decide on the international community, especially the council, and action that helps in a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire and ensure an immediate halt to violence. Any deficiency will pose a serious threat to regional peace and security. SC issues notice for reimbursing teachers 70 pc salary in Rajasthan Good news for Army Jawans, transfer to place of choice now- Home Ministry's big decision IMD issues 'Orange Alert' as Kerala reels under another crisis after Corona New Delhi: The Taliban has succumbed to international pressure in the case of the removal of Nishan Sahib at Thala Sahib Gurudwara in Afghanistan. Now the organization has re-established Nishan Sahib with full respect at Thala Sahib Gurudwara. The Government of India had strongly objected to the removal of Nishan Sahib from Gurudwara. Taliban terror continues in Afghanistan. Last Friday, Taliban militants removed Nishan Sahib from gurudwara in Paktia province. Thereafter, the Government of India had strongly objected to this issue. It is said that after India and international pressure, some Taliban leaders along with their fighters reached there. He then put Nishan Sahib back there. Meanwhile, the caretaker of the Gurudwara said that some Taliban men came there and discussed the issue and asked for re-installation of Nishan Sahib. He also said that they have also given their mobile numbers so that there is no such problem any further. In fact, since the return of American troops, the Taliban's efforts in Afghanistan have intensified. Many cities here are witnessing continuous violence. The battle between the Taliban and Afghan security forces is continuing. Amidst such situations, India has expressed concern over the fragile situation in Afghanistan. This Asian Country becoming hotspot for Covid, records 22,320 cases in past 24 hours Aditya Narayan to host this famous reality show after Indian Idol 12 Karnataka cabinet portfolio: Bommai takes finance, Aaraga Jnanendra is HM The US State Department has announced the addition of five alleged Islamist militants to its Specially Designated Global Terrorist list, requiring the blocking of any ownership or interests in American properties they hold. According to the Department, Omar leads the Military and External Affairs Departments for IS-Mozambique and serves as the senior commander and lead coordinator for all attacks conducted by the group, as well as the lead facilitator and communications conduit. The reports add that Hitta is a senior leader and commander responsible for the Kidal region in Mali within JNIM. He was among the group responsible for the January 20, 2019, attack on the MINUSMA base in Aguelhoc, Mali. He was also responsible for hostages in the Kidal Region, said the State Department. Breihmatt is a JNIM senior leader and emir of Arbinda and Serma in the Mopti region of Mali. He is also charged with the oversight of the group in Burkina Faso and is an explosives expert and instructor. Rage is al-Shabaab's spokesman and a senior leader of the group. He replaced Sheikh Mukhtar Robowas al-Shabaab's top spokesman in May 2009. Afghanistan: Taliban continue attacks on the provincial capital Israel attacks Hamas sites in Gaza in response to arson balloons Israeli PM Bennett appoints president's brother new ambassador to US (Bloomberg) -- Chinese startups hungry for foreign capital are increasingly turning to Hong Kong as hurdles to list in the U.S. multiply. But not every firm will make the cut, and those that do might have to settle for lower valuations. Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd. makes far more stringent demands on companies planning a listing than its New York peers. Firms likely to struggle include unprofitable startups with little revenue such as those developing autonomous driving cars, or companies in industries including ride-hailing, which operate in a legal gray zone. Take for example Didi Global Inc., whose U.S. listing triggered a cascade of regulatory action from Beijing. The Softbank-backed ride-hailing giant had explored the feasibility of a Hong Kong listing before it settled for the U.S., said people with knowledge of the matter. Didi found it hard to satisfy Hong Kongs requirement that its operations be legally compliant given Chinas complex licensing norms for businesses, vehicles and drivers. Its smaller rival, Dida Inc., has run into similar problems. When the company applied in October to list in Hong Kong, questions from the exchange over compliance with local Chinese regulations were a sticking point, people familiar with the matter said. Didas application lapsed in April, though it has since re-applied. In the U.S., the Securities and Exchange Commission simply demands a full disclosure of the risks. The Hong Kong regulators take a slightly more paternalistic approach to approving IPOs, said Vivian Yiu, a Hong Kong-based partner at Morrison & Foerster, who focuses on equity offerings in Hong Kong and mergers and acquisitions. And in some ways, the exchange is getting tougher. HKEX will raise the annual profit requirement for a main board listing and has vowed to crack down on suspicious IPO activities such as inflating the market capitalization of firms. Still, boosting Hong Kongs appeal are signs Beijing wont require a cybersecurity review for firms listing in the Asian hub as it overhauls rules for foreign IPOs. Many speculate the increased scrutiny will be used to end the flood of Chinese companies going public in New York, particularly technology firms that control reams of user data. At the U.S. end, regulators are also demanding new disclosures before signing off on listings. Story continues Chinese on-demand logistic and delivery firm Lalamove and vegetable supplier Meicai are both weighing rerouting their planned U.S. market debuts to Hong Kong, Bloomberg reported last month. Switching venues will be tough for some companies. Driverless car startup Pony.ai, which had previously explored a plan to go public in the U.S., may have to rely on private funding for a few more years before it qualifies for a Hong Kong IPO, a person familiar with the matter said. Representatives for Didi and Dida didnt respond to requests for a comment. A representative for Pony.ai said the company has no confirmation and timeline for going public. The lack of clear IPO prospects for some Chinese startups will likely turn off global venture capital and private equity firms. Signs of cooling appetite are emerging and some investors rattled by Chinas sweeping regulatory changes are even looking to offload private stakes in TikTok parent ByteDance Ltd. and other Chinese tech companies, according to advisory firm Setter Capital. Bytedance is working to comply with data security requirements before going public, Bloomberg News reported in July. Beijings clampdown on the tech giants including Tencent and Alibaba has slashed valuations in the sector. Earnings multiples of traditional finance companies would value Ant Group Co. between $29 billion and $115 billion, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Francis Chan. Thats well below the $320 billion that it was expected to fetch last year before its IPO was pulled. Shares in Tencent were further pressured this week after a report in a state-owned newspaper suggested online gaming would be the next target of authorities. Tencent is down 19% this year and Alibaba has slid 17% in Hong Kong. Valuations are becoming harder to gauge as many startups refrain from raising new funds in the face of rising regulatory uncertainty. Yet multiples are typically higher in New York than Hong Kong, in part because the U.S. market offers deeper liquidity and a larger pool of investors. Chinese online travel agency Trip.com Group is one example. Its U.S. depositary receipts trade at about 49 times estimated forward earnings for the end of the year, versus 46 for its Hong Kong shares. The U.S.-traded stock is benchmarked against larger rivals such as Booking Holdings Inc., which has a forward price-earnings multiple of 67. The big question is if companies list in Hong Kong whether they will get valuations as compelling as in the U.S., said Yiu, the partner at Morrison & Foerster. 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. Trucking, logistics, and airfreight companies are collectively owed hundreds of thousands of dollars after a Texas freight forwarder filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this week. Atlantic Worldwide Shipping LLC of Houston filed its petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas on Tuesday. In its filing, the freight forwarder lists its assets as between $100,000 and $500,000 and its liabilities as between $1 million and $10 million. The company states that it has up to 49 creditors and maintains that funds will be available for distribution to unsecured creditors. The freight forwarder's list of secured creditors includes North Mill Credit Trust of Mill Valley, California, which owed nearly $87,000 for a 2020 Freightliner, and the U.S. Small Business Administration, headquartered in Washington, owed $149,000. Among Atlantic Worldwide Shipping's top nonpriority unsecured creditors are: Al Shamali International Freight Services LLC of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, owed more than $1.4 million; logistics payment platform PayCargo LLC of Miami, owed over $745,000; and CaroTrans International of Houston, owed more than $18,000. It also owes Landstar Systems Inc. of Jacksonville, Florida, nearly $8,000. Atlantic Worldwide Shipping's bankruptcy petition lists several trucking companies among its priority unsecured creditors, which include: Kukhianidze Transportation of Morrisville, Pennsylvania, owed nearly $4,300; Z7 Transportation Inc. of Glendale, California, owed over $2,000; and Manukyan Transportation Inc., also of Glendale, owed $1,900. According to Atlantic Worldwide Shipping's financials, its gross revenues from Jan. 1 until its bankruptcy filing date are over $450,000. Its petition states the company made nearly $2.1 million in 2020 and around $2.2 million in 2019. Madhavadas Nair is listed as the general manager of Atlantic Worldwide Shipping. As of publication, Nair did not respond to FreightWaves' request seeking comment. Story continues Legal Woes The company is battling four breaches of contract lawsuits that are pending against Atlantic Worldwide Shipping and Prijl Kumar Sasidharan, a codebtor of the company, from Missouri City, Texas. Merchant Capital of Brooklyn, New York, filed suit in Nassau County Supreme Court in Mineola, New York, for nearly $105,000. Breach of contract suits filed against Atlantic Worldwide Shipping in Kings County Supreme Court in Brooklyn are by Tiger Capital Group LLC of Flushing, New York, owed nearly $410,000; Stat Capital Funding of Brooklyn, owed nearly $207,000; and Novus Capital Funding LLC of New City, New York, owed over $70,000. A creditors' meeting is scheduled for Aug. 26. See related articles: Truckers owed hundreds of thousands after glass fabricator, affiliates file bankruptcy Trucking, logistics firms owed thousands after freight forwarder files Chapter 7 Ohio transportation company, 3 trucking affiliates file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Illinois trucking company with history of HOS violations files Chapter 7 Click for more articles by Clarissa Hawes. Image by Pexels from Pixabay See more from Benzinga 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Colorado Springs, CO (80903) Today Clear to partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 57F. SSE winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Clear to partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 57F. SSE winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 15 mph. 1. FDA action. If the FDA gives final approval to the vaccines, it will reduce hesitancy. 2. Offer money. Offering a cash stipend has worked in some areas. Expand the effort. 3. Employer mandates. If workers are required to get the shot, the rate will increase. 4. Better messaging. An advertising blitz by respected officials might pay off. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say, since some are adamantly opposed to getting vaccinated. Vote View Results EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 2021 World Health Securitythe Common Interest, the Common Responsibility Aug. 6, 2021 (EIRNS)Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday sent a written message to the International Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine Cooperation, at which the announcement was made that China would be providing 2 billion doses, and $100 million in funds to COVAX this year. Xi made the overall point that vaccines are a global public good, and that health security is in the common interest of all. This is exactly the vantage point from which Schiller Institute President Helga Zepp-LaRouche initiated the Committee for the Coincidence of Opposites in the early months of the pandemic, to stress the higher, common interest involved, and also to mobilize forces to take this up as their shared responsibility. Speaking on how it can help people overcome their limited focus on lesser battles, in a presentation at the July 31 international Schiller Institute conference, she said of collaboration on health security, who can refuse this? Now, the necessity of collaborative action for biosecurity is seen in a new disease outbreak in the food supply. In July, Africa swine fever (ASF), a virus disease of pigs, for which there is no vaccine, showed up in the Caribbean, the first time in 40 years it has appeared in the Americas. It is in 11 provinces of the Dominican Republic. The microbe is very transmissible among animals, and also via contaminated clothes, shoes, scraps, etc. The only recourse is to mass kill and dispose of the pigs. It does not hurt humans directly, but pork is a major part of the food supply. China experienced a loss of 50% of its swineherd in 2018-2019, successfully beating back ASF; and has since rebuilt its herds. But the Caribbeanwell as Africa, where ASF has been endemiccannot do this under the current destructive economic system, which has suppressed development, and now, under the Green Deal, orders people to die off, in the name of saving the Earth. The point is, morality and natural law are one. With the human response of compassion and creative action, the means to not only solve crises, and also to expand in numbers and levels of living standards and creativity are ensured. Look at the dimensions of what must be taken care of, from recent CDC data: Water: Over 3 billion people are unable to wash their hands safely at home. Some 785 million have no access to basic water services; 885 million people do not have safe drinking water. Sanitation: Over 2 billion people have no access to basic sanitation services. Food: Over 800 million people are food insecure, that is, their supplies are insufficient and/or unreliable. More than 40 million are near the point of starvation this year. Electricity: More than 940 million people, 13% of the worlds population, have no electricity. Of the 87% who have electricity, millions have it intermittently, and at low power. Add to this picture the COVID-19 pandemic, which, as of 18 months ago, has infected 200 million people, with 4.2 million deaths, by official count, which understates the true numbers. Mutations and new outbreaks of other infectious diseases continue. In the United States capital yesterday, orders were given for thousands of residents to boil their water, because their District of Columbia central water was unsafe. Economic development is an imperative. The special strategic opportunity, at present, is for reconstruction and development to mark the future of Afghanistan, after decades of enforced strife and suffering. Today in Turkmenistan, there was a meeting of the five nations north of Afghanistan, at the Third Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan.) They discussed upgrading energy systems and corridors of transit, as well as collaboration against the pandemic. Hussein Askary, Schiller Institute liaison for Southwest Asia, struck the same theme on the significance of supporting Afghanistan as the place where a new order can develop. Speaking on a Hong Kong-based podcast yesterday, Askary said: Now there is intensive diplomacy to make sure that the different parties in Afghanistan can come to the conclusion, that none of them can control the country totally. And its better for them to have a reconciliation process. But right now, what China, Russia and the neighbors of Afghanistan can doand the United States can do, if they wishwhat they can do, is help the Afghanis rebuild their country, and that paves the way to stability. Were Back! All Nine LACCD Colleges Hosting First-Ever Simultaneous Open House Registration Fairs Together on August 7, 9 A.M.-1 P.M. Were back! Were Open! Were ready for You! For the first time in the history of the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), all nine LACCD colleges are hosting simultaneous, in-person Open House Registration Fairs, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday, August 7, 2021. The Red Carpet is out for anyone interested in attending college to visit one, two or even three or more of our colleges on August 7. Now is the perfect time to get your career or higher education goals back on track! Free tours, free food, music and free giveaways are planned as part of the simultaneous events. College officials, enrollment experts, financial aid counselors and faculty will be there to talk about why the LACCD Colleges of Los Angeles are the right choice for you. ADVERTISEMENT Free COVID-19 vaccination clinics also will be available to everyone. Any LACCD student who gets vaccinated at the Open House Registration Fairs is eligible to receive up to $150 for getting vaccinated. Many of the colleges also will be offering additional vaccination incentives on Aug. 7. And dont be surprised if you bump into LACCD Chancellor Francisco C. Rodriguez, Ph.D., who plans to stop at several of the colleges throughout the day for the simultaneous Open House Registration Fairs on Aug. 7. Each college will have personnel available to help you apply. If you already applied and have your unique student ID number, enrollment experts will also be there to help you develop a flexible education schedule that meets your needs for the Fall 2021 Semester. ADVERTISEMENT Each of the nine colleges will have a variety of on-campus, in-person classes as well as online, remote instruction and hybrid class options for the Fall 2021 Semester. LACCD offers guaranteed admission and our special Los Angeles College Promise program (LACP) provides tuition-free education for all new, first-time, full-time students and free laptops. We have many other financial aid opportunities too. Read the LACP digital welcome kits in English and Spanish. All LACCD students who get vaccinated now are eligible for $75, or $150 if they bring a friend or family member to get vaccinated too, thanks to a partnership between the Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges and Kaiser Permanente. To date, more than 550 LACCD students have already taken advantage of this valuable offer. Students must be able to show they were vaccinated July 1, 2021, or later, and apply for the incentive using the LACCD student portal ( MyCollege.laccd.edu ) and the form under the Scholarship / Foundation link. U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order Thursday to make half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 carbon-free. He also proposed new vehicle-emission rules to cut pollution through 2026. Bidens goal won the support of major U.S. and foreign carmakers. But carmakers also said the change would require billions of dollars in government funding. "We have got to act," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in an interview on the television business news channel CNBC. The 10-year goal, he added, is urgently needed for the country to meet its climate goals. In a joint statement, three major car companies based in Detroit, Michigan, said they would seek to have 40 to 50 percent of new vehicle sales by 2030 be electric models. The companies were General Motors, Ford and Chryslers parent company, Stellantis NV. Bidens 50-percent goal and the carmakers stated goal include three kinds of electric vehicles, also known as EV. Biden has repeatedly resisted calls from many Democrats to make electric vehicles a requirement. He has also resisted following the state of California and some countries in setting 2035 as the final year for selling new gasoline-powered light duty vehicles. The United Auto Workers (UAW) union has pushed back against such aims. UAW President Ray Curry said his group wants to keep in place jobs "that have been the heart and soul of the American middle class. Bidens order sets a new date for making new emissions rules through at least 2030 for light duty vehicles. For larger vehicles, it could be as early as 2027. Dan Becker is director of the Safe Climate Transport Campaign. He noted that Bidens order is not backed by law. Car companies would need to make changes voluntarily. He compared the non-legality of the order to a person making a New Years resolution. In other words, the companies would only have to answer to themselves. The three carmakers in Detroit said they can only meet the high EV sales goals with billions of dollars in government incentives. They said the incentives would need to include aid to car buyers, EV charging networks, investments in research and more. South Korean carmaker Hyundai said it supports the 40- to 50-percent electric vehicle sales goal by 2030. Toyota said in a statement the goal was "great for the environment" and that it would do its part. At the same time, U.S. officials hope to change former President Donald Trump's March 2020 cut to clean fuel standards. Trump required 1.5 percent yearly increases in cleaner fuel through 2026. That is far below the five percent yearly increases set in 2012 by President Barack Obama's administration. Car companies BMW, Honda, Volkswagen, Ford and Volvo said in a joint statement they support the Biden administration's EV goal. But they said the federal government must take real action to create public demand. Biden has called for $174 billion in government spending to increase EVs, including $100 billion in buyer incentives. A Senate infrastructure bill includes $7.5 billion for EV charging stations. But it does not include money for new public incentives. Im Jonathan Evans. Reuters news agency reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. __________________________________________________________ Word in This Story emission n. the act of producing or releasing something (such as energy or gas) from a source interview n. a meeting between a reporter and another person in order to get information for a news story union n. an organization of workers formed to protect the rights and interests of its members resolution n. a promise to yourself that you will make a serious effort to do something that you should do incentive n. something that encourages a person to do something infrastructure n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country or region to function properly The U.S. Congress passed the Voting Rights Act in 1965. Within months of its approval, the law permitted hundreds of thousands of African Americans to register to vote. But as the law turns 56 this month, voting rights supporters say the legislation faces the most serious dangers yet to its existence. One threat is a set of restrictive voting rules passed by Republican-controlled states across the nation. The other is a conservative-controlled Supreme Court which has steadily lessened the legal protections under the law. State legislation to limit voting rights The Brennan Center for Justice reported that nearly 400 bills described as election reform have been introduced in 49 states this year. Of these bills, 30 have been signed into law in 18 states. The center said the laws will make it harder for Americans to vote. They include restrictions on mail voting and early voting. They also add stronger voter identification requirements and make it easier to remove certain voters. Democrats called the new laws a form of voter suppression. In Texas, Democratic lawmakers even left the state to prevent the Republican majority from holding a vote. U.S. President Joe Biden criticized the bills as an assault on hard-won voting rights. Speaking from Philadelphia in July, Biden said, "The 21st century Jim Crow assault is real. The term was about the 19th- and 20th-century racial segregation laws. It is now used to describe voter suppression moves. Republican officials behind the laws say they are meant to prevent fraud and bring back public confidence in elections. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said of the states new election law, "Georgia will take another step toward ensuring our elections are secure, accessible and fair." Rights to vote The U.S. Constitution did not guarantee everyone the right to vote. Black men first gained the right to vote, after the Civil War, with the passage of the 15th Amendment in 1870. But some southern states still restricted the right to vote by requiring them to pay taxes or to pass a literacy test, setting off a long struggle for civil rights. An important marker in the movement came on March 7, 1965. On that day, a group of 600 activists led by John Lewis marched from Selma, Alabama, to the state's capital, Montgomery, to register Black voters. They were violently attacked by police. Images of the incident known as "Bloody Sunday" were televised around the country. It caused a national outcry that brought support for voting rights legislation. Lewis, who suffered a skull fracture in the march, went on to become a member of Congress. "It was worth the suffering of so many people. It was worthy of the blood that some of us gave," Lewis said in a 2015 interview with VOA. On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law. It outlawed the literacy tests that had made it almost impossible for many Blacks to register to vote. More importantly, it included two measures, known as Section 4 and Section 5, requiring states to get federal approval for any change in their voting laws and policies. Marc Morial, a former mayor of New Orleans, now heads the National Urban League. He told VOA that the two sections made democracy fair, level and evenhanded. Shelby County v. Holder Both Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court supported the law throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Then, in 2013, the Supreme Court weakened the law, voting 5-4 to cancel Section 4. The ruling effectively ended the requirement that states, mainly in the south, have to get federal approval for any change in their voting laws and policies. In the 50 years since the Voting Rights Act's passage, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that "things have changed dramatically" in the areas that are subject to the law, making the requirement unnecessary. Within hours of the ruling, the state of Texas announced that it would immediately require a photo identification to vote. That state law had been blocked under the Voting Rights Act. Soon, other states did the same thing. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court approved two Arizona voting rules that were not permitted under the act. The first rule throws out votes entered in the wrong polling area. The second makes it a crime for anyone other than family members or caregivers to collect a voter's ballot. Democrats argued that both rules made voting more difficult for minority voters - in violation of Section 2. But the six conservative justices of the Supreme Court rejected the argument that the voting laws cause unnecessary problems for voters. New voting rights laws Viewing the Supreme Court as hostile to voting rights, Democrats have introduced two bills in Congress to protect the gains of the Voting Rights Act. The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would once again require certain areas to get federal approval for changing their voting rules. Another legislation, known as the For the People Act, would create automatic voter registration across the country, restore voting rights to criminals who have completed their sentences, and expand early and mail voting, among other measures. Republican opposition makes it unlikely that the two proposals will pass this year. Im Jill Robbins. Masood Farivar reported on this story for VOA News. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story segregation n. the practice or policy of keeping people of different races, religions, etc., separate from each other (voter) fraud n. intentional corruption of the election process by voting in the wrong district or under a false identification ensure v. to make (something) sure, certain, or safe access n. a way of being able to use or get something fracture v. to cause a crack or break in (something hard, such as a bone) dramatic adj. sudden and extreme polling n. the act of voting in an election What do you think of the new U.S. voting laws? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. Two women walk along Oxford Street while wearing a face masks against the coronavirus in London, Friday, Aug. 6, 2021. The number of covid positive tests for August 5, the latest available figure show the United Kingdom had just over 30,000 confirmed infections. Credit: AP Photo/Alastair Grant A British scientist who gained prominence for issuing dire warnings about the spread of COVID-19 said Saturday the U.K. is unlikely to need future lockdowns, although new infections may rise significantly as social interactions increase. Professor Neil Ferguson, an infectious disease expert at Imperial College London, told The Times of London that Britain is likely to move to a situation where the disease can be managed by vaccinations rather than "crisis measures" such as lockdowns. "I wouldn't rule it out altogether, but I think it's unlikely we will need a new lockdown or even social-distancing measures of the type we've had so far,'' he said. "The caveat to that is, of course, if the virus changes substantially." Data released Friday showed the latest virus surge in the U.K. has eased, with the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 falling in most parts of the country. Based on its weekly survey of infection levels, the Office for National Statistics said infection rates appeared to be falling in England, Scotland and Wales, though not in Northern Ireland, with the biggest declines in younger age groups. Public health experts credit the U.K.'s successful nationwide vaccination program for slowing the spread of COVID-19 even in the face of the more infectious delta variant, which was first discovered in India and is now the dominant form of the disease in Britain. With almost 74% of adults now fully vaccinated, the government plans to expand the program to teenagers. In this Thursday, July 22, 2021 file photo, a health care worker fills a syringe with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The U.K. is to offer coronavirus vaccines to 16 and 17-year-olds it was announced Wednesday, Aug. 4 after the independent body of scientists that makes recommendations over the rollout changed its advice. The four nations of the U.K. all accepted the change in advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization for healthy 16 to 17-year-olds to be offered a first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, which has already been approved by Britain's medical regulator for use for anyone aged 12 and over. Credit: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File The government reported 31,808 new infections across the U.K. on Friday, down 42% from the peak of the third wave in mid-July. But many scientists warn that infection levels are still too high for complacency and that the reported figures may be inaccurate due to a drop in testing. Over the past week, the U.K. has reported an average of 26,513 new cases a day, up from fewer than 2,000 cases a day in late April. It still has the second-worst pandemic death toll in Europe after Russia, with over 130,000 confirmed deaths. The sensitivity of the issue can be seen in the latest controversy surrounding Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The Guardian newspaper reported Friday that Johnson had been in close contact with a staff member who later tested positive for COVID-19, which should require Johnson to self-isolate for 10 days under rules designed to combat the disease. Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, right, talks to Ed Bartlam, founder of Underbelly during a visit to London Wonderground festival, as he announces further support for the events sector, in London, Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021. Live events are set to be covered by a Government-backed 750 million insurance scheme in a bid to stop a second summer of mass cancellations due to coronavirus. Credit: Peter Nicholls/Pool Photo via AP But Johnson's refusal to self-isolate has sparked criticism from the opposition Labour Party, which says it's another example of "one rule for them and another for everyone else." The drop in U.K. infection rates has surprised some scientists. Many had predicted a sharp rise this summer after the government lifted most remaining lockdown restrictions on July 19. Ferguson urged caution. "We're at a stage where we've got a huge amount of immunity in the population, but the virus is more transmissible than it's ever been, so we have this complicated trade-off," Ferguson said. "If we increase contacts, then we may well reach another point where we start seeing increasing case numbers again." After successfully vaccinating most people over 50, Britain is now focusing on younger people. One university is even offering cash prizes to students who have been fully vaccinated. All students at Sussex University are being entered into a drawing, with 10 winners receiving 5,000 pounds ($6,937) if they can prove they are double-jabbed or exempt. In this Sunday, June 30, 2019 file photo, revelers react to Kylie Minogue as she performs at the Glastonbury Festival, Somerset, England. Organizers of live events in the U.K., such as festivals and theaters, have given their partial support to a new coronavirus-related insurance initiative aimed at easing their financial worries. In a statement late Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021 the government said it was backing a 750 million-pound ($1 billion) insurance scheme that will cover the cancellation costs incurred by the hard-hit live events sector in the event of further lockdowns in the year from Sept. Credit: Photo by Grant Pollard/Invision/AP, File Professor Adam Tickell, the university's vice-chancellor, denied the move amounted to "bribing" students to get vaccinated. "We're not bribing them,'' Tickell told the BBC. "We're just giving an incentive." Explore further UK virus cases rose after recent easing of rules: survey 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Getty After 17 months of forced separation, Canada will reopen and begin welcoming back vaccinated Americans on Aug. 9 via its land border crossings. (For the moment, the U.S. does not plan to reciprocate until at least Aug. 21) The country will open to fully vaccinated travelers of all other nationalities on September 7. Though the news has been met with trepidation from some who fret that Americans may increase cases of the Delta variant, many, particularly in the border towns, are elated. Marg Harding, a city councillor in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, a town of 4,400 bordering the state of Maine, told The Globe and Mail that an upswing in visitors would inject new life into the town. Were the gateway people stop and shop here, she said. Any business in town here could benefit. She hopes case numbers will remain low in her province, but we certainly want to see our American friends again. Indeed. The U.S. tourism market is huge for Canada. Tourists from the U.S. spend almost as much money in Canada as foreigners from all other countries combined. In 2018, for instance, American visitors spent $10.6 billion, while tourists from other countries, together, disbursed $11.3 billion. The pandemic, a time of reflection and demands for change When U.S. travelers do begin to return next week, theyll find a country that, like their own, has changed. Tourists will find a Canada that is more muted than it was in pre-pandemic times, a Canada a bit more beat-up and much humbled. At least for now. Many restaurants, bars, and shops did not survive the multiple lockdowns. And, in the case of Quebec, the almost five-month-long 8 p.m. curfew, during which even daytime outdoor dining was prohibited, was even tougher on restaurant owners. In April this year, the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada announced that it was on the verge of bankruptcy. According to a report compiled in March 2021 by Destination Canada, the countrys official tourism board, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadas tourism industry has been greater than that experienced after 9/11, SARS, and the 2008 economic crisis combined. With 10 percent of Canadian jobs connected to tourism, thousands of people working in tourism or in tourism-related sectors found themselves suddenly unemployed. Story continues Canadas vaccination campaign got off to a rocky start due to lack of vaccine supply, compounded by lengthy delivery delays. And it didnt help that the country closed its own vaccine manufacturing facilities a few decades ago. Eight months since the inoculation campaign kicked off, however, the countrys vaccination efforts are going surprisingly well. As of July 24th, 80.3 percent of Canadians 12 and over have received at least one dose of vaccine, with 63.68 percent fully vaxxed. As in the States, Canada has experienced, over these past 18 months, disturbing and tragic events that have forced it to ponder its most fundamental values and its very raison detre as a nation. In a country that many outsidersand even Canadians themselvesview as a genteel, multicultural utopia, Canada has been forced to confront its own racist and misogynistic demons. There have been several killings by police of Black, Indigenous, and mentally ill people. And the nation was shocked to its core when, in May, the remains of 215 First Nations children were found at the site of a former residential school in British Columbia. Since then, more remains have been found at more sites. In many ways, the pandemic has served as a tipping point. It has been a time for serious reflection, demonstration (when possible) and demands from the public for real and radical change. Rules for visitors to Canada Inoculated American citizens and permanent residents of the U.S. who have received a full round of one of the four vaccines approved in Canada (Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, or AstraZeneca) at least 14 days prior to arrival in Canada will not be required to quarantine. However, visitors will need to submit proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of arrival. This must be done via ArriveCAN, which can be downloaded as an app or by creating an account and signing in online. Travelers should also be prepared for the possibility of being randomly selected to undergo a PCR test on their first day in Canada. They should, moreover, have a quarantine plan, in case the test results are positive. During various lockdowns, some interprovincial borders were closed to residents of other provinces. This was particularly true of the Atlantic provincesNewfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick. Provincial borders have reopened this summer but some provinces, such as Newfoundland and Labrador as well as Nova Scotia require travelers to complete a travel form or Safe Check-in form. Consult the Destination Canada website to check each province and territorys guidelines and see whats open. New, regenerative, and inspiring experiences While travel in Canada this summer and into 2022 will certainly not be the same as it was pre-pandemic, there is still plenty on offer. In terms of nature activities and meaningful, transformative experiences that give back to communities, wildlife and the environment, probably more so. National and provincial parks are a bigger draw than ever since the pandemic caused people to search for wide open spaces and develop a greater appreciation for nature, wildlifeespecially birdsand starry skies. While Indigenous tourism suffered a major blow when they learned that the federal government would not allocate funds in 2021, public interest is stronger than ever and there remain a plethora of immersive, punch-packing First Nations tourist experiences available from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic Oceans. The experiences and places mentioned below should, as Destination Canada President and CEO Marsha Walden says, inspire you and make you feel proud to tell people where youve visited. because travelers today want more than an experience, she says. They want personal enrichment. Vancouver Islands Malahat SkyWalk, a 600-meter (1,968-foot) elevated tree walk above a forested mountain overlooking the Salish Sea, opened in July this year. Located on the traditional territory of the Malahat Nation, the site incorporates Indigenous stories and culture in its design. At Nk' Mip Cellars, in British Columbias renowned Okanagan Valley, guests taste fine wines from the first Indigenous-owned winery in North America. For star chasers, the Yukon offers plenty of opportunities for stargazing and aurora borealis-watching. Terra Riders has introduced an Aurora Canoe Tour on Lake Laberge available between the end of August and the beginning of November. Albertas Writing on Stone Provincial Park, located in the Canadian Badlands, received UNESCO World Heritage status in 2019 for containing the most notable concentration of protected First Nations petroglyphs and pictographs on the Great Plains of North America. The John Ware Cabin in Dinosaur Provincial Park, also in Albertas Badlands, is a testament to John Ware, the legendary Black slave from South Carolina who rose to fame in the Canadian prairies due to his remarkable horsemanship skills, likeable personality, and sheer force of will. Wanuskewin Heritage Park, an ecological and archaeological park and museum/interpretive site in Saskatchewan completed a $USD 32 million expansion at the end of 2020. The site now includes seven new exhibits, a new snowshoeing/hiking trail, a renovated restaurant and a conference room inspired by the traditional Northern Plains Indigenous hand drum. And, in December 2019, the park reintroduced a herd of plains bison. With the opening in early 2021 of the Qaumajuq Inuit Art Centre, Manitobas Winnipeg Art Gallery is now home to the largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world. Indigenous-owned and -operated backcountry wilderness Point Grondine Park, in Ontario, provides visitors the chance to canoe along ancient canoe routes, participate in hand drum performances, and join a guided hike to learn about edible and medicinal plants. In Montreal, a city most would not ordinarily associate with Black history, Rito Joseph offers historical walking tours of Old Montreal, Little Burgundy and downtown with a focus on the citys little-known Black history. And just outside Quebec City, in Wendake, Quebec, the Huron-Wendat Nation wows visitors with its Hotel-Musee Premiere Nations' museum, luxury hotel, nature spa, and gourmet restaurant. The site also features an impressive traditional longhouse surrounded by an imposing fort made of logs sharpened at the top. The Celtic Performing Arts Centre in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, opened in summer 2018. The state-of-the-arts facility seats 290 people and is attached to the College of Piping, where students can learn bagpipe, drum, fiddle, step dance, ballet, hip hop and more. Expected to be completed in fall 2021, the Fundy Trail Parkway, a 2,559-hectare park featuring a 30-km (18.6-mile) parkway hugging the southern coast of New Brunswick, is a road trippers and outdoor lovers dream. On the Nova Scotia side of of the Bay of Fundy, the Cliffs of Fundy were named a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2020. The geopark covers 165km (102 miles) of panoramic shoreline and includes about 40 designated sites. 2020 was a year for geopark recognition in the Atlantic. A second geopark, Discovery Global Geopark on Newfoundlands Bonavista Peninsula, was also accorded UNESCO Global Geopark status in 2020. To discover are 600 million-year-old fossils, spectacular rock formations and traditional root cellar farming. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Apple has announced impending changes to its operating systems that include new protections for children features in iCloud and iMessage. If youve spent any time following the Crypto Wars, you know what this means: Apple is planning to build a backdoor into its data storage system and its messaging system. Child exploitation is a serious problem, and Apple isnt the first tech company to bend its privacy-protective stance in an attempt to combat it. But that choice will come at a high price for overall user privacy. Apple can explain at length how its technical implementation will preserve privacy and security in its proposed backdoor, but at the end of the day, even a thoroughly documented, carefully thought-out, and narrowly-scoped backdoor is still a backdoor. To say that we are disappointed by Apples plans is an understatement. Apple has historically been a champion of end-to-end encryption, for all of the same reasons that EFF has articulated time and time again. Apples compromise on end-to-end encryption may appease government agencies in the U.S. and abroad, but it is a shocking about-face for users who have relied on the companys leadership in privacy and security. There are two main features that the company is planning to install in every Apple device. One is a scanning feature that will scan all photos as they get uploaded into iCloud Photos to see if they match a photo in the database of known child sexual abuse material (CSAM) maintained by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The other feature scans all iMessage images sent or received by child accountsthat is, accounts designated as owned by a minorfor sexually explicit material, and if the child is young enough, notifies the parent when these images are sent or received. This feature can be turned on or off by parents. When Apple releases these client-side scanning functionalities, users of iCloud Photos, child users of iMessage, and anyone who talks to a minor through iMessage will have to carefully consider their privacy and security priorities in light of the changes, and possibly be unable to safely use what until this development is one of the preeminent encrypted messengers. Apple Is Opening the Door to Broader Abuses Weve said it before, and well say it again now: its impossible to build a client-side scanning system that can only be used for sexually explicit images sent or received by children. As a consequence, even a well-intentioned effort to build such a system will break key promises of the messengers encryption itself and open the door to broader abuses. All it would take to widen the narrow backdoor that Apple is building is an expansion of the machine learning parameters to look for additional types of content, or a tweak of the configuration flags to scan, not just childrens, but anyones accounts. Thats not a slippery slope; thats a fully built system just waiting for external pressure to make the slightest change. Take the example of India, where recently passed rules include dangerous requirements for platforms to identify the origins of messages and pre-screen content. New laws in Ethiopia requiring content takedowns of misinformation in 24 hours may apply to messaging services. And many other countriesoften those with authoritarian governmentshave passed similar laws. Apples changes would enable such screening, takedown, and reporting in its end-to-end messaging. The abuse cases are easy to imagine: governments that outlaw homosexuality might require the classifier to be trained to restrict apparent LGBTQ+ content, or an authoritarian regime might demand the classifier be able to spot popular satirical images or protest flyers. Weve already seen this mission creep in action. One of the technologies originally built to scan and hash child sexual abuse imagery has been repurposed to create a database of terrorist content that companies can contribute to and access for the purpose of banning such content. The database, managed by the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), is troublingly without external oversight, despite calls from civil society. While its therefore impossible to know whether the database has overreached, we do know that platforms regularly flag critical content as terrorism, including documentation of violence and repression, counterspeech, art, and satire. Image Scanning on iCloud Photos: A Decrease in Privacy Apples plan for scanning photos that get uploaded into iCloud Photos is similar in some ways to Microsofts PhotoDNA. The main product difference is that Apples scanning will happen on-device. The (unauditable) database of processed CSAM images will be distributed in the operating system (OS), the processed images transformed so that users cannot see what the image is, and matching done on those transformed images using private set intersection where the device will not know whether a match has been found. This means that when the features are rolled out, a version of the NCMEC CSAM database will be uploaded onto every single iPhone. The result of the matching will be sent up to Apple, but Apple can only tell that matches were found once a sufficient number of photos have matched a preset threshold. Once a certain number of photos are detected, the photos in question will be sent to human reviewers within Apple, who determine that the photos are in fact part of the CSAM database. If confirmed by the human reviewer, those photos will be sent to NCMEC, and the users account disabled. Again, the bottom line here is that whatever privacy and security aspects are in the technical details, all photos uploaded to iCloud will be scanned. Make no mistake: this is a decrease in privacy for all iCloud Photos users, not an improvement. Currently, although Apple holds the keys to view Photos stored in iCloud Photos, it does not scan these images. Civil liberties organizations have asked the company to remove its ability to do so. But Apple is choosing the opposite approach and giving itself more knowledge of users content. Machine Learning and Parental Notifications in iMessage: A Shift Away From Strong Encryption Apples second main new feature is two kinds of notifications based on scanning photos sent or received by iMessage. To implement these notifications, Apple will be rolling out an on-device machine learning classifier designed to detect sexually explicit images. According to Apple, these features will be limited (at launch) to U.S. users under 18 who have been enrolled in a Family Account. In these new processes, if an account held by a child under 13 wishes to send an image that the on-device machine learning classifier determines is a sexually explicit image, a notification will pop up, telling the under-13 child that their parent will be notified of this content. If the under-13 child still chooses to send the content, they have to accept that the parent will be notified, and the image will be irrevocably saved to the parental controls section of their phone for the parent to view later. For users between the ages of 13 and 17, a similar warning notification will pop up, though without the parental notification. Similarly, if the under-13 child receives an image that iMessage deems to be sexually explicit, before being allowed to view the photo, a notification will pop up that tells the under-13 child that their parent will be notified that they are receiving a sexually explicit image. Again, if the under-13 user accepts the image, the parent is notified and the image is saved to the phone. Users between 13 and 17 years old will similarly receive a warning notification, but a notification about this action will not be sent to their parents device. This means that iffor instancea minor using an iPhone without these features turned on sends a photo to another minor who does have the features enabled, they do not receive a notification that iMessage considers their image to be explicit or that the recipients parent will be notified. The recipients parents will be informed of the content without the sender consenting to their involvement. Additionally, once sent or received, the sexually explicit image cannot be deleted from the under-13 users device. Whether sending or receiving such content, the under-13 user has the option to decline without the parent being notified. Nevertheless, these notifications give the sense that Apple is watching over the users shoulderand in the case of under-13s, thats essentially what Apple has given parents the ability to do. It is also important to note that Apple has chosen to use the notoriously difficult-to-audit technology of machine learning classifiers to determine what constitutes a sexually explicit image. We know from years of documentation and research that machine-learning technologies, used without human oversight, have a habit of wrongfully classifying content, including supposedly sexually explicit content. When blogging platform Tumblr instituted a filter for sexual content in 2018, it famously caught all sorts of other imagery in the net, including pictures of Pomeranian puppies, selfies of fully-clothed individuals, and more. Facebooks attempts to police nudity have resulted in the removal of pictures of famous statues such as Copenhagens Little Mermaid. These filters have a history of chilling expression, and theres plenty of reason to believe that Apples will do the same. Since the detection of a sexually explicit image will be using on-device machine learning to scan the contents of messages, Apple will no longer be able to honestly call iMessage end-to-end encrypted. Apple and its proponents may argue that scanning before or after a message is encrypted or decrypted keeps the end-to-end promise intact, but that would be semantic maneuvering to cover up a tectonic shift in the companys stance toward strong encryption. Whatever Apple Calls It, Its No Longer Secure Messaging As a reminder, a secure messaging system is a system where no one but the user and their intended recipients can read the messages or otherwise analyze their contents to infer what they are talking about. Despite messages passing through a server, an end-to-end encrypted message will not allow the server to know the contents of a message. When that same server has a channel for revealing information about the contents of a significant portion of messages, thats not end-to-end encryption. In this case, while Apple will never see the images sent or received by the user, it has still created the classifier that scans the images that would provide the notifications to the parent. Therefore, it would now be possible for Apple to add new training data to the classifier sent to users devices or send notifications to a wider audience, easily censoring and chilling speech. But even without such expansions, this system will give parents who do not have the best interests of their children in mind one more way to monitor and control them, limiting the internets potential for expanding the world of those whose lives would otherwise be restricted. And because family sharing plans may be organized by abusive partners, its not a stretch to imagine using this feature as a form of stalkerware. People have the right to communicate privately without backdoors or censorship, including when those people are minors. Apple should make the right decision: keep these backdoors off of users devices. Now read: FNB gets Apple Pay On the first day of COVID lockdown, Kari Auringer of Napa mailed her mother, Ruth Auringer of Madison, Wisconsin, a postcard. And then Kari sent her another one. And another. And she didnt stop, for 499 days in a row. At the end of July, Ruth got her 500th postcard from her daughter and son-in-law. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Special offer: $1 for your first 6 months! Even better, Ruth received the last card during a much-anticipated family reunion in Napa with Kari and her husband Jeff Prather. Its been such a great experience, said Kari of their pandemic postcard project. I couldnt imagine something like this, said Ruth. It just means so much to me. Kari explained how the card campaign began. As the news broke about the virus in early March 2020 and the lockdown that soon followed, I knew that I would not be able to see her again until the virus was under control, said Kari. Would it be weeks? Months? Besides regular phone calls, Kari knew she had to come up with a new way to keep in touch with Ruth while she sheltered in place. Her mom does not text or use email. Former United Nations Ambassador Kelly Craft lavished praise on former President Donald Trump, waded into culture politics and took a swipe at Kentucky's Democratic governor for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in a speech Friday night that could preview a run for governor in 2023. Craft, a longtime GOP activist, was keynote speaker at a Republican dinner in Marshall County on the eve of the Fancy Farm picnic the state's premiere political event. It gave her a prime opportunity to make an impression on the GOP faithful who gathered for the festivities in western Kentucky. Though the governor's election is two years away, considerable jockeying is well under way among Republicans lining up for a possible chance to try to unseat Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. Craft is among several prominent Republicans seen as weighing a possible run. State Auditor Mike Harmon already announced he's in the race, and state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles is seen as another potential GOP gubernatorial candidate. Other Republicans could jump into the campaign, given the GOP's growing dominance across the Bluegrass State. In her speech, Craft touted her role as a diplomat and thanked Trump, who nominated her for her stint as the U.S. envoy to the United Nations. She previously served as U.S. ambassador to Canada. The 2021 crop of recall candidates numbers only 46 possibly because state law was interpreted to require aspirants to submit five years of tax returns. But other than a handful of current and former GOP elected officials, it is no less an odds-and-ends drawer than the 03 field. And last week a judge threw out the tax-return requirement, so even that hurdle is now gone for future recalls. Every fee-paying candidate must also collect a ridiculously low number of voters signatures 65 to 100. In lieu of paying the filing fee, would-be candidates also can collect 7,000 valid signatures from voters. But I submit that every candidate should also have to collect this or a similar level of valid voter signatures to show they have at least some minimal level of support. My bet is most of the candidates running as a lark couldnt begin to or wouldnt want to put in the effort to collect signatures from thousands of voters. Armenia territorial administration and infrastructure minister visits Civil Aviation Committee and Zvartnots Airport Algerians burn man alive after blaming him for causing forest fires in country More Syrians and Afghans entering EU via Western Balkans Armenia PM makes new personnel appointment Armenia ex-deputy minister of finance appointed deputy defense minister Republican Party of Armenia spokesperson on border protection and document signed by former authorities with Russia Netherlands may have to close Kabul embassy NATO to coordinate Western embassy staff reduction in Kabul Lifeguards bring citizens out of Armenia's Lake Sevan Armenia official's son gets into car accident 168.am: Armenia's Pashinyan to attend wedding in Gyumri tomorrow Armenia 3rd President visits Amaras Monastery Iran President picks Hossein Amirabdollahian as new FM 21-year-old by the name of "Potorik" stabbed in Armenia's Etchmiadzin Turkish defense minister says Kabul International Airport should remain open 30-year-old resident of Armenia's Khachpar stabs fellow villager, is detained Commander of Armenia Armed Forces' first army corps dismissed Armenia defense minister visits Yerablur Military Pantheon, meets with relatives of deceased servicemen (PHOTO) Armenia acting first deputy finance minister sacked Armenia PM appoints Chief Protocol Officer Armenia finance minister receives IMF Resident Representative Elections to be held in Armenia's Goris, Meghri, Tatev and Tegh on Oct. 17 Armenia parliament to convene special session on Aug. 17 Armenia premier meets with outgoing Ambassador of Georgia Uruguay FM to pay official visit to Armenia Dollar gains value in Armenia Fire contained at former Yerevan leather factory (PHOTOS) Democratic Party leader explains which option of unblocking communications is beneficial for Armenia Death toll from floods in Turkeys Black Sea region rises to 27 Lavrov says Russia will continue its foreign policy after State Duma elections British envoy responds to Iran MFA's allegation about published photo Germany's Merkel to meet with Putin in Moscow Armenia party leader: Russia is now bearer of principle of not an inch of land in Artsakh Armenia police conducting internal investigation in connection with NEWS.am report Monument to fallen soldiers of 44-day war unveiled at Yerevan school yard (PHOTOS) Armenia revenue committee: 1,571 grams of gold jewelry hidden from customs control is found Firefighters trying to contain fire for over 3 hours at former Yerevan leather factory About 3 million people instructed to evacuate in Japan due to heavy rains Russia not considering evacuating its embassy in Kabul Two new cases of coronavirus reported in Karabakh Artsakh army dismisses statement that its units opened fire on Azerbaijan positions Young man dies, there are injured after road accident on Armenia motorway Six people killed in mass shooting in England Zvartnots International Airport: Lufthansa launches new flight between Yerevan, Frankfurt (PHOTOS) Unrest in Turkey capital, dozens detained in attack on Syrians 26 people apply to hospital due to drinking water poisoning in Armenias Armavir Province Torrential rains kill 21 people in China Blinken discusses Afghanistan with Canada, Germany FMs, NATO Secretary General 397 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Russia peacekeepers in Artsakh donate about 40 liters of blood to patients Taliban take control of Afghanistans Lashkar Gah city Pham Minh Chinh: Vietnam has always underscored traditional friendship with Armenia 9 residents of Armenias Armavir Province poisoned by drinking water, criminal case opened One dead, 2 injured after car catches fire on Armenia motorway Three US brothers die after getting stuck in manure pit Newspaper: Armenia National Security Service to call Criminal Court of Appeal judges for questioning Newspaper: What will new Armenia government look like? Banak.info coordinator: Azerbaijan deliberately fires at Armenias Yeraskh village Israel and Morocco agree to open their embassies in the near future Mysterious video of UFO sparks heated discussions UK researchers warn of new coronavirus outbreak in fall Nine Armenia village residents with same complaints hospitalized at infectious diseases department Armenian soldier who lost eyesight during 44-day Karabakh war and his fiance tie the knot (PHOTO) Armenia defense minister introduces new commander of 2nd military formation to administration and units Russia bans entry of ex-Ambassador of Azerbaijan into country for 50 years Russia Defense Ministry reports ceasefire violation committed by Azerbaijani Armed Forces in Karabakh Armenian court rules to arrest Spain citizen who cruelly murdered a man and injured 2 citizens of Armenia's Etchmiadzin Attorney says Yerevan travel agency plundered millions from hundreds of citizens through fraud Israel FM opens country's diplomatic representation in Morocco Russia MOD arrives in China to follow active stage of Russian-Chinese military exercises Armlur.am: Armenia PM is in parliament where "Civil Contract" faction is holding a closed session Karabakh emergency situations service: Searches for servicemen's remains in Mataghis-Talish direction were fruitless Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani troops open fire at Armenian military posts in Yeraskh section starting from 5:20 p.m. Floods that hit Turkey leave 9 dead, 1 missing Ukrainian businessman's company selling its coal mines to Armenia citizen Yelena Hovhannisyan Pavel Manukyan charged for statement about eliminating Armenia PM Nikol Pashinyan Names of chairpersons of Armenia Parliament's 12 standing committees announced after vote Ebrahim Raisi: Cooperation between Iran and Turkey is necessary for establishment of peace in the region Armenia Parliament Speaker meets with representative of Assyrian community Erdogan not ruling out meeting with the Taliban Hermitage shop of perfumes and cosmetics is now also open at Erebuni Mall (PHOTOS) Strong winds severely damage Armenias Zvartnots museum-reserve roof (PHOTOS) Armenians Forward Together forum kicks off in Yerevan (PHOTOS) Shoygu on current situation in Afghanistan Dollar goes up in Armenia Iran FM slams Russian, British envoys over inappropriate photo Armenia parliament holding vote for chairpersons of 12 standing committees Authorities of Afghanistan's Farah surrender to Taliban Artsakh Defense Army: Azerbaijan tried to break line of contact, attempt was prevented Lufthansa entering Armenia civil aviation market Armenia parliament ruling faction nominates candidate for European integration committee chair Two of the injured in Artsakh cluster bomb explosion still in critical, moderate condition Russian peacekeepers ensure security during construction of water pipeline in Nagorno-Karabakh Water poisoning in Armenias Armavir, 9 people hospitalized Armenia official: Railway will pass through Nakhichevan, Meghri if it is decided to be operated No fallen soldiers remains found during Wednesday's search in Artsakh Armenia ambassador to Israel is recalled Opposition Armenia Faction MP: Authorities are exerting unprecedented pressure on media Armenia government to recompense Constitutional Court ex-judge Economy minister, Lufthansa representatives underscore intensification of Armenia-Germany business relations In Armenia, 298 new cases of coronavirus infection were registered per day, Armenian News - NEWS.am was informed about this by the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health of the republic. The sanitary and epidemiological situation continues to deteriorate. In total, on the morning of August 7, 231,923 coronavirus infected were registered in the country. In fact, 5,115 persons are currently being treated (their number increased by 75 per day). 221,043 people recovered (218 per day), 4,641 patients died (5 people per day). Also, according to the authorities, due to other diseases 1,124 citizens with coronavirus died earlier. This brings the total number of deaths to 5,765. Hundreds flee as fires rage near Athens Hundreds flee as fires rage near Athens Flames swept through a town near Athens overnight and hundreds of people were evacuated by ferry from the island of Evia east of the capital as wildfires burned across Greece for a fifth day on Saturday. The fire on Mount Parnitha on the outskirts of Athens has forced the evacuation of thousands of people since late Thursday, with emergency crews facing winds and high temperatures as they battled to contain it. The flames appeared to die down by Saturday afternoon, but winds were forecast to strengthen, meaning there was still a high threat they would flare again. "Under no circumstances can we be complacent," Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias said during an emergency briefing. "We are fighting a very big battle." Wildfires have erupted in many parts of the country amid Greece's worst heatwave in more than 30 years, tearing through swathes of forestland, destroying homes and businesses and killing animals. On Friday night, strong winds pushed the fire into the town of Thrakomakedones north of Athens, where it burned homes. Residents had been ordered to evacuate and there were no immediate reports of casualties. The blaze left behind burnt and blackened houses and cars among scorched pine trees. A cloud of smoke hovered over the capital. "(It's) really bad," said Thanasis Kaloudis, a resident of Thrakomakedones. "All of Greece has burned." Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called it a "nightmarish summer", adding the government's priority "has been, first and foremost, to protect human lives". Neighbouring Turkey is also battling what President Tayyip Erdogan says have been the worst wildfires in its history and six fires were still burning in Turkey on Saturday. (Reuters) This July 27, 2007 file photo shows the United Nations Headquarters building in New York. Two Myanmar citizens have been arrested on charges alleging that they conspired to oust Myanmar's ambassador to the United Nations by injuring or killing him. U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a release on Friday, Aug. 6, 2021 that Phyo Hein Htut and Ye Hein Zaw plotted to seriously injure or kill Kyaw Moe Tun in an attack that was to take place in Westchester County. AP Photo/Osamu Honda, File Two Myanmar citizens were arrested on charges of conspiring to assault and attack Myanmar's Ambassador to the United Nations, according to prosecutors. Phyo Hein Htut, 28, and Ye Hein Zaw, 20, could potentially be sentenced to up to five years. The conspiracy is estimated to have occurred between July and August, according to prosecutors. See more stories on Insider's business page. Two Myanmar citizens were arrested on charges of conspiring to assault and attack Myanmar's Ambassador to the United Nations, according to a press release on Friday from the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. Both Phyo Hein Htut, 28, and Ye Hein Zaw, 20, were set to appear in the US District Court in White Plains on Friday. The maximum potential sentence for the charge can be up to five years. "As alleged, Phyo Hein Htut and Ye Hein Zaw plotted to seriously injure or kill Myanmar's ambassador to the United Nations in a planned attack on a foreign official that was to take place on American soil," said US Attorney Audrey Strauss. Officials approximate that the conspiracy transpired between July 2021 and August 5, 2021. According to prosecutors, Zaw transferred $4,000 to Htut. The Department of Justice alleges that Htut hired attackers and told Zaw on a recorded phone call that the hired attackers would require an additional $1,000 to "conduct the attack on the Ambassador in Westchester County, and for an additional payment the attackers could, in substance, 'finish off' the Ambassador." Htut allegedly also communicated with an arms dealer in Thailand who sold to the Burmese military - who supposedly played a role in the Myanmar coup earlier this year, according to the Department of Justice. The UN Special Rapporteur who focuses on human rights in Myanmar tweeted: "I'm horrified by news that a supplier of weapons to the Myanmar military allegedly paid two Myanmar nationals to harm or kill UN Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun in New York in a plot to pressure him to relinquish his post. Who was behind this outrage and who will hold them accountable?" This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Read the original article on Business Insider Lady Gaga at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, on January 31, 2010. Dan MacMedan/WireImage/Getty Images Lady Gaga is arguably as well known for her daring fashion as she is for her music. Over the years, she's worn everything from a dress made of meat to see-through shirts. She's also rocked daring wigs, sky-high heels, and more. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. For one of her earliest performances in 2007, Lady Gaga wore just a bra and underwear. Lady Gaga performs at Lollapalooza in Chicago, Illinois, on August 4, 2007. Jason Squires/Getty Images Her strapless top looked like a disco ball, as it was covered in tiny mirrors. She also accessorized with fishnet thigh-high socks and pointed black pumps. The next year, Gaga wore a white dress that was embellished with 3D shapes for a radio event. Lady Gaga at Z100's Jingle Ball concert in New York on December 12, 2008. Bryan Bedder/Getty Images The asymmetrical minidress had a single strap and a bubble-shaped skirt. There were also crystal-shaped studs that extended from her shoulder to her hip. The musician completed the look with tan ankle boots and thick eyelashes. Gaga kicked off 2009 with a black minidress and an unconventional hair accessory. Lady Gaga at a Nokia event in London, England, on January 27, 2009. Nick Harvey/Getty Images Though her dress was a standard sleeveless design with a bow attached to the waistband, Gaga's accessories were anything but. She wore neon-pink pumps, leather gloves, and a bow seemingly made from hair on top of her head. While performing a few months later, she wore an eccentric bodysuit. Lady Gaga performs in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 4, 2009. Christopher Polk/Getty Images The skin-colored leotard was sleeveless and decorated with plastic spheres that looked like bubbles. Gaga also wore black fishnet tights and see-through PVC heels. She then wore a dress and accessories that were seemingly made from hair at the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards. Lady Gaga at the MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto, Canada, on June 21, 2009. George Pimentel/Getty Images Gaga posed on the red carpet in a strapless gown with a corset-style bodice that was adorned with what looked like braided blonde hair. Its skirt, on the other hand, was created from straight blonde strands. The musician completed the look with a balloon-animal-shaped purse seemingly made from hair, black ankle boots, and a bob hairstyle. That same year, she made numerous bold fashion statements at the MTV Video Music Awards. Lady Gaga at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York City on September 13, 2009. Christopher Polk/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images Not only did she accept an award in a red lace dress, a matching crown, and a face covering, but Gaga also performed in a white bodysuit that was covered in fake blood. Story continues Gaga continued to wear lace face coverings in November 2009. Lady Gaga at the ACE Awards in New York City on November 2, 2009. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images For the 2009 ACE Awards, Gaga walked the red carpet in a gray button-up shirt worn underneath a pink-velvet bralette and matching shorts. It was her hair, shoes, and accessories, however, that stole the show. Gaga's hair was styled in a frizzy bob, and a layer of black lace covered her bangs and her face. For shoes, she wore gray platforms with marble-shaped heels. Gaga then met Queen Elizabeth II while wearing latex. Lady Gaga meets Queen Elizabeth II in Blackpool, England, on December 7, 2009. Leon Neal/Stringer/Getty Images Her look that night included a red latex dress with a high neckline and puffy sleeves. Gaga also wore pointed red boots, curled blonde hair, and exaggerated eye shadow embellished with makeup jewels. She wore the outfit to the annual Royal Variety Performance. Gaga started 2010 with a wild hairstyle and an equally daring outfit. Lady Gaga attends a Polaroid event in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 7, 2010. Robyn Beck/Getty Images She attended a Polaroid event in January 2010 to announce a design partnership with the brand. While there, she was photographed wearing a black, semi-sheer dress with thick shoulder pads, platform heels, and round sunglasses. Gaga also debuted a unique hairstyle: a short, blonde cut with long strands that surrounded her head like a sun hat. She then debuted a galactic style at the 2010 Grammy Awards. Lady Gaga at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, on January 31, 2010. John Shearer/Getty Images Designed by Armani Prive, Gaga's sparkling look was a strapless dress with a corset-style top and high-low skirt worn over a nude bodysuit. The latter was covered in crystals from its high neckline to its long sleeves Her shoes also stood out. They were covered in crystals and had platforms in the front, but no heels in the back. After the show, she posed with her two awards in the press room while wearing a sparkling minidress and standout headpiece. Lady Gaga at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, on January 31, 2010. Steve Granitz/Getty Images Her dress was strapless, and its skirt bunched up behind her to reveal her backside. Underneath the dress, Gaga wore the same sheer bodysuit and dazzling shoes. Her new hat was made from giant triangles covered in sparkles. Gaga returned to her style roots in February 2010. Lady Gaga at the amfAR Gala in New York City on February 10, 2010. Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images She walked the red carpet at the amfAR New York Gala in a white bra and underwear that were both covered in studs. She also wore a matching studded jacket, white fishnets, platform boots, and a peaked cap. Gaga's makeup was even more daring. She was seemingly covered in white powder from head to toe, and small pearls were attached to her legs, stomach, chest, and face. She wore yet another daring white ensemble at the Brit Awards that month. Lady Gaga at the Brit Awards in London, England, on February 16, 2009. Mike Marsland/Getty Images Francesco Scognamiglio designed her dress, which had three tiers of white fabric. She also wore a lace mask that covered half of her face, and it was designed by Philip Treacy. In true Gaga fashion, the musician completed her outfit with a sky-high white wig. Gaga was almost unrecognizable in March 2010 at a MAC Viva Glam event. Lady Gaga at a MAC Viva Glam event in London, England, on March 1, 2010. Dave M. Benett/Getty Images She wore head-to-toe black for the occasion, including a petal-shaped headpiece and matching floral mask that covered her face. As for her outfit, Gaga wore a see-through lace bodysuit with pointed shoulder pads, small black shorts, and patent-leather boots. After arriving at the 2010 VMAs in an Alexander McQueen gown, Gaga changed into a dress and shoes made from raw meat. Lady Gaga at the MTV VMAs in Los Angeles, California, on September 12, 2010. Kevin Winter/Getty Images The outfit has become one of her most iconic and controversial looks to date. Argentine artist Franc Fernandez created the look, and Gaga later revealed that it was part of her protest against the US "Don't ask, don't tell" military policy. "It's certainly no disrespect to anyone that's vegan or vegetarian," Gaga told Ellen DeGeneres, according to Billboard. "It has many interpretations, but for me this evening it's, 'If we don't stand up for what we believe in, if we don't fight for our rights, pretty soon we're going to have as much rights as the meat on our bones.'" While promoting her album Born This Way in 2011, the musician wore a series of standout outfits. Lady Gaga promotes her album Born This Way in Mexico on May 6, 2011. Victor Chavez/Getty Images For one promotional event in Mexico, Gaga arrived wearing a blue dress that had a high neckline, long sleeves with shoulder pads, and a see-through bodice. Its skirt extended just below her knees, and showed off her blue tights and platform black boots. Gaga also accessorized with a black-and-blonde bob, heavy makeup, and layered diamond necklaces. Months later, she walked around New York City in a one-of-a-kind red ensemble. Lady Gaga walks around New York City on September 12, 2011. James Devaney/Getty Images Her outfit that night included a red dress that had giant balloon sleeves and a mid-length skirt with a slit that ran up the front. Gaga also carried red gloves, wore oversized sunglasses, and walked in her signature platform boots with no heels. In September 2012, Gaga emerged from a life-sized perfume bottle at the launch of her Fame fragrance. Lady Gaga arrives at the Frame perfume launch in New York on September 14, 2012. Rob Kim/Stringer/Getty Images Of course, her outfit was as equally bold as her entrance. She wore a black gown made from a shining material. It crossed over her shoulders in a cape-style fashion, and it also bunched around her waist. Gaga's eyes were covered entirely by a gold band, and her black boots were decorated with gold figures shaped like men. In October 2013, Lady Gaga arrived at a London hotel wearing a ripped dress, no shoes, and bleached eyebrows. Lady Gaga enters a hotel in London, England, on October 25, 2013. Niki Nikolova/Stringer/Getty Images In addition to wearing the torn, semi-sheer garment, Gaga also seemingly had dust or chalk across her hands and feet, and her blonde hair wasn't styled. A few days later, Gaga completely switched her style and wore all black. Lady Gaga leaves the ITV Studios in London, England, on October 29, 2013. Julian Parker/Getty Images While leaving a taping of "The Graham Norton Show," Gaga was photographed in a short-sleeved see-through shirt with strategically-placed black sequins. She also wore pants embellished with sparkles, platform boots, and a wig made from giant feathers that seemingly extended multiple feet above her head. Gaga looked like a piece of art - literally - while leaving a hotel in December 2013. Lady Gaga leaves a hotel in London, England, on December 4, 2013. SAV/Stringer/Getty Images Not only did she wear a poncho-style shirt printed with a picture of the Mona Lisa, but Gaga also wore a brown wig and contoured makeup that made her look more like the artwork. For her shoes, Gaga opted for black platform boots. In March 2014, the musician completely covered up before entering her New York City concert. Lady Gaga enters a concert in New York City on March 30, 2014. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images Outside of the event, she was photographed wearing a white fuzzy minidress and thick matching boots. She also wore a mask made from the same material, which completely shielded her face. For the 2017 Grammys, Gaga arrived in a tiny crop top. Lady Gaga at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, on February 12, 2017. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images The black shirt had long sleeves, a high neckline, and black spikes that covered her arms. The garment was also cropped just above her chest, with a scoop-style shape in the middle. The rest of Gaga's look that night included thigh-thigh patent-leather boots, black sunglasses, and an updo hairstyle. The following year, Gaga looked like royalty at the UK premiere of "A Star Is Born." Lady Gaga at the "A Star Is Born" premiere in London, England, on September 27, 2018. Dave J Hogan/Getty Images She walked the red carpet in an Elizabethan-inspired ball gown designed by Alexander McQueen. It had a gold corset bodice that was covered in beads, off-the-shoulder balloon sleeves, and a white collar around her neck. As Insider previously reported, the fashion house described the ensemble as an "organza jacquard lace dress with three-dimensional gold and pearl embroidery, dropped sleeves and a gold and pearl-embroidered harness with a ruffle collar." Rather than wearing one bold outfit, Gaga donned four daring looks at the 2019 Met Gala. Lady Gaga at the Met Gala red carpet on May 6, 2019. MARIO ANZUONI/Reuters She first arrived in a fuchsia ball gown with a matching bow on top of her head, and giant gold eyelashes. Shortly after stepping onto the red carpet, however, she removed the top layer and revealed a strapless black dress with a full skirt and an umbrella as her accessory. Underneath that layer, as Insider previously reported, was a satin pink gown that she wore with platform heels, oversized sunglasses, and a fake telephone. For her final look on the red carpet, Gaga stripped down to her bra, underwear, and fishnet tights. Once again, Gaga took the balloon-sleeve trend to the next level in July 2021. Lady Gaga leaves a hotel in New York City on July 2, 2021. Gotham/Getty Images While in New York, she was photographed wearing a button-up, polka-dot print shirt with a high neckline and giant sleeves that were almost as long as her skirt. She wore the top tucked into a black midi skirt and accessorized with a square handbag and black sunglasses. Read the original article on Insider KABUL (Reuters) -An Afghan Air Force pilot was killed by a bomb in Kabul on Saturday, officials said, in an attack claimed by the Taliban. The pilot, Hamidullah Azimi, died when a sticky bomb attached to his vehicle detonated, officials said, adding that five civilians were wounded in the explosion. Azimi was trained to fly U.S.-made UH60 Black Hawk helicopters and had served with the Afghan Air Force for almost four years, the force's commander, Abdul Fatah Eshaqzai, told Reuters. He had moved to Kabul with his family a year ago due to security threats, Eshaqzai added. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Muhajid said in a statement that the Taliban carried out the attack. Reuters was first to detail a Taliban campaign to assassinate pilots off-base that Afghan officials say claimed the lives of at least seven Afghan pilots before Saturday's killing. The Taliban has confirmed a program that would see U.S.-trained Afghan pilots "targeted and eliminated." U.S. and Afghan officials believe it is a deliberate effort to destroy Afghanistan's corps of U.S.- and NATO-trained military pilots as fighting escalates across the country. The Taliban - who have no air force - want to level the playing field as they press major ground offensives that have seen them swiftly seize territory since May. Emboldened by Washington's announcement that it was ending its military mission by the end of August, the Taliban has launched a military blitz across the country which has gained momentum in recent days. On Friday the insurgents captured their first provincial capital in years when they took control of Zaranj, on the border with Iran in Afghanistan's southern Nimroz province. As the Taliban eye other cities, the Afghan Air Force has played a crucial role in holding them back. Azimi's death came just days after the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR), in a report to the U.S. Congress, said the targeting of pilots detailed by Reuters was another "worrisome development" for the Afghan Air Force as it reels from a surge in fighting. Story continues In its quarterly report covering the three-month period through June, SIGAR described an air force increasingly under strain and becoming less ready to fight. Its fleet of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters had a 39% readiness rate in June, about half the level of April and May. "All aircraft platforms are overtaxed due to increased requests for close air support, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance missions and aerial resupply now that the (Afghan military) largely lacks U.S. air support," the report said. (Reporting by Kabul bureau and Phil Stewart in Washington; Editing by Christina Fincher and Daniel Wallis) Allyson Felix became the most decorated US track-and-field Olympian of all time in Tokyo on Saturday, closing out a stunning Olympic career with a bang. Felix, 35, won her 11th medal and seventh gold medal, achieving this legendary status with Team USA members Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad, and Athing Mu in the womens 4x400-meter relay. The team finished the sprint relay in 3:16:85 minutes. Poland took home the silver, followed by Jamaica with the bronze medal. "For me, I just came out really at peace and wanting to soak it all in," Felix said of this years Games. "I think this is a really special team because we're not 400-meter runners I don't consider myself a 400-meter specialist. We all do different things, and it was really cool to come together to get to close out the Olympic Games and, for me, my Olympic career in this way." This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Prior to Saturdays race, Carl Lewis held the US track-and-field record. Finlands Paavo Nurmi holds the all-time record, winning 12 medals between 1920 and 1928. Heading into this years Olympics, Felix said it would be her last time opting into the competition. With todays record, shes walking away with a tremendous accomplishment and cementing her legacy as one of the best athletes of all time. More on this After a horrific crash at the Tokyo Olympics that left him hospitalized with a brain injury, U.S. BMX rider Connor Fields is home in Henderson, Nevada. In his first extended public comments since the July 29 accident that saw him carried from the Olympic BMX track on a stretcher, Fields thanked his supporters and detailed his experience of the crash in social media posts on Friday and early Saturday. He's also not sure about a 2024 return to the Olympics in Paris. He made that crystal clear in a Twitter post, responding to supporters encouraging him to rally for his second Olympic gold medal. 'Do people realize I nearly died?' This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Fields, a 2016 gold medalist in Rio, crashed and slammed into the ground during qualifying in Tokyo. Two other riders crashed into him after his fall. He remained motionless on the track until medical staff could tend to him. Connor Fields is urging proper perspective on Twitter after his BMX crash at the Tokyo Olympics. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images) He suffered a brain hemorrhage, broken ribs and a collapsed lung and spent five days at St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo. He was released on Wednesday after doctors determined he didn't suffer any further injury. He felt well enough on Thursday to joke on social media about his hospital release making headlines. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. 'What's next? I do not know' On Friday, he posted an Instagram message alongside an image of himself smiling at home on the couch with his family. He also included images from his crash scene and his plane ride home. He wrote that he doesn't remember the "4-5 days" after the crash and that he learned that he'd qualified for the Olympic finals he wouldn't compete in as he was being carried from the track on a stretcher. As for what's next? "I do not know, time to get healthy, rest up a bit, and appreciate the people around me who have been so amazing this month," Fields wrote. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Fields' Instagram post went live about five hours before his Twitter post about Paris. He's clearly not ready to think about getting back on the bike. He's also appreciative that he's relatively OK after a terrifying end to his Tokyo Olympics. Story continues Click image to see slideshow More from Yahoo Sports: Canada Border Services Agency union workers ended strike actions late Friday, allowing a smoother flow to border traffic days before Canada is set to allow vaccinated Americans to cross. Workers started "work-to-rule action" Friday morning, in which employees at Canadian airports, land borders and other facilities performed duties to "the letter of the law." This action threatened "long and unavoidable delays" at Canada's borders and was expected to have a "dramatic impact" on plans to reopen the border to American travelers if negotiations were still ongoing Monday, according to the Public Service Alliance of Canada. A news release from the PSAC and Customs and Immigration Union said the labor unions secured a tentative agreement for nearly 9,000 CBSA employees late Friday. Canada is set to open to fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents Monday at 12:01 a.m. EDT. Employees had been fighting for greater parity with other Canadian law enforcement agencies, and the agreement includes better protections against excessive discipline at work, a new committee to address workplace culture, a paid meal allowance for uniformed members and a commitment to work toward introducing early retirement benefits. Negotiations started in January 2019, according to the release. Even without the union strike, travelers interested in crossing the border next week can expect longer wait times than normal, since they will have to show additional documentation including proof of vaccination and a coronavirus test to cross. Canada is set to open to fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents Monday at 12:01 a.m. EDT. Canada border: Canada is opening to vaccinated Americans, but travelers may face 'lengthy delays' as strike looms Canada travel: Canada will reopen to vaccinated American travelers next month. How much will a trip cost? Follow USA TODAY reporter Bailey Schulz on Twitter: @bailey_schulz. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Canada border: Strike ends among union workers before Aug. 9 reopening BEIJING (Reuters) - China's delivery platform companies including Meituan and Alibaba's Ele.me recently joined a meeting with government regulators on improving safety and labour rights for delivery workers. Food delivery platforms, in the spotlight due to China's regulatory reforms, have attracted severe criticism on social media for their treatment of delivery workers, most of whom are not covered by basic social and medical insurance. The meeting included officials from the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, according to a Saturday notice on WeChat by the Ministry of Emergency Management, which also attended. Firms should strengthen safety and labour rights protections, and not set performance indicators which harm the health of workers, according to the meeting. Alibaba Group, its supermarket operator Hema Xiansheng, Dada Nexus Ltd and other firms also joined the meeting and reported on their efforts to improve safety and labour rights. Investors believe a major shift is under way in China as the government aggressively pursues reform aimed at cutting cost-of-living pressures at the expense of businesses, roiling stock markets. A set of reforms announced in July by China's market regulator pushed food delivery platforms in China to guarantee their workers with income above minimum pay, insurance and a relaxation in delivery deadlines. Investors are worried about the rising cost of employing riders by the platforms, Reuters had previously reported. (Reporting by Gabriel Crossley; Editing by Jacqueline Wong) The Mathias Corvinus Collegium, a privately managed foundation which was recently granted more than $1.7 billion in government money, in Budapest, Hungary, June 8, 2021. (Akos Stiller/The New York Times) BUDAPEST Its been a meeting of conservative fellow travelers: a jovial host who heads an authoritarian government bent on targeting liberal institutions, including universities, the judiciary and the media and his American guest exchanging grins. In a week in which he broadcast nightly from Budapest, the American talk show host Tucker Carlson posed for pictures with and interviewed Hungarys authoritarian leader, Viktor Orban, and took a helicopter to inspect a Hungarian border fence designed to keep out migrants. The visit by Carlson, the top-rated host on the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox News, bolsters Orbans mission to establish Budapest as an ideological center for what he sees as an international conservative movement. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times For Carlson, the Hungary trip was an opportunity to put Orban, whom he admires, on the map for his viewers back home, a conservative audience that may be open to the sort of illiberalism promoted by the Hungarian leader. On Wednesdays show, Carlson praised Hungary as a small country with a lot of lessons for the rest of us. Carlsons Fox News program espouses some hard-right views, especially on immigration, where he and Orban share common ground. The host has held up Hungarys hard-line policy on rejecting asylum-seekers as a model for an American immigration system that he believes is too lenient and has weakened the power of native-born citizens, an argument that Carlsons critics say overlaps with white supremacist ideology. A one-time foreign correspondent for American magazines, Carlson is also an instinctive television showman with an ear for provocation. His friendly interview with Orban has prompted a raft of think pieces in the English-speaking media that, while mostly critical of Carlson, have given the Hungarian leader a fresh round of international press coverage. In the United States, Fox News viewers are tuning in: This weeks broadcasts of Tucker Carlson Tonight attracted roughly 3 million viewers a night, handily beating the competition on CNN and MSNBC. Story continues Carlsons visit comes at as the populist Orban has become increasingly isolated and is in a precarious position, at home and abroad, over his governments backsliding on democracy and his administrations poor handling of the coronavirus. Carlsons positive outlook on Hungary is not shared by many across the European Union, where Orban is often regarded as a far-right strongman who has badly weakened democratic institutions, cozied up to Beijing and Moscow, and steered public assets to his allies. Orbans party is now being challenged by a six-party opposition coalition in elections scheduled for next year. In an interview with Carlson that aired Thursday, Orban said he expected an effort by the international left to oust him next year. To rally support from his conservative base, he has immersed himself in the culture wars that have roiled politics in the United States, and in which Carlson has also been an eager participant, regularly railing against liberals. Orbans party recently adopted a law restricting depictions of homosexuality; critics said it was being used to target the countrys LGBTQ community. And the government-aligned media regularly rails against the destabilizing effect that Western woke culture has on traditional society. By moving billions of dollars worth of cash and assets into quasi-private educational foundations controlled by his allies, analysts say, Orban is setting up an ideological control center, bolstered by paid conservative thinkers from Europe and North America living in Budapest. Several European and American conservative public intellectuals have already answered Orbans call. The American author and journalist Rod Dreher, who writes for The American Conservative (Carlson sits on its advisory board), has been in Hungary since April, thanks to a paid fellowship at an institute funded by Orbans government. He said he had been inspired by the Hungarian leader when he first met him along with a group of visiting conservatives in 2019. Here was a leader who was not the thuggish strongman of media caricature, but an intelligent man who had obviously thought deeply about political and cultural issues, Dreher said. Hungary was also a focus for another American conservative, Stephen Bannon, President Donald Trumps former adviser, who traveled to Europe to work with Orban and other nationalist populist parties before the 2019 elections for the European Parliament. Bannons efforts fizzled, partly because of the difficulty reconciling competing national priorities among the continents different nationalist parties. Carlson himself has a family connection with the Hungarian leader his father, Richard Carlson, is listed as a director of a Washington-based firm that has lobbied for Orban in the United States. In 2019, the firm, Policy Impact Strategic Communications, disclosed in a lobbying filing that it coordinated an interview of Minister Szijjarto on the Tucker Carlson show, referring to Peter Szijjarto, Hungarys minister of foreign affairs and trade. William Nixon, the firms chair and chief executive, said in an interview that Carlsons father a former journalist, media executive and American ambassador was not involved in arranging the interview with the foreign minister, and is neither an investor nor an employee of the firm. A filing shows that the firms contract with the Hungarian government ended in late 2019. Nixon said the firm had no role in arranging Carlsons trip this week to Hungary. Fox News said Carlsons father is retired and had nothing to do with the visit or the meeting with Orban. Tucker and his team booked the interview and the expenses were covered by Fox News, the network said in a statement. On Wednesday, Carlson rode a military helicopter to Hungarys southern border with Serbia to inspect the chain link fence Orbans government erected in 2015 to keep migrants from entering the country. He praised the governments efforts. Carlson was also slated to speak at a youth event Saturday hosted by a talent management institute on which Orbans government has lavished billions. And he is filming a documentary about Hungary during his stay there, which is slated to air on Fox Nation, Fox News subscription streaming service. Even as Orban is increasingly shunned by many European conservatives, Carlson has been effusive in his praise, depicting the Hungarian leader as a virtuous champion of family values and a model for America. Since the deadly riot in Washington on Jan. 6, when a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, Orbans appeal has increased among American conservatives, who have increasingly found common cause with authoritarian governments, said Dalibor Rohac, a senior fellow with the American Enterprise Institute. Traditionally, he said, the conservative disposition was a distrust of power and imposition of checks and balances. Thats been eroded in Hungary. 2021 The New York Times Company Workers cordon off the entry to a food centre in a housing estate in Singapore on 24 July 2021. (PHOTO: NurPhoto via Getty Images) SINGAPORE The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Saturday (7 August) reported 81 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore, taking the country's total case count to 65,686. Of these, there are 75 new cases of locally transmitted infection, MOH said in a press release. A total of 50 infections are linked to previous cases, and have already been placed on quarantine, while nine linked cases were detected through surveillance and 16 are currently unlinked. Among the cases are three seniors above 70 years who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, and are at risk of serious illness, the ministry said. An 80-year-old Singaporean woman died of COVID-19 on Saturday the fifth fatality from the infection in a week. She had not been vaccinated against COVID-19, and had a history of diabetes, hypertension and atrial fibrillation, MOH said. There are six imported cases, who have already been placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or isolated upon arrival in Singapore. Two were detected upon arrival in Singapore, while four developed the illness during SHN or isolation. There are two new clusters on Saturday. One is at Sin Ming 23 Coffee Shop with one new case, bringing the total in the cluster to five cases. The other is named after Case Number 66244 with one new case, bringing the total in the cluster to three cases. There are nine new cases in the Jurong Fishery Port/ Hong Lim Market & Food Centre cluster, the biggest cluster ever in Singapore since the pandemic began, bringing the total to 1,143. There is no new case in the KTV lounges/clubs cluster, the second biggest cluster ever, which has 252 cases. Of the new cases added to the active clusters, Westlite Juniper Dormitory has the most with 12 infections, and now totals 30 cases. In total, there are currently 128 active clusters. Overall, the number of new cases in the community has decreased from 868 cases in the week before to 611 cases in the past week. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also fallen from 256 cases in the week before to 170 cases in the past week. The seven-day moving average number of all linked community cases and all unlinked community cases are 63.0 and 24.3 respectively. Story continues A total of 529 cases are currently warded in hospital, most of whom are well and under observation. There are currently 38 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and four in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU). Five amongst these 42 cases are fully vaccinated four require oxygen supplementation while one requires ICU care as they have underlying medical conditions. A total of 33 seniors above 60 years, of whom 29 are completely unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, have fallen very ill. Over the last 28 days, 89 local cases required oxygen supplementation, were admitted to ICU or died. Of these, 55 are unvaccinated, 26 are partially vaccinated and eight are fully vaccinated. As of Friday, about 7.97 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered under the national vaccination programme. Some 4.35 million have received at least one dose of the vaccine, with some 3.74 million having completed the full vaccination regimen. This means that 68 per cent of the population have completed their full regimen, or received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines under the national vaccination programme, and 79 per cent have received at least one dose. Those who have received the Sinovac's CoronaVac vaccine locally are not included in Singapore's national vaccination numbers. As of Friday, 129,787 doses of the China-made vaccine have been administered to 81,555 individuals. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore Related stories: COVID: Up to 5 can dine in at restaurants from 10 Aug if all fully vaccinated COVID: No more temperature checks at malls, public places from 19 Aug No COVID-19 Delta Plus variant found in Singapore: MOH official Singapore to resume entry approvals for vaccinated work pass holders Vaccinate or regular test regime for some sectors from 1 Oct: MTF Those given Sinovac, Sinopharm or AstraZeneca jabs counted as fully The Cuban government on Friday approved a law authorizing the creation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), a major shift in the communist-ruled country where state-owned companies are the norm. The change comes nearly a month after thousands of Cubans flocked to the streets decrying dictatorship and complaining of hunger in the largest demonstrations since the revolution that brought the late Fidel Castro to power in 1959. At least one person died and hundreds were arrested in the unusual mass protests, which the government claimed were provoked by the United States. President Joe Biden has slapped fresh sanctions on Cuban police for suppressing the unrest, and warned of additional punitive measures if the communist regime does not address the protesters' demands for sweeping change. In recent months the Cuban government has accelerated reforms to modernize the economy and staunch the worst economic crisis the island nation has experienced in 30 years. In part driven by US sanctions, the downtown and chronic shortages of food, electricity and medicine have been exacerbated by stringent measures against Covid-19. In February, the government decided to open up much of the controlled economy to the fledgling private sector, except for key areas such as health, media and education. Around 2,000 activities were made available to self-employed workers. Roughly 600,000 Cubans are estimated to be working in the private sector, about 13 percent of the workforce. But these so-called "cuentapropistas" have called for a legal structure that would explicitly permit their businesses. Friday's green light for small and medium enterprises was given during a session of the State Council, which President Miguel Diaz-Canel joined via video conference. "The State Council approves the decree 'On Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises' which allows for their coherent insertion into the economy to be part of the productive transformation of the country," a note posted to the National Assembly's website said. Story continues In June, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz warned that the expansion of permitted private activities would not be allowed to go too far "as there are limits that cannot be exceeded". But Oniel Diaz, a consultant specializing in Cuba's business development, said the new SMEs law still represents a turning point that many Cubans have been eagerly anticipating for years. "For the Cuban economy... this represents a giant step that will have consequences in the medium and long term" for the reconfiguration of the national economy, he told AFP. lp/ll/elm/dth/lb/axn Trump supporters participate in a rally Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington. As Congress prepares to affirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory, thousands of people have gathered to show their support for President Donald Trump and his baseless claims of election fraud. AP Photo/John Minchillo DHS is monitoring online disinformation spread through social media and other platforms that may incite violence. The department said it does not monitor individual posts or engagements. A top DHS official told Congress in June that the spread of conspiracy theories could result in violence. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. In a bulletin released Friday by its Office of Intelligence and Analysis, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it has observed "an increasing but modest level of activity online" by individuals calling for violence in response to unsubstantiated claims of election fraud and the alleged "reinstatement" of former President Donald Trump. "We are currently in a heightened terrorism-related threat environment, and DHS is aware of previous instances of violence associated with the dissemination of disinformation, false narratives, and conspiracy theories about the 2020 election," according to the bulletin provided to Insider, which was also shared with federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial officials. While the department does not currently have evidence that specific events are being targeted, it said in the bulletin that it remains focused on the nexus between violence and extremist ideologies. DHS is currently working on identifying and evaluating narratives and disinformation spread through social media and other online platforms that may incite violence. In late June, John Cohen, head of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis and a top counterterrorism official, told Congress that he was worried the heightened claims of election rigging and beliefs Trump will be back in the White House could potentially lead to violence. Both conspiracies have no basis in fact: The 2020 election was not rigged and Trump cannot be reinstated as president in August. Read the original article on Insider Fire at coffeeshop at Blk 823A Tampines Street 81 (PHOTO: Nick Tan) [UPDATE at 7.45pm on 7 August 2021: SCDF has extinguished the fire.] SINGAPORE The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) extinguished a fire at a Tampines coffeeshop within an hour of being activated on Saturday (7 August). The SCDF said in a Facebook post that it was alerted to a fire at Blk 823A Tampines Street 81 at about 2.15pm. "Upon arrival, the fire which involved contents of a coffee shop was well alight. Several members of the public were trying to control the raging fire with three hose reels," the SCDF said. "Armed with water jets, SCDF firefighters with their breathing apparatus sets proceeded cautiously into the burning coffee shop to conduct firefighting operation." The SCDF used four water jets to extinguish the fire. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. "Stall owners and patrons from the coffee shop as well as members of the public in the immediate vicinity had self-evacuated prior to SCDF's arrival," it said. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore Related stories: COVID: Up to 5 can dine in at restaurants from 10 Aug if all fully vaccinated COVID: No more temperature checks at malls, public places from 19 Aug No COVID-19 Delta Plus variant found in Singapore: MOH official Singapore to resume entry approvals for vaccinated work pass holders Vaccinate or regular test regime for some sectors from 1 Oct: MTF Those given Sinovac, Sinopharm or AstraZeneca jabs counted as fully vaccinated from 10 Aug Aug. 7Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber and nearly all of New Mexico's congressional delegates wrote an open letter Friday urging the business community to require private-sector employees to get vaccinated or submit to regular coronavirus tests. More than two dozen elected officials signed the letter, which comes amid another surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations that many fear could jeopardize the state's economic recovery. "In short, the pandemic is not over," the letter said. Although economic activity has picked up after the state lifted its COVID-19 restrictions earlier this summer, "this momentum ... is not guaranteed; we must protect it and work to create an environment where consumers and workers feel safe." The legality of mandating employees to get vaccinated has been a thorny issue across the U.S. Yet Genesis HealthCare, the country's largest nursing home chain, announced this week it would require its workers to get the coronavirus vaccine. The University of New Mexico and state government also have implemented vaccination mandates. State workers who are not vaccinated must undergo regular coronavirus testing. Friday's letter from many of New Mexico's top political leaders encouraged private businesses to do the same. "Vaccine resistance often fueled by misinformation and propaganda stands in the way," the letter said. "We need to finish the job. And we need your help." In an interview, Bridget Dixon, president of the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce, said more businesses should encourage their employees to get inoculated. "We're not going to be able to begin that recovery process until we get people back at work, and that means them feeling confident in [returning to] work by being vaccinated so they're not afraid to be helping customers as they're walking in the door," Dixon said. "Obviously, there's going to be a few exceptions where people may have some sort of immune disorder where they can't get vaccinated. But overall, they do need to be vaccinated," she added. Story continues Pat Block, a lobbyist for the New Mexico Retail Association, said: "Many of our members are doing similar things to what the state has done. Our members are providing cash incentives to their workers. They're providing paid time off to be vaccinated. ... So our members are doing many things to incentivize and encourage as wide a vaccination program within the workforce as possible." The state has offered $100 cash payments to people who receive vaccinations in two rounds of an incentive program aimed at boosting numbers of inoculated residents. It also created a lottery sweepstakes with a total of $10 million in prizes, with 20 vaccinated residents winning $250,000 each since late June. On Saturday, the state will hold a final drawing for a $5 million grand prize. According to the state Department of Health, 65.3 percent of eligible New Mexicans are fully vaccinated, including nearly 40 percent of the state's 12- to 17-year-olds. The Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have yet to be approved for children under 12. In recent weeks, demand for the vaccines had begun to level off, prompting new cases to rise, particularly among the unvaccinated. In the past six months, more than 90 percent of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths have been among people who were not vaccinated. In the past month, the number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in New Mexico has more than doubled, according to Health Department data. Until more businesses implement vaccination policies, the virus will continue to spread, elected officials said in their open letter. "We expect these sorts of requirements to become significantly more commonplace in the coming weeks as governments and businesses recognize the severe and imminent economic risk of continued vaccine resistance," the letter said. "A willingness on the part of private sector leaders to take the initiative here in New Mexico will keep your workforce safer, boost consumer confidence and help guarantee that our steady economic progress is not needlessly endangered or reversed." An emergency shelter set up in the border city of McAllen, Texas for COVID-positive migrants has expanded its capacity to keep up with a torrent of cases. More than 850 infected migrants have entered the facility after having been released into the city, officials said. The city announced Wednesday that it was setting up temporary emergency shelters in response to a "rapidly escalating" surge of migrants flooding across the border warning that the influx has become a "crisis." BIDEN ADMINISTRATION BEGINS FLYING MIGRANTS EXPELLED VIA TITLE 42 INTO MEXICO AMID COVID FEARS "Despite the City of McAllen and its community partners best efforts, the sheer number of immigrants being released into the city has become a crisis: a crisis the City of McAllen did not create and has proactively tried to avoid for seven years," the city said in a statement. The city said more than 7,500 COVID-positive migrants had been released into McAllen by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) since February and more than 1,500 in the last week. Migrants who test positive are asked to quarantine with a local charity, but the centers are being overwhelmed. The border towns city commission subsequently approved temporary emergency shelter for the "overwhelming number of immigrants stranded in McAllen by U.S. Customs and Border Protection." As of Friday there were several hundred migrants staying at the compound, which had an initial capacity of 250. Officials said they were prepared to handle 650, but Mayor Javier Villalobos said later Friday on Fox Business that there around 850 people at the shelter. OVER 800 UNACCOMPANIED MIGRANT KIDS APPREHENDED AT THE BORDER IN A SINGLE DAY AS NUMBERS SURGE Vallalobos warned that migrants who are released dont stay in McAllen, but move throughout the United States. "The issue of whether they have COVID or not, ... they're going throughout the country and we need to do something. We need to stop it somehow; we need to stop the flow," he said on "Fox Business Tonight." "But we cant stop it." Story continues The situation at McAllen is the latest indicator of the continued crisis at the southern border facing the Biden administration and other border towns and states. IMAGES OF MIGRANT CENTER IN DONNA, TEXAS SHOW CRAMPED CONDITIONS AS BORDER NUMBERS SURGE More than 188,000 migrants were encountered in June and that number is expected to rise to more than 210,000 in July. June also saw a 25% increase in migrant family encounters and an 8% increase in unaccompanied children. On Thursday, Health and Human Services announced that there were more than 830 apprehensions of unaccompanied children in a single day, significantly higher than the 30-day average. The Biden administration has acknowledged the risk of COVID-19 spread coming from the surge in migrants and has kept Title 42 public health protections in place, renewing them earlier this month. On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that it was flying those expelled via Title 42 into the Mexican interior, citing the Delta variant. "As part of the United States mitigation efforts in response to the rise in COVID-19 cases due to the delta variant, the Department of Homeland Security has begun to transport individuals expelled under Title 42 by plane to the Mexican interior," a DHS spokesperson told Fox News. Marquis Davis (WFTV/screenshot) The dying wish of an unvaccinated Florida father prompted his family to turn his funeral into a Covid vaccination and testing event. Marquis Davis, 28, a married business owner from Cocoa, fell ill in late July and, within days of being hospitalized, it became apparent that the virus was going to win. He had been hesitant to get the vaccine but told his vaccinated wife, Charnese, from his sick bed that hed changed his mind and wanted to receive it if he recovered. He was in the hospital. He said, Bae, Im going to get the vaccine when I get out of here, his wife told local ABC affiliate WFTV. So he was going to get it. I was like, Good, Im so happy you said that, but its too late. In honour of Mr Davis, his family decided to offer Covid testing and vaccinations to coincide with his wake and funeral. The wake took place on Friday and the funeral was set for Saturday Dr R Shaun Ferguson, pastor of Faith Temple Christian Center, told The Independent that around 15 people had been vaccinated and 30 tested as of Saturday afternoon, but the process was ongoing. People were actually leaving the funeral and going across the street and getting vaccinated, Dr Ferguson told The Independent. His church has been active in promoting proper information about the vaccine and encouraging community members to register, but this was the first time efforts had been held in conjunction with a funeral home or wake, he said. Florida is quickly becoming a Covid epicentre in the US, recording its highest daily count this week since the beginning of the pandemic. The state reported 22,783 new cases on Thursday, 1,100 more than Floridas previous single-day case count record last Saturday, according to the CDC. The state helped support the vaccination and testing event in honour of Mr Davis, Dr Ferguson told The Independent. He added that the unusual funeral and wake arrangements were going exceedingly well and he felt members of the community were truly taking notice after the young fathers death and subsequent publicity. What were seeing is more and more young people are dying, he said. Before, if you remember, it was just the older population so I think its just opening the eyes of young people. Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Logo fair use A federal program intended to give a hand-up to struggling business owners during the pandemic gave a hand-out to a white nationalist publisher, The Daily Beast has learned. According to nonprofit newsroom ProPublicas Paycheck Protection Program database, the Small Business Administration earlier this year forgave a $76,106 loan to Happy Penguins LLC. Despite the innocuous name, incorporation records show this Litchfield, Connecticut entity belongs to Peter Brimelow, head of the VDARE Foundation and its eponymous website, and to his wife, who serves as the nonprofits advancement officer. An immigrant from the United Kingdom himself, Brimelow has long been a bitter polemicist against nonwhite arrivals to the United States, and has claimed that Latinos specialize in rape, particularly of children and that Haitians have very high crime levels. But he has denied being a white nationalist personally, even unsuccessfully suing the New York Times last year for applying the label to him. A veteran of Forbes and the National Review, he has also maintained ties to elements of the conservative mainstream: Trumps White House economic adviser even invited Brimelow to his birthday party in 2018, and admitted to repeatedly hosting him at his residence, though he denied familiarity with his work. VDAREs penchant for publishing race rants, conspiracy theories, and manifestos by such white nationalist authors as American Renaissance founder Jared Taylor has gotten it kicked off platforms ranging from Facebook to Paypal. The group is named for Virginia Dare, the first child of English descent born in its American colonies, now a hallowed figure in white supremacist lore. Jared Holt, a resident fellow and expert on extremism with the nonpartisan Atlantic Council, characterized Brimelow as a suit-and-tie type with intellectual pretensions, despite VDAREs increasing engagement with the racist far-right. VDAREs reputation is pretty egregious, said Holt. This is a type of white nationalist organization that is trying to posture itself as the thinking mans white nationalism. Any instances where they are obtaining any veneer of legitimacy are very concerning. Story continues As Holt noted, VDARE has hardly been hurting for funds; it sparked fury in a small West Virginia town last year when it purchased a 132-year-old castle for $1.4 million. Happy Penguins, too, has long enjoyed a robust cash flow: Internal Revenue Service records show that the VDARE Foundation paid it $411,003 for leased employees in 2019, the most recent year for which filings are available. The nonprofit routed the company $181,675 in 2018 and $148,303 the year before that. Brimelow, who received a direct salary of $345,364 from the VDARE Foundation in 2019, told the Associated Press in 2016 that he uses Happy Penguins to pay himself and other employees. As of 2019, both the Foundation and the LLC operated out of his home address in Litchfield, which he put up for sale earlier this year. The ProPublica database indicates Happy Penguins reported having two people on payroll when it applied for the PPP loan. Brimelow did not respond to repeated requests for comment, and so it is impossible to know at present whether he was one of the two individuals whose job the federal funds served to preserve. Holt remarked on the irony of the Brimelows, whose website publishes articles with headlines like How Much Of The 53% Murder Surge Is Due To Masks? and The Grand Farce of American Social Distancing, appealing to the federal government for financial support during the pandemic. But he noted that the rules Congress established for the program do not discriminate based on the content or character of a companys work, and grants forgiveness based on whether the enterprise keeps employee compensation constant and dedicates the funds only to approved expenses. I guess theyre entitled to apply for this assistance as any other business is, Holt said. The Small Business Administration declined to comment on Happy Penguins case as a matter of policy, just as it did when The Daily Beast previously reported it had forgiven more than $1 million in PPP loans to leading anti-vaccination conspiracy theorists. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge in Florida, a debate is raging over requiring masks in schools. An emergency rule in Florida will allow parents to use vouchers to transfer children out of public schools that require masks, but not everyone agrees with the move. Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is threatening to withhold funding from districts that require masks. "The decision to try to withdraw funds or withhold funds from school districts who are trying to make decisions in the best interest of public safety is really disturbing to me," said Sarah Leonardi, a school board member in Broward County, where opponents of masks have been vocal. "I don't disagree that it should be a parent's choice, but no one's choice for a sense of personal liberty, not based in science, in fact, should not impede on a right of a student or employee to stay healthy and alive," Leonardi added. COVID-19 cases in children are rising nationwide, with more than 71,000 reported last week, an 86% jump from the week before. Eight states have measures banning districts from requiring masks in schools, but in Arkansas, a judge temporarily blocked the state from enforcing the ban. "If you have a lot of disease in the community you'll get it in the school, the whole point is to prevent that," said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. And it's not just school-aged children. In Houston, an 11-month-old girl had to be airlifted to a hospital 150 miles away because the pediatric hospitals in the area could not take her. Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious disease specialist, said this is a "very serious situation" for children. "It's pretty clear that we were really good about protecting our children last year and last year's virus was not as dangerous as this year's Delta variant," she said. "We need to add as many layers of protection as we can." For some of the first vaccinated including seniors, people in long-term care facilities and healthcare workers the CDC says a plan for providing COVID vaccine booster shots could be announced next month. Story continues President Biden called out hot-spot governors his week, including DeSantis, for failing to implement restrictions, including mask mandates in schools. "He thinks that should be a decision for the government, well I can tell ya in Florida, the parents are gonna be the ones in charge of that decision," DeSantis said of the president. The governor has also said that his state won't shut down again despite the influx of cases and hospitalizations. "We're not shutting down," DeSantis said Tuesday at a press conference. "These interventions have failed time and time again throughout this pandemic, not just in the United States but abroad. They have not stopped the spread." Florida had more than 12,000 hospital patients with the coronavirus as of Thursday. In the last week, the state has also reported more pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations than any other state, at around 13,400. Former acting CIA director on crisis in Afghanistan Britney Spears' father to eventually step aside as conservator in "best interests" of daughter Census data release tees up fight over Congressional redistricting Former Virginia Rep. Denver Riggleman will join the staff serving the House select committee in its investigation of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, CNN reported Friday. Why it matters: The former Air Force intelligence officer is the third Republican Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has brought on to the select panel, which Republican lawmakers have attacked as partisan. Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free. Reps. Liz Cheney (Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (Ill.) are the only Republican lawmakers on the committee, but Riggleman brings a high profile as a former member of Congress. His experience in national security also brings added legitimacy to the investigation. His background: Riggleman, a former member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, was elected in 2018. Though he had former President Trump's support, he lost the GOP nomination for Virginia's 5th district last year after he agreed to officiate a same-sex wedding. Don't forget: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) withdrew all five of his GOP appointees from the panel after Pelosi rejected Reps. Jim Banks (Ind.) and Jim Jordan (Ohio). Pelosi had cited their attempts to downplay the Capitol breach and overturn the presidential election results. McCarthy, who originally opposed the creation of a bipartisan commission to investigate the attacks, has threatened to launch a GOP investigation into the events. Reps. Rodney Davis (Ill.), Kelly Armstrong (N.D.) and Troy Nehls (Texas) were the other three Republicans appointed by McCarthy. The big picture: The committee held its first hearing last month, with emotional testimonies from police officers who defended the Capitol that day. Go deeper: First person pleads guilty to assaulting officer during Capitol riot More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese group Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech on Saturday that the investigator of the Beirut port blast was politically biased. On Thursday, Beirut marked the one year anniversary of the blast that flattened large swathes of the city and killed more than 200 people. A judge, Tarek Bittar, is leading the probe into what happened. "I am formally telling the family of the martyrs that this judicial investigator is playing politics, this is a politicized investigation," Nasrallah said. He added he was not calling for Bitar's immediate removal but demanded that he operate under a single standard and release the results of a technical investigation. Nasrallah also criticized people he did not name for blaming Hezbollah for the presence of the ammonium nitrate that caused the explosion. "Where is your evidence for this ugly, heinous accusation? There is none," he said. (Reporting by Laila Bassam; Writing by Nafisa Eltahir; Editing by Barbara Lewis and Daniel Wallis) Aug. 7As Hawaii COVID-19 contraction cases continue to spike, Honolulu restaurants and bars are still running afoul of city virus mitigation rules. The Honolulu Liquor Commission has issued 89 violation notices to licensed establishments since the beginning of this year for violating emergency orders governing business operations amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the city. One recent notice went to Chart House Waikiki, which was forced to close for 24 hours after Liquor Commission investigators discovered Wednesday that the restaurant in the Ilikai Marina tower wasn't collecting customer contact information as required. City emergency orders pertaining to restaurants and bars require customers to sign in so they can be reached for potential COVID-19 contact tracing efforts. Emergency order rules also regulate customer group sizes, spacing between customers, surface sanitizing, operating hours, staff screening and other things. According to Liquor Commission meeting documents, scheduled adjudication hearings in July included cases of COVID-19 emergency order violations earlier this year involving Harbor Pub, Siam Paradise Restaurant and Sports Pub, Aqua Lounge, Halona Lounge, Platinum Lounge, Club Waterfall, Club Sundance, Blind Ox, Club Business, Hanks Cafe Honolulu, Club Bonita and Sky Lounge. A tally of how many forced 24-hour closures stemmed from violations this year was not available Friday from the commission. The 24-hour closures enforced by police or the Liquor Commission are an authorized penalty to compel compliance and provide time to train staff for protecting public health. Brandi Higa, a spokeswoman for Mayor Rick Blangiardi, said that in addition to the 89 violation notices, the Liquor Commission has issued about 50 written warnings so far this year to licensed establishments for violating the mayor's emergency orders. Much of the rising number of COVID-19 infections in the state has been attributed to social and recreational gatherings, including local volleyball teams traveling to mainland tournaments in indoor arenas with thousands of attendees not required to wear masks or socially distance. Story continues The state Department of Health reported 30 cases stemming from two tournaments in Las Vegas and Kansas City, Mo., in a cluster report published Thursday covering case investigation work during the prior two weeks. In the same report, 35 cases were connected with four clusters originating in or linked to local restaurants. For bars and nightclubs, there was one cluster involving five cases. Brooks Baehr, a Health Department spokesman, said he hasn't been to a restaurant in 18 months. In August 2020 the Liquor Commission closed 10 liquor-serving establishments on one day in its first major enforcement effort after then-Mayor Kirk Caldwell elevated COVID-19 rules pertaining to restaurants and bars. The 10 establishments forced to close for 24 hours were Aloha Beer Co., Waikiki Brewing Co., Di's Karaoke, Hibiscus Club, 8 Fat Fat 8, Aqua Lounge, Club Blue Star, Club Wave, Emerald City and Club Bonita. City officials at the time pledged that enforcement would be "ongoing and continuous." A huge infrastructure bill deemed historic by US President Joe Biden passed a key procedural hurdle on Saturday, with enough Republican senators joining Democrats to make its final passage in the upper chamber appear nearly certain. The $1.2 trillion bill, designed to fund much-needed upgrades to US roads, highways, bridges and high-speed internet, drew the support of 18 Republican senators and 49 Democrats, a rare instance of bipartisanship in deeply divided Washington. That Republican support -- with the party's Senate leader Mitch McConnell among the 18 in favor -- will end floor debate on the bill, a procedural step that required 60 votes. With only 51 votes required for final Senate passage, the vote Saturday greatly improves the bill's chances, although fierce wrangling over amendments is continuing. The bill must must pass another procedural step before going to a final vote, the timing of which remained uncertain on Saturday evening, when voting ended to be picked up again Sunday. The legislation, months in the making, calls for $550 billion in new federal spending on the nation's aging infrastructure, including spending to slow the effects of climate change. The total $1.2 trillion price tag -- equal to the 2020 GDP of Spain -- includes some funds previously approved but not yet spent. - Harris on the Hill - Biden, a 36-year veteran of Senate maneuvering, has followed the bill's progress closely, and White House officials said he would not hesitate to phone wavering senators if needed. Making a last-minute plea for passage, Biden tweeted Saturday that the bill represented a "historic, once-in-a-generation investment in our nation's infrastructure." "We can't afford not to do it," he added. Biden also dispatched Vice President Kamala Harris, another former senator, to Capitol Hill Saturday to shore up support for the legislation. If the Senate approves the plan, it will move to the House of Representatives, where passage is not guaranteed. Democrats hold a narrow majority there, and the party's centrist and liberal wings have butted heads over the content of the bill. Story continues Final passage by both houses would represent a major victory for the Democratic president, who has been betting his political legacy on economic recovery and the fight against the ravages of Covid-19. Biden's Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, issued a statement Saturday calling the bill "a disgrace." Trump, who was unable to bring an infrastructure bill to passage during his four-year term, added that it would be "very hard" for him to "endorse anyone foolish enough to vote in favor of this deal." His position could make a final vote more problematic for Republicans looking ahead to the 2022 midterm elections. But Republicans also know that the spending in the bill is very popular among voters, according to polls. elc/bbk/sw/bgs Even if it's not a huge purchase, we think it was good to see that Karen Guerra, the Independent Non-Executive Director of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (LON:BATS) recently shelled out UK68k to buy stock, at UK27.05 per share. Even though that isn't a massive buy, it did increase their holding by 102%, which is arguably a good sign. View our latest analysis for British American Tobacco British American Tobacco Insider Transactions Over The Last Year Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Independent Chairman of the Board Luc Jobin for UK1.2m worth of shares, at about UK25.98 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is UK26.50. Of course they may have changed their mind. But this suggests they are optimistic. If someone buys shares at well below current prices, it's a good sign on balance, but keep in mind they may no longer see value. In this case we're pleased to report that the insider purchases were made at close to current prices. While British American Tobacco insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! British American Tobacco is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Insider Ownership For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. British American Tobacco insiders own 0.2% of the company, currently worth about UK100m based on the recent share price. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders. Story continues What Might The Insider Transactions At British American Tobacco Tell Us? The recent insider purchase is heartening. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest British American Tobacco insiders are well aligned, and that they may think the share price is too low. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. For example, British American Tobacco has 2 warning signs (and 1 which can't be ignored) we think you should know about. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. Things have been tough lately for the Boston Red Sox. And that continued on Saturday before they even played a game. The club announced that J.D. Martinez has been placed on the COVID-19 related injured list. Per MassLive.com, Martinez was feeling sick on Friday night and into Saturday, so the team is going to put him through testing to see if he is positive for COVID-19. Martinez is the teams starting designated hitter and one of the top threats in the lineup. He is currently hitting .284 and is tied for second-best on the team with 21 home runs and 68 runs batted in. Boston Red Sox's J.D. Martinez rounds third base after hitting a solo home run against the Detroit Tigers in the second inning of a baseball game in Detroit, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Martinez joins outfielder Jarren Duran on the COVID-related IL. Duran was put on the list Friday after experiencing symptoms. The club is still awaiting Durans test results, manager Alex Cora said Saturday. Connor Wong was elevated from Triple-A to replace Martinez on the roster ahead of a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. The Red Sox dropped the series opener in Toronto on Friday night, 12-4. It marked the clubs eighth loss in its last 10 games. That recent skid has dropped the Red Sox out of first place in the American League East. Entering Saturdays games, the Red Sox are 64-47 2.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East standings. The New York Yankees, now 60-49 on the year, are 8-2 over their last 10 and are closing ground on the Red Sox. The Yankees are just three games back of Boston and 5.5 games out of first place. The Blue Jays are also in the hunt at 58-49, a game back of the Yankees. More from Yahoo Sports: The four juveniles were at the Camp Lenox sleep-away camp in the Berkshires. Wikimedia Commons Children at a sleep-away camp stumbled upon a dead body while collecting firewood. The body was found in a "state of decomposition," Newsweek reported. The campers appear to be "emotionally stable," according to an email to parents seen by the New York Post. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Children at a sleep-away camp in the Berkshires found a decomposing corpse while they were collecting firewood for a camp activity on Thursday night, the New York Post reported. Four campers at Camp Lenox in Berkshire County, all juveniles, found the remains at around 3.30 pm on Thursday, a Massachusetts state police spokesperson told the Post. The kids reported the discovery to their camp counselors, who then called the police, the spokesperson said. The body was found in a "state of decomposition" outside of the camp property, in a wooded area in the town of Becket, according to Newsweek. Read more: Stressed-out parents at ritzy summer camps are driving staff nuts over kids' photos: 'We don't have paid paparazzi that follow your child around like they're a celebrity' State police identified the deceased individual as a 35-year-old man, Newsweek reported. Detectives are investigating his cause of death, the district attorney's office told the media outlet. A preliminary investigation indicates that the man may have died by suicide "some time ago," the Post reported, but the findings were not conclusive. "The investigation remains open and an autopsy is expected to be conducted," a police spokesperson told the paper. The camp informed parents of the gruesome discovery by email on Thursday, the Post said. "A counselor and 3 of our oldest campers were in the woods at the border of camp and private property collecting wood for a big event called 'Rope Burn," the email said. The campers who stumbled upon the corpse appear to be "emotionally stable," the message continued. Read the original article on Insider To the editor: As the author of Senate Bill 826, the California legislation requiring women on corporate boards, I find it interesting that columnist Nicholas Goldberg attacks the bill to break the glass ceiling in corporate America as government overreach and omits key comments from former Gov. Jerry Brown, who signed the bill into law. American corporations are creatures of government. They exist only when they satisfy legal requirements. Government has the authority to regulate what corporations can do and how they do it in order to best serve the public. From safety laws to a minimum wage, just to state obvious examples, government directs business behavior. SB 826 is constitutional. Case law and legal precedent confirm the authority of government to seek to correct gender inequality, which is what this law will do. Quoting Brown's signing statement, "It's high time corporate boards include the people who constitute more than half the 'persons' in America." I believe the courts will agree. Hannah-Beth Jackson, Santa Barbara The writer was a Democratic state senator from 2012-20. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Eleven students at Loyola University in Chicago won a victory over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate that is sweeping the country in education, business, and government. Under the rules implemented by the university, students who had not submitted their vaccine card or been granted an exception by Friday, Aug. 6, would not be allowed to enroll in classes or access the campus. Faculty and staff who are not vaccinated by Sept. 21, or submit an exemption, could face disciplinary action, including termination, the university states. Loyola initially denied written requests by the 11 students, who stated that the available vaccines contained fetal tissue from abortions and their religious beliefs do not condone abortion, according to a press release by their attorneys, Liberty Counsel. MOST LIBERAL COLLEGE STUDENTS SUPPORT SOCIALISM, SURVEY SAYS Loyola denied each of these students religious exemption requests with curt and ambiguous denials even though their statements were more than sufficient under applicable law and under Loyolas nondiscrimination policy, the release said. Illinois has a Health Care Right of Conscience Act that provides strong protection to all residents against discrimination based on healthcare choices. The university backtracked on its decision after receiving a letter from attorneys on Wednesday threatening a lawsuit. After the press release was distributed, 10 more students contacted Liberty because they received exemption denials. The cases are under review. A Loyola spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Loyola University needs to drop its unlawful mandate immediately, said Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver in a statement. Forcing any person to receive one of these COVID injections authorized for emergency use by the FDA is a violation of both state and federal law. Students at a namesake school, Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, did not have the same outcome when their request for a religious exemption was denied, according to Reuters. The students filed a lawsuit, calling the vaccine protocol campus-wide apartheid because they are ostracized in separate dorms with a host of regulations. Story continues CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Vaccine requirements are quickly becoming normalized for large corporations, schools, and government agencies. Recently, President Joe Biden announced a federal employee mandate that required vaccinations or a strict testing schedule. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Delta Variant, Vaccination, University, Coronavirus Original Author: Tori Richards Original Location: Loyola University students win battle over COVID-19 vaccine Ten soldiers from the Minnesota National Guard are expected to arrive Saturday in Washington state, at the request of officials there, to help fight wildfires. The Guard's St. Cloud-basedGeneral Support Aviation Battalion is sending the soldiers, along with a Black Hawk helicopter with hoist, to provide medivac support to firefighters on the ground and aerial fire suppression. Gov. Tim Walz ordered the soldiers to spend at least two weeks in Washington, in response to a request from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Their stay could be extended if current fire conditions continue. "Wildfires continue to put our fellow Americans' lives at risk, and when disaster hits, Minnesotans have always stepped up to help out their neighbors," Walz said in a statement. "We continue to battle our own wildfires here in Minnesota, but we have the resources needed to manage those, and we are in a strong position to step up and help our fellow states." Walz and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee met last week with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss the ongoing drought, extreme heat, and wildfires in various states. Walz asked for federal action to increase Minnesota livestock producers' access to lands for forage. Walz, a 24-year veteran of the Army National Guard, is co-chairman of the Council of Governors, which advises federal officials on matters related to the Guard. Katy Read 612-673-4583 Spencer Platt / Getty Images It seems like a good idea -- getting that membership to Costco so you can save lots of money on groceries and household products. But if you're on the fence about whether a membership would be right for you, take some time to check out Costco's online site to see what products it has that you're interested in, or visit a location in person to look around. Budget: 20 Ways to Pay Less at Costco More: Shopping Mistakes Youre Making and How To Stop You can get a Costco membership for as little as $60 per year, which averages out to about $5 per month. If you shop once a month, do you think you can rack up at least $5 in savings during a single trip? To help you gain perspective and see how much you can potentially save with a Costco membership, here's a look at the price of 10 Costco signature products versus the price of 10 similar products at Kroger with the savings calculated for you. Last updated: July 12, 2021 Chase Brock / GOBankingRates Olive Oil How much you could save by buying the Kirkland product: $2.73 Olive oil can be expensive and quality matters. Plus, according to the experts, Kirkland's Signature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is high-quality olive oil. A two-liter bottle of Kirkland Signature Organic Extra Virgin Olive oil is just $13.49 at Costco. To compare, a 51-ounce bottle of Simple Truth Organic Unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oil at Kroger costs $12.49. In terms of price, the Simple Truth product is $1 less than Costco's brand, but you get 16 ounces less product. The Costco product costs $6.76 per liter or $0.20 per ounce, while the Kroger product costs a bit more than $0.24 per ounce. Even though there's not a huge cost saving here, in terms of quality, the Costco product may more than make up for it. Read: Costco and 7 Other Popular Companies That Dont Waste Money on Advertising Costco Mixed Nuts How much you could save by buying the Kirkland product: $4.21 Kirkland Signature Extra Fancy Mixed Nuts are $15.99 for 40 ounces of almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, macadamia nuts and pecans. Kroger Deluxe Sea Salt Mixed Nuts are $16.99 for only 32 ounces or 2 pounds of cashews, almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts and pecans. (Note that the Kirkland product features macadamia nuts, while the Kroger product features hazelnuts.) When you do the calculations, you're paying around $0.40 per ounce for the Kirkland product and $0.53 for the Kroger product, which is a difference of $0.13 per ounce. Story continues Wages: Costco and 17 Other Companies That Raised Their Minimum Wage to $15 (or More) Costco Paper Towels How much you could save by buying the Kirkland product: $4.14 You can get a really good deal when you buy Kirkland Signature Create-a-Size Paper Towels with 140 2-ply sheets per roll in a 12-count pack for $19.99. To compare, a pack of six-count Kroger Select-A-Sheet Double Paper Towels with 110 2-ply sheets per roll is $9.99. So, you could buy two six-packs of the Kroger product for around the same price as Costco's product, but you'd get 30 fewer sheets per Kroger roll, which can add up. Kirkland paper towels cost about $1.66 per roll, and the Kroger paper towels cost the same. The only difference is you're losing 360 sheets (30 sheets X 12 rolls) -- or about 2 1/2 rolls (there are 140 sheets in each roll of the Kirkland product) -- if you buy the Kroger product. Learn More: The 37 Mistakes We Make When Shopping at Costco, Amazon, Target and Walmart Chase Brock / GOBankingRates Maple Syrup How much you could save by buying the Kirkland product: $4.41 There's nothing like pure maple syrup on your pancakes. You can get Kirkland Signature Organic Pure Maple Syrup for $12.49 for 33.8 0unces or $0.37 per ounce. To compare, Private Selection 100% Pure Grade A Amber Maple Syrup at Kroger is $15.99 for 32 ounces or almost $0.50 per ounce. Plus, the Kroger brand is not organic but the Kirkland brand is. Find Out: 45 Stars Who Shop at Costco, Target and Walmart Amazon Dishwasher Detergent Tabs How much you could save by buying the Kirkland product: $19.75 At Costco, Kirkland Signature Platinum Performance UltraShine Dishwasher Detergent Pacs, 115-count, are $11.30 or $0.04 each. At Kroger, Finish Powerball Quantum Dishwasher Detergent Tabs, 50-count, are $13.49 or about $0.27 each. This is where you can really rack up the savings and pay for almost one-third of your Costco membership just by the savings you'll reap from buying this one Costco product. Tips: 24 Ways To Make Money Off Your Shopping Costco Animal Crackers How much you could save by buying the Kirkland product: $8.35 If you have children or if you just like having something simple, yet sweet, to satisfy your sugar craving without going overboard, animal crackers may be something you'd buy. A 4-pound quantity of Kirkland Signature Organic Animal Crackers is $11.49 or around $0.18 per ounce. In comparison, two 8-ounce packages of Simple Truth Organic Animal Crackers from Kroger are $4.98 or $0.31 per ounce. If you're into animal crackers, you can really save at Costco. See: 30 Things You Should Never Buy Without a Coupon Costco Plastic Wrap How much you could save by buying the Kirkland product: $11.37 Kirkland Signature Stretch-Tite Plastic Food Wrap is $11.29 for two boxes of wrap that are 758 square feet each or 1,516 square feet total, which equals about $0.0074 per square foot. In comparison, Kroger Tight Seal Cling Wrap is $2.99 for 200 square feet or about $0.01495 per square foot. The savings you can get by buying over seven times more plastic food wrap at a time may surprise you. Be Aware: Supermarket Buys That Are a Waste of Money Costco Kitchen Trash Bags How much you could save by buying the Kirkland product: $20.70 Kirkland Signature Flex-Tech 13-Gallon Scented Kitchen Trash Bags, 200-count are $18.99 or $0.10 per bag. Kroger Tall Kitchen Super Flex Bags, 34-count, are $5.49 or $0.16 per bag. By buying the Kirkland trash bags, even though you have to buy more up front, you can save over $20. That's more than one-third of the price of the $60 Costco membership. Find Out: How Well Do You Know How Much These Common Items Cost in the US? Costco Weight Control Cat Food How much you could save by buying the Kirkland product: $11.81 Overweight kitties need a solution, and weight control cat food can help. Kirkland Signature Healthy Weight Cat Food is $27.99 for 20 pounds or $1.40 per pound. IAMS ProActive Health Chicken & Turkey Indoor Weight & Hairball Care Adult Dry Cat Food is $13.99 for 7 pounds or $1.99 per pound. Not only is the Kirkland formula cheaper but it also doesn't contain any corn, wheat or soy. Find Out: Best and Worst Things to Buy Generic Costco Absorbent Pet Pads How much you could save by buying the Kirkland product: $3.00 If you're potty training an indoor puppy, absorbent pet pads are good to have. And you'll get a lot more value from Costco's offering. Not only are the pet pads cheaper, but they're also larger than what you can get at Kroger. You can get Kirkland Signature Extra-Large Absorbent Pads, 100-count, for $16.99 or $0.17 per pad. Kroger offers Pet Pride Super Absorbent Training Pads in a 100-count package for $19.99 or around $0.20 per pad. Check Out: 50 Purchases Buyers Almost Always Regret ARTYOORAN / Shutterstock.com Is a Costco Membership Worth It? If you bought every item on this list instead of buying the similar products from Kroger, you could save $90.47 in just one trip to Costco, which more than makes up for the $60 membership fee. And that's just one trip. The membership fee is due once every year, so think about how many more opportunities you'll have to save. Yes, a Costco membership is worth it -- as long as you use it. More From GOBankingRates Methodology: It's difficult to find the same size of similar products at Costco and Kroger. In instances where the Costco product contained more ounces, pounds or units than the similar Kroger product, the "how much you could save by buying the Kirkland product" was determined by calculating how much the Costco quantity of the product would cost at the Kroger price and then subtracting the Costco price from the new Kroger price. This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Much Does a Costco Membership Really Save You? ALBANY, N.Y. A criminal investigation into New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo could lead to multiple misdemeanor charges if law enforcement can substantiate a complaint accusing the governor of groping an aide in the Executive Mansion, according to the sheriff leading the probe. Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple, a Democrat, addressed the media Saturday, two days after one of Cuomo's executive assistants formally filed a criminal complaint claiming the embattled governor reached under her blouse and cupped her breast late last year. Apple vowed to complete a full and fair investigation that is not affected by Cuomo's stature as governor. "We're not going to rush this because of who he is, and we're not going to delay this because of who he is," Apple said. "We're going to conduct a very comprehensive investigation as my investigators and my staff always do." Gov. Andrew Cuomo talks on the phone while walking with his dog Captain at the New York state Executive Mansion, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021, in Albany, N.Y. An investigation found that Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women in and out of state government. The sheriff's office and the Albany County District Attorney's Office are working together jointly on the investigation, which comes as Cuomo tries to ward off calls for his impeachment or resignation for a bevy of sexual harassment claims. Cuomo and his attorneys have denied the alleged groping incident in part by claiming it defies logic. "He is 63 years old. He has spent 40 years in public life," Rita Glavin, one of Cuomo's private attorneys, said during a news conference Friday. "And for him to all of a sudden be accused of sexual assault of an executive assistant that he really doesn't know, it doesn't pass muster." On Tuesday, Attorney General Letitia James' office released a report by a pair of investigators that concluded Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women including nine current or former state employees in the past seven years. The report, which was crafted by private attorneys Joon Kim and Anne Clark, found Cuomo violated several state and federal harassment laws along the way. But the attorney general's investigation was civil in nature, leaving it up to local prosecutors to take up any potential criminal conduct. Story continues On Thursday, a woman identified as "Executive Assistant #1" in the report filed an official criminal complaint with the Albany County Sheriff's Office. In the report released Tuesday and an interview with the Times Union of Albany earlier this year, the woman claimed she was summoned to the Executive Mansion where Cuomo lives in Albany to assist with an issue. While there, she claims Cuomo hugged her before reaching under her shirt and cupping her breast over her bra. "I mean it was he was like cupping my breast," the executive assistant told the attorney general's investigators. "He cupped my breast. I have to tell you it was at the moment I was in such shock." If the Albany County Sheriff's Office and District Attorney's Office find the complaint to be credible after investigation, Cuomo could potentially be arrested and face at least one misdemeanor charge and possibly multiple charges, Apple said. "Obviously, yes, it could lead to an arrest," Apple said at the news conference Saturday, which was broadcast by Spectrum News. The sheriff said the woman and her attorney, Brian Premo, filed the complaint at the sheriff's office Thursday afternoon. The process took about an hour, much of which consisted of an explanation of the criminal investigation process and what comes next, Apple said. "At some point, we will have our victim back in for probably a very lengthy interview, maybe a series of interviews," he said. "And at that point, depending on the facts and circumstances, we'll sit down with the district attorney and make a decision to move forward with a criminal charge." Fabien Levy, James' press secretary, said the Attorney General's Office will cooperate with the criminal investigation. "We will cooperate fully with the Albany sheriff and turn over all evidence related to this complainant," Levy said in a statement. "Similarly, we will cooperate with all law-enforcement agencies, as appropriate." More: Woman who alleges Cuomo groped her in Executive Mansion files criminal complaint in Albany More: Andrew Cuomo: A timeline of the New York governor's life and political career Jon Campbell is the New York State Team editor for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at JCAMPBELL1@Gannett.com or on Twitter at @JonCampbellGAN. This article originally appeared on New York State Team: Cuomo complaint could lead to misdemeanor charges, sheriff says Aug. 7Ohioans have two more days left to take advantage of the annual state sales tax holiday and save a little money in their back to school shopping. The tax-free holiday ends at 11:59 p.m. Sunday night. Ohioans can purchase as many items as they need. Items with a price higher than these limits will be taxed at the standard rate. The sales tax holiday will be especially beneficial for back-to-school shopping, and the tax exempt items include: Clothing priced at $75 or less per item. School supplies priced at $20 or less per item. School instructional material priced at $20 or less. A full list of items can be found at the Ohio Department of Taxation FAQ page. State Sen. Niraj Antani, R-Miamisburg, encouraged constituents to participate in Ohio's annual sales tax holiday that started on Friday during a visit to the Kohl's in Miamisburg. The sales tax holiday was established in 2015 and was made permanent in 2019 through Substitute Senate Bill 226, which Antani co-sponsored. "I was honored to have been a part of the establishment of our sales tax holiday. This is one of the best things we have done to provide direct tax savings for Ohioans, and I encourage everyone to take advantage of it," Antani said. "We should continue to expand on this great work." "Ohio's back-to-school sales tax holiday is not only good for our consumers and retailers, it's good for the state's economy," said Gordon Gough, Ohio Council of Retail Merchants president and CEO. "Consumers from neighboring states cross the border into Ohio to enjoy the tax-free holiday, and many consumers will take advantage of sales on items not exempt from tax. It's a win for everyone this weekend." People are expected to spend record amounts on both school and college supplies after many did not have to last school year due to the pandemic, according to National Retail Federation survey. "The pandemic forced parents and their school-aged children to quickly adapt to virtual learning, and they did it with an incredible amount of resolve and flexibility," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. "We enter the new school year with plans to return to the classroom and retailers are prepared to help Americans find and purchase whatever they need to make this transition as seamless as possible." Story continues According to that survey, families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $848 on school items, which is $59 more than last year. Total back-to-school spending is expected to reach a record $37.1 billion, up from $33.9 billion last year and an all-time high in the survey's history. Items sold by mail, telephone, e-mail or internet qualify for the sales tax exemption, if the customer orders and pays for the item and the retailer accepts the order during the exemption period for immediate shipment, even if delivery is made after the exemption period. "There is no differentiation of the type of consumer who can take advantage of this sales tax holiday," Gary Gudmundson, communications director for the Ohio Department of Taxation, said. MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) Police arrested 50 people suspected of ransacking a Hindu temple in a remote town in eastern Pakistan and were searching for another 100 suspects, police said Saturday. The attack on a temple in the town of Bhong in Punjab province Wednesday followed the alleged desecration of a religious school by a young Hindu boy earlier in the week. The unruly mob burned down the temples main door and damaged statues. Muslims and Hindus generally live peacefully in predominantly Muslim Pakistan, but there have been attacks on Hindu temples in recent years. Most of Pakistans minority Hindus migrated to India in 1947 when India was divided by Britains government. Jam Ghaffar, the area police chief, said order was restored after the deployment of extra police and a paramilitary force and police were looking for the remaining suspects. Ramesh Kumar, a Hindu community leader said after the attack that the initially slow response from the police had made the situation and the damages to the temple worse. The trouble in Bhong started after a court ruling that granted bail to an 8-year-old Hindu boy who was arrested for intentionally urinating on a carpet in a school library housing religious texts. The mob alleges the boy committed blasphemy, an act punishable by the death sentence in Pakistan. The COVID-19 pandemic has allowed humpback whales in Alaskan waters to experience a quieter environment than usual, and there has been a marked difference in their behavior. The cruise ships that play a big role Alaskas tourism industry generate loud noises underwater that interfere with the activity of marine mammals. With cruises largely being a no-go during the pandemic, overall marine traffic in the states Glacier Bay dropped by about 40%, the BBC reported in a comprehensive piece about the whales in southern Alaska. Humpback whales previously stuck close by each other and communicated in less complex ways, similar to people in a loud bar, National Park Service wildlife biologist Christine Gabriele told the BBC. But with fewer ships, whales spread out across greater distances and their whale songs became more varied. Mothers were observed giving their calves more freedom and even sometimes taking naps, she said. A breaching humpback whale in Glacier Bay. (Photo: Betty Wiley via Getty Images) The first large cruise ship in 21 months a test voyage aimed at gauging how well COVID-19 precautions would work returned to Alaska last month, according to the Anchorage Daily News. Gabriele and other researchers spoke to NPR last summer about how the halt on cruises, along with international shipping slowing down, provided a unique opportunity to observe the impact of decreased sound on Glacier Bays whales. Whales use sound in almost every aspect of their daily life, she said. Scientists hoped that finding out more about how underwater sound affects whales would be helpful in crafting conservation policy. More needs to be done, Jason Gedamke of NOAA fisheries ocean acoustics program told NPR. When you have animals that for millions of years have been able to communicate over vast distances in the ocean, and then once we introduce noise and have increased sound levels and they cant communicate over those distances, clearly theres going to be some impact there. A group of whales feeding on herring in southeast Alaska. (Photo: Paul Souders via Getty Images) Whales are far from the only wild animals that saw at least temporary benefit from decreased human interference when COVID-19 struck. In the early months of the pandemic, a plunge in travel led to a significant drop in wild animals being hit by cars, according to research from the University of California, Davis. Story continues And when U.S. national parks were closed to visitors in 2020, wildlife thrived and animals were seen boldly ranging over areas they previously avoided due to human presence. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related... Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, who is the first Native American to hold the cabinet post, speaks to reporters at the White House on April 23, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times) In 1990, when Congress passed a law that set criteria under which federally recognized Native American tribes could reclaim ancient burial remains and sacred objects, legislators hoped to encourage the return of items by museums and other institutions. But more than three decades later, some officials acknowledge that the law, known as the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA, has not been as effective as they had hoped. The remains of more than 116,000 Native American ancestors are still held by institutions around the country, and the National Park Service says that, for nearly all of them, the institutions have not linked the remains to a particular tribe, a designation known as culturally affiliated that allows Indigenous groups to reclaim the bones of their forebears. This is first and foremost an issue of Indigenous rights, said Veronica Pasfield, a NAGPRA officer for the Bay Mills Indian Community in Michigan. The right to protect the graves of your ancestors and relatives is one of the most fundamental human rights on the planet. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times But now the Biden administration is seeking to make regulatory adjustments that would help expedite repatriation proceedings and require museums to complete the process of identifying the remains. Changes to NAGPRA regulations are long overdue, Deb Haaland, secretary of the Interior Department, said when she announced the reform initiative last month. Im hopeful this process will eliminate unnecessary burdens to the repatriation process and allow Indigenous peoples greater access to their ancestors remains and sacred items. The department, now led by the first Native American to hold a Cabinet post, has drafted its own changes to the rules. But it plans on consulting tribal and Native Hawaiian communities, who are also covered under the law, before making the details of those changes public when it publishes an official notice for comment in October. Story continues In the announcement, the department said one goal of the changes would be to streamline existing regulatory requirements by eliminating ambiguities, correcting inaccuracies, simplifying excessively burdensome and complicated requirements, clarifying timelines and removing offensive terminology in the existing regulations. Institutions have argued that identifying the cultural affiliation of remains can be difficult, time consuming and expensive, especially in cases where the remains are considered too old to be affiliated with a federally recognized, present-day tribe. Cultural affiliation must be established with multiple types of evidence beyond geographical information, they say, including biological, archaeological, linguistic and historical data, creating a significant research hurdle at a time when experts say federal funding for such projects has fallen behind demand. But some officials for tribes say that institutions have exaggerated the complexity of the process. If you know there are human remains from a burial site, and you know their location and age, its relatively simple to identify what tribe that person is from, Pasfield said. Not affiliating remains is a way for universities and museums to hold onto what they want to conduct research on. Efforts to streamline the NAGPRA regulations stretch back as far as 2010, when the Association on American Indian Affairs said it began meeting with the Obama administration. Those conversations stalled during the Trump era, resuming shortly after President Joe Bidens inauguration in January. We are hoping that the White House does this as quickly as possible, because the regulations as currently written are confusing and verbose, said Shannon OLoughlin, the nonprofits CEO and lawyer. The rules give institutions too much power over the process when their intent is to not repatriate. Pasfield said she hopes the Biden changes will include new ways to standardize what is required to establish cultural affiliation between remains and their communities, because the current wording a preponderance of evidence is too vague. One institution that Native American leaders have pressed to accelerate its effort is Harvard Universitys Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, which has the remains of more than 6,400 Native Americans and 13,600 funerary objects that are not culturally affiliated with any particular tribe, according to the NAGPRA database maintained by the government. In February, the Association on American Indian Affairs sent the university a letter that said there had been an unconscionable delay in fulfilling its legal obligations. The association said the museum had delayed repatriation claims by repeatedly asking tribes to present evidence beyond what is required by law. (More than 96% of the unidentified items in Harvards collection have been traced to geographic regions, but the university has said that geography alone is not enough to define a tribal link.) A month later, Harvard responded with a letter to the association that acknowledged its imperfect track record but disputed accusations of noncompliance. The museum has no interest in subverting or delaying NAGPRAs implementation, the letter states. Our museum is not the proper place for these remains, and we are committed to their return. To reclaim artifacts, tribes currently undergo an expensive process overseen by the museums and universities they are petitioning. Repatriation requests are processed through guidelines created by the institutions, which also decide if the evidence presented satisfies their own criteria. Some institutions have yet to inventory all the human remains and burial objects in their care as mandated by the law. The original deadline to complete the inventories was 1995. Enforcement has also been spotty, carrying penalties of only a few thousand dollars for institutions that flout the rules. The complications of NAGPRA compliance have frustrated some Native American scholars. Its not something that most Americans have to think about when they enter a museum, said Jami Powell, a curator of Indigenous art for the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College. But would you want to work with an institution that had the remains of people from your community in storage? Powell said the Hood Museum has complied with the law and is working toward repatriating the remains of 27 Native Americans whose bones are in its collection. But she agreed that there are limited federal funds and manpower when it comes to research in this area. The work is never done when it comes to NAGPRA, said John Stomberg, director of the Hood Museum. A new policy announced in March is supposed to help the University of California, Berkeley repatriate more than 9,500 Native American remains. Its collection is the largest one in the country, according to the National Park Service, and it has stayed that way, according to university officials, because previous administrators delayed repatriation proceedings. Historically, UC Berkeley has seen repatriation and NAGPRA as a process that conflicts with the research interests of the university, Thomas Torma, the schools liaison for the law, wrote in an email. As a result of these changes, in the past year, we have been able to transfer at least 297 individuals and 15,792 of their belongings back to tribes. When remains are returned, tribes have often held poignant reburial ceremonies. After the University of Michigan repatriated the remains of 94 Native Americans and 812 associated funerary objects to the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe in 2014, members stood through freezing temperatures to commemorate the return at a cemetery established in 1995 as a place to rebury their ancestors. It is emotional, not just a physical thing we go through with repatriation, Tony Perry, a participant in the ceremony, told the tribes publication at the time, and its a deeply spiritual and emotional thing that comes from the heart. By clarifying timelines and closing loopholes in the existing regulations, the Biden administration hopes to hold accountable not just museums but also the many government agencies with Indigenous remains in their possession. Documents from the federal registry indicate that the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the U.S. Navy and the Army Corps of Engineers continue to revise their inventory tallies, increasing the number of human remains and funerary objects found in their collections, after being called out by the Government Accountability Office more than a decade ago for not fully complying with the law. Critics of the current system argue that wherever you look, it is hard to detect great progress. At the current rate we are going, its going to be another seven decades before all 116,000 human remains are addressed, said Chip Colwell, a former curator at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science who led its NAGPRA compliance program and later wrote a book about the fight for repatriation. When leaders look at how much work is to be done, there is a deep sense of frustration. 2021 The New York Times Company The U.S. Senate is poised to vote on a $1 trillion infrastructure bill that calls for $550 billion in new spending for rail networks, roads and bridges, water management and a plethora of other projects. Before that, however, it must work through more than a dozen amendments, including two that seek to narrow a cryptocurrency tax reporting provision that would raise about $28 billion over 10 years. In its present form, the provision would broaden the definition of a broker to any entity within the cryptocurrency industry that facilitates the transfer of digital currencies for another person. That could include miners, hardware and software developers, and other parties that help facilitate a transaction, but dont participate in the transaction, the Blockchain Association, Coin Center, Coinbase, Ribbit Capital and Square said in a joint statement earlier this week. Second, it makes possible a massive increase in financial surveillance, potentially requiring companies to report information about individuals even if they are not customers, the groups added. Related: Senators Reach Compromise on Crypto Tax Provision in Infrastructure Bill The provision was one of a few that held up the introduction of the overall bill last week, and may have contributed to a delay in votes on Thursday, an individual close to the negotiations told CoinDesk. To narrow the scope of the provision, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) introduced an amendment that would exempt miners and other types of validators, as well as other entities that dont provide custody and trading services. The Senate is expected to vote on the amendment on Saturday, though negotiations may push the vote to as late as Monday. However, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), one of the key negotiators of the overall infrastructure package and the lawmaker who inserted the original provision, introduced a competing amendment with Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), the other lead negotiator on the overall bill. Story continues The amendment would specifically exempt proof-of-work validators (i.e. miners) and entities involved in selling hardware or software that allows individuals to control their own private keys. The Senate is also expected to vote on this amendment on Saturday. Bipartisan conflict Related: Senate Advances Infrastructure Bill Without Amending Crypto Provision Both amendments have bipartisan support and are sitting in front of a Senate that has 50 Democrats and Republicans apiece. CoinDesk reached out to every senator who is not a named sponsor to ask if they would vote for either amendment. The majority did not respond by press time. Spokespeople for Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) told CoinDesk the lawmakers would support the Wyden/Lummis/Toomey amendment. On the other hand, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) told CoinDesk through a spokesperson that crypto assets and trading platforms need to play by the same rules as everyone else. He did not address non-trading businesses or explicitly say if he would vote for either amendment. President Biden has also thrown his support behind the Warner/Portman/Sinema amendment. We believe that the alternative amendment put forward by Senators Warner, Portman and Sinema strikes the right balance and makes an important step forward in promoting tax compliance, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Friday. The bill will go to the House if the Senate passes it, where there is also bipartisan opposition to the crypto provision. Reps. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) have all expressed support for either the Wyden/Toomey/Lummis amendment specifically, or at least narrowing the language. The House wont take up the infrastructure bill until this fall, after it returns from a recess. UPDATE (Aug. 7, 2021, 20:00 UTC): Adds a statement from Sen. Mike Lees spokesperson. Related Stories The controversial activist says his family must move out of the New Jersey home after images of the property were published by news outlets A fundraiser for Shaun King is seeking donations to help move his family out of their New Jersey home after photographs of the house were published online by news outlets. The controversial activist stated in a social media post that he is being forced to move from the $842,000 property, per a report from Atlanta Black Star. Kings Instagram page has since gone private and his Twitter profile was taken down. An image of Kings home was first published by The New York Post, who in late July reported that the 3,000-square-foot abode is located in North Brunswick, New Jersey. The house includes five bedrooms, four bathrooms and a gourmet kitchen with a backyard situated on a lakefront. It was purchased in November in the name of Rai-Tonicia King, Shau Kings wife, according to the outlet. Shaun King (Photo Credit/https://www.shaunking.org) King, his wife and their five children previously lived in an apartment in Brooklyn, New York, before moving to the New Brunswick home. King posted to his social media that for safety reasons, he decided to move out of the New Jersey house, Atlanta Black Star reported. Today, Ive had to make a heartbreaking decision, King stated. After a combination of Fox News, the NY Post, and other outlets posted pictures of my home across the Internet, weve now seen our address posted all over the internet. Strangers have already started coming by the house. My kids cant even go outside and play during the final month of summer break. So, were moving. S. Lee Merritt, a civil rights lawyer and friend to King, is also asking his social media followers for financial assistance to help King move out of the house. King, who proclaims himself to be an advocate for Black social justice, has been criticized frequently over the years over allegations of using his stance as an ally of Black Lives Matter as a method of monetary and social exploitation. Story continues Numerous publications and critics had previously called into question the methods of how King was able to purchase the house in the first place. News of his planned relocation come on the heels of ridcule earlier this year from Samaria Rice. In June, Rice, the mother of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old boy who was slain by police gun fire in 2014, called out King in an Instagram post for publicly disclosing a private conversation between the two, as previously reported by theGrio. Rice referred to King as a white man acting Black and called him an imposter. Personally, I dont understand how you sleep at night I never gave you permission to raise anything, Rice said on social meida. Along with the United States, you robbed me for the death of my son. While King stated that his wife, who is purusing a PhD, purchased the house with the help of an FHA loan, Black Enterprise reported that King had asked his followers to send money to his Rai-Tonicia King via CashApp and Venmo on his Facebook page to alleviate some pressure from her as she finishes school. At the time of Kings post about his wife, he had been vacationing in the Caribbean with his family, the outlet said. Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now! TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today! The post Fundraiser for Shaun King requests assistance to move out of $842,000 New Jersey house appeared first on TheGrio. By Sangmi Cha SEOUL (Reuters) - For the first time in South Korea, a nursing assistant who was paralysed after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine was recognised as a victim of an industrial accident, making her eligible for government benefits and compensation. The nursing assistant, who has not been identified, received AstraZeneca's shot on March 12 and later suffered from double vision and paralysis and was diagnosed with acute encephalomyelitis, the state-run Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service said on Friday. The service said in a statement the woman did not have underlying conditions and there seemed to be a "a reasonable causal link between the side effects and the vaccination". AstraZeneca, asked about the case, did not refer to it directly but said patient safety was of the utmost importance for it and regulators around the world. "International regulators, including the World Health Organization, continue to reaffirm that the vaccine offers a high-level of protection against all severities of COVID-19 and variants of concern, and is a key part of global efforts to overcome the virus," AstraZeneca said in a statement. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) had determined that with the available evidence, it could not verify a connection between the woman's case and the vaccine but it was open to re-evaluation when more evidence was available, said agency official Choi Seung-ho. South Korea, like many other countries, has indemnified major vaccine makers against claims and set up funds to cover any costs. It offers up to 10 million won ($8,747) to anyone who suffers serious side effects from the coronavirus vaccines but this is the first case in which the side effects are considered an industrial accident. Healthcare workers were among the first to be eligible for the vaccines in South Korea and were encouraged by employers to be vaccinated but they were not forced to. Story continues The compensation service concluded that the woman was eligible for government compensation and benefits under the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act because her medical situation was related to her work. She will be compensated for missed work hours and benefits will cover her medical expenses and disabilities, the service spokesman told Reuters. There were six more cases pending a decision, the spokesman said. The KDCA said a total of 1,562 cases, including 14 deaths, had been reviewed for compensation regarding damages from COVID-19 vaccination, of which 983 had been compensated. There has been no compensation for a case involving a death. LIABILITY AND CLAIMS AstraZeneca has been granted protection from product liability claims related to its COVID-19 vaccine by most of the countries with which it has struck supply agreements. After reports of a rare blood clots associated with the vaccine this year, several countries announced restrictions on its use in younger people. In Asia, countries including Singapore, Australia, Thailand and Malaysia have financial assistance programmes or set up compensation funds for those who suffer serious side effects from vaccines. In Thailand, the government has paid out 13 million baht ($389,454) to 400 cases of COVID-19 vaccine side-effects, its health agency said. In cases of death, it pays 400,000 baht, and side effects that impact daily life, 240,000 baht. Payments are not proof, however, that the vaccines have side effects, it said, because that is under the purview of an expert panel. This year, the World Health Organization agreed https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-who-vaccines-compe-idUSKBN2AN0GV a no-fault compensation plan for claims of serious side effects in people in 92 poorer countries due to get COVID-19 vaccines via the COVAX sharing scheme. India, which has the second-highest number of cases globally, is a holdout https://statics.teams.cdn.office.net/evergreen-assets/safelinks/1/atp-safelinks.html. The government is in talks over legal protection sought by companies like Pfizer and Moderna, and no shots have been shipped by these companies. The U.S. government has compensation fund for people who are victims of side effects of a vaccine, but lawyers say few claims have been compensated https://statics.teams.cdn.office.net/evergreen-assets/safelinks/1/atp-safelinks.html historically. ($1 = 33.3800 baht) (Reporting by Sangmi Cha; Additional reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Chayut Setboonsarng; Writing by Josh Smith; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh, Robert Birsel) Still working from home? Call your auto insurer to keep the savings rolling When the pandemic first hit, millions of Americans stopped commuting and ditched their business casual clothes for something more business comfortable. Of all the changes brought on by COVID-19, many people have found working from home to be a surprisingly welcome disruption. Even when its safe to return to the workplace, plenty of employers are allowing their staff to keep working remotely at least part of the time. Our best estimate is that 25% to 30% of the workforce will be working from home multiple days a week by the end of 2021, says Kate Lister, president of Global Workplace Analytics, on her site. If youre still working remotely, that means your car is spending a lot more time sitting on the driveway than on the freeway. But unless you tell your auto insurer its going to stay that way, you could end up overpaying for coverage. Insurance discounts drying up ambrozinio / Shutterstock With traffic way down during the pandemic, crashes and insurance claims have plummeted, too. A number of auto insurers have passed on their oversized profits to policyholders in the form of discounted premiums or refunds. But as more people start commuting again, dont expect those across-the-board benefits to automatically continue. Any employees still working from home, clocking 30-second commutes on the heel-toe express rather than 30 minutes on the highway, will need to take action to keep getting reduced rates. Savings could be a quick call away Jelena Zelen / Shutterstock Most insurance companies base their rates on an expected mileage of up to 12,000 miles per year, according to AutoInsurance.org. If youre driving far less than that, theres a good chance youre overpaying for your insurance. The site reports that drivers with long commutes end up paying about $7.09 more per month on average. Over a year, that adds up to about $85 which may not seem like a lot of money, but it could become much more if invested wisely. Of course, if youve really cut back on your miles, you could see even larger savings. Drivers clocking fewer than 7,500 miles a year could see savings of up to 20% on their premiums, says the personal finance site ValuePenguin. Story continues Thats a lot of money you could save with just one phone call to your insurer. How to save even if your commute isnt changing fizkes / Shutterstock Unfortunately, youre not guaranteed to get a deep discount or any discount at all. Every insurer calculates their premiums in a different way, and some dont put as much emphasis on the amount you drive every day. If your insurer wont budge, it could be time to shop around and see whether another provider is willing to reward you for low mileage. In fact, even if youre going to go back to the office five days a week, you may be able to use that strategy to find savings of nearly $100 a month. Since premiums can vary so widely from company to company, the Insurance Information Institute recommends you compare at least three quotes before settling on an offer. It may sound like a lot of work, but you can handle the task in minutes using a quote comparison site. That way, the next time you do have to waste an hour in traffic, at least youll know youre not wasting your money. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. Texas Democrats fled the state last month to protest new voting legislation (Getty Images) Texas Democrats have again failed to show up to the state Capitol as Republicans began their third attempt at passing new voting laws. It prolonged a monthslong standoff that escalated in July when 50 Democratic state lawmakers fled the state and hunkered down in Washington DC. A quorum is not present, Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan said Saturday afternoon. Just minutes later, he adjourned the chamber until Monday, the Associated Press reported. The delay came as 22 of the Texas House Democrats who fled the state last month to protest voter suppression laws launched a lawsuit against Republican Governor Greg Abbott. They alleged that Republican efforts to force them back to return to Texas had infringed on their constitutional rights. The 22 plaintiffs claim they have been deprived of liberty for substantial periods of time, suffered much anxiety and distress over separation from their families, and much discomfort and embarrassment, the complaint filed on Friday, and obtained by the Texas Tribune, alleges. Gov Abbott, Speaker Phelan and State Rep James White are all named as defendants in the case. The lawsuit alleges that the three Republicans have by public statements and otherwise, to attempt to deny, coerce, threaten, intimidate, and prevent the Democrats and constituents from voting in elections, speaking publicly about their constitutional rights, and their right to not being arrested without probable cause. The suit comes after Gov Abbott called for the arrests of more than 50 Texas House Democrats who fled the state in July for the nations capital, in a bid to stop a Republican-backed voter integrity bill from passing in a special legislative session. It was the second time that Texas Democrats staged a walkout on the voting bill, and left the states House of Representatives without a quorum to pass the bill. Under the bill, Texas would ban 24-hour polling locations, drive-thru voting and give partisan poll watchers more access under the bill that Republicans were on the brink of passing in May. Story continues But that effort was foiled by Democrats abruptly leaving the Capitol building in Austin in a late-night walkout . Democrats made a bigger gambit by decamping to Washington DC on chartered jets to run out the clock on the GOPs second try. Democrats had hoped to exert pressure on President Joe Biden and Congress to pass federal voting rights legislation, but a Senate Republican filibuster continues to block such a measure. The Associated Press contributed to the report Nearly two dozen Texas House Democrats who fled to Washington, D.C., last month to stymie GOP-backed election reforms sued top Republicans in the state whom they say violated their rights in measures taken to bring them home to vote. The lawsuit, filed by 22 Democratic lawmakers in federal court in Austin, Texas, late Friday, coincided with the final day of the first special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott and preceded a second special legislative session set to begin on Saturday. Abbott, House Speaker Dade Phelan, and State Rep. James White were named as defendants in the suit. TEXAS LAWMAKER WHO FLED TO DC WON'T REVEAL IF SHE'S ON VACATION Texas Democrats contested the first session that began on July 8 over the "election integrity" item on the agenda. Dozens in the Democratic minority flew to Washington in a bid to stall the legislative agenda by preventing the chamber from reaching quorum, prompting the governor to threaten arraignment when they return from the extended protest. Abbott ordered a second 30-day special legislative session Thursday in a new attempt to pass the GOP-backed voting legislation after more than 50 Democratic lawmakers fled the state. The lawsuit alleges the three defendants sought "by public statements and otherwise, to attempt to deny, coerce, threaten, intimidate, and prevent" the Democratic lawmakers and their constituents their right to "vote in all elections," "peacefully assemble to redress their grievances," "speak publicly about the exercise of their constitutional rights," "of association," "security of person," and "freedom from arrest, except upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation." The suit, which claims the defendants were conspiring together, also says the plaintiffs "individually complaint about retaliatory attacks, threats and attempts at coercion relating to the exercise of their First Amendment rights." Story continues The Democrats seek $5 in actual damages and $10 in punitive damages. Abbott and Phelan did not immediately comment on the suit; White said he did not know why he was included in it as a defendant, according to the Texas Tribune. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Voting reforms sought by Republicans have become a hot-topic issue following the 2020 election, when states across the countries implemented measures changes, such as expanding early and mail-in voting, to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. GOP critics have raised concerns about election security, while Democrats who oppose changes to the voting process backed by Republicans warn they could disenfranchise voters, particularly minorities. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Texas, 2020 Elections, DC, 2022 Elections, Law, Campaigns, Democratic Party, Greg Abbott Original Author: Mike Brest Original Location: Texas House Democrats file lawsuit in fight against coming home to vote on election reforms Texas schools are not required to conduct COVID-19 contact tracing in the event that an individual tests positive, according to new guidance from the Texas Education Agency. State of play: Schools are required to report positive cases to their local health departments, but the TEA said contract tracing is not required because data suggested that transmission rates in classrooms and between children are low. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free While the TEA does not specifically say that schools are required to inform parents that their student has been in close contact, the agency says that school systems "should" notify parents. Parents can decide whether they want to keep their students at home during the recommended period if they have been in close contact with someone who has the virus. Details: Schools cannot require students or staff to wear masks, the TEA said, citing an executive order. However, they must allow people to wear masks if they choose to do so. Schools are allowed to conduct "recurring" testing with rapid tests provided by the state. Parents must give their written permission for students to get tested. Schools "must" exclude students from attending if they have tested positive. For students who test positive, schools can offer remote learning for up to 20 days. They must apply for waivers if more time is necessary. Long-term remote learning has been defunded in the state since it was offered at the beginning of the pandemic, the Texas Tribune reports. Reactions: "Were going to find that the transmission rate in schools is going to be much higher with the Delta variant and its absolutely imperative that people get back to masking," Marc Mazade, medical director of infection prevention at Cook Childrens in Fort Worth, Texas, told the Texas Tribune. "Our concern right now is that were being given guidelines based on old conditions, but were not adjusting for what the current conditions are," Seth Kaplan, president of the Texas Pediatric Society and a Frisco-based pediatrician, told the Tribune. "We no longer have universal masking, and we have a much more contagious variant of virus. Not doing contact tracing is based on the old rules of the game," Kaplan added. By the numbers: Texas has reported a total of 2,706,267 confirmed cases, with 8,833 new cases reported on Friday, according to state government data. Cases in the state have been increasing since around early July. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free SheKnows Divorce is never an easy situation, especially when it comes to friends, because they often have to pick sides. Kelly Clarksons divorce from Brandon Blackstock was extra complicated because her Voice co-star, Blake Shelton, was managed by her ex-husband. How did the duo navigate their friendship throughout this tumultuous time? Well, somebody decided to pick [] A Wake County schools employee of over 15 years has been charged with multiple counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, according to school system officials. Steven Sharp, a 60-year-old Raleigh man, was arrested Friday on charges of second degree sexual exploitation of a minor. Second degree sexual exploitation of a minor is a felony offense related to the creation, duplication or distribution of child pornography, according to North Carolina law. Lisa Luten, a spokeswoman for the Wake County Public School System, said in an email that law enforcement officials have confirmed no WCPSS students were involved or associated with this child pornography case. Sharp has been suspended, Luten said. She added he had been a maintenance technician with Wake schools since March 13, 2006. The News & Observer has reached out to the Wake County Sheriffs Office for more information. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. A panel of experts studying the issue of allowing female members of Japans imperial family to retain their status after marrying commoners is considering not granting such status to their husbands and children, government sources have said. The possibility has been raised as controversy over the planned marriage between Princess Mako, a niece of Emperor Naruhito, and commoner Kei Komuro, continues to simmer. Some members of the panel have indicated their opposition to granting imperial status to Komuro, who recently graduated from a law school in New York, the sources said Friday. The marriage of the couple, both 29, has been postponed for more than two years following media reports of a financial dispute between Komuros mother and her former fiance, who claims she owes him over Y4 million ($36,000) including money that covered Komuros educational expenses. The advisory panel on imperial succession, chaired by former Keio University President Atsushi Seike, has been discussing whether to allow female members to remain in the royal family after marriage by establishing their own imperial branches. Under the current rule, female members have to leave the family if they marry a commoner. According to minutes of the panels meeting on July 9, all six members agreed in principle that imperial status should not be granted to the spouses and children of female imperial members for the time being. 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. This article was featured in One Great Story, New Yorks reading recommendation newsletter. Sign up here to get it nightly. Communism is back, baby. Photo: CHINE NOUVELLE/SIPA/Shutterstock The tech giants have grown so powerful that theyve become a threat to the markets dynamism and the states sovereignty. The gig workers have grown so tired of receiving low wages and no benefits that theyre going on strike. Inequality has grown so vast its starting to threaten social stability. The ever-rising costs of health care, housing, and education are depressing middle-class living standards and thus, birth rates. Families must purchase real estate in select jurisdictions in order to access high-quality schools. The disparate economic fortunes of urban centers and rural hinterlands are fueling political unrest. Even as the nation faces pressing investment needs and game-changing technological opportunities, the private sector is funneling capital toward the creation of productivity-reducing social-media apps and socially useless financial speculation. This is a litany of American economic problems. It is also a litany of Chinese ones. There is no parity between the worlds top two powers. The U.S. is a fading hegemon, while China is still a middle-income country; the formers per-capita GDP remains 6.5 times greater than the latters. China faces economic challenges that America doesnt (i.e. escaping the so-called middle-income trap and transitioning from export-led growth to the consumer-driven variety). Nevertheless, the two nations share many of the same economic woes. And there is an increasingly vast disparity between the American and Chinese approaches to alleviating them. This growing divergence could have profound implications for the future of both U.S.-China relations and American domestic policy. Chinas crackdown on big tech, explained. That a one-party communist state and the most laissez-faire of all Western liberal democracies tackle economic management somewhat differently may go without saying. But over the past year, China has grown markedly less accommodating of free(-ish) enterprise. Xis ongoing crackdown on big tech is the most conspicuous manifestation of this shift. For decades, Beijing had emulated Silicon Valleys model of innovation, cultivating tech firms that first mimicked and then, in some respects, surpassed Palo Altos champions. These companies brought their nation prestige and foreign capital. Like their American models, however, Chinas tech giants also subverted regulations, abused consumer data, and engaged in anti-competitive practices. Whats more, some won themselves legions of admirers who had more reverence for their power and services than for those of the state. Take Jack Ma, founder of the e-commerce giant Alibaba. An English teacher turned multi-billionaire, Daddy Ma is an aspirational icon to millions of Chinese citizens and a global symbol of his nations entrepreneurial gifts. Last October, the celebrity businessman used his megaphone to challenge state policy. In an address to the Bund Financial Summit, Ma lambasted the governments outdated supervision of financial markets, arguing that its excessively stringent capital requirements reflected a pawnshop mentality that stifles entrepreneurs. When Americas superstar firms challenge their governments regulatory sovereignty, Uncle Sam will often rewrite the law books to fit their tastes. If Washington is in a populist mood, however, adversarial entrepreneurs can expect a tongue-lashing on C-SPAN and a yearslong investigation that might yield a fine of negligible size. With Ma and his fin-tech firm Ant Group, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took a different tack. Days before Mas company was set to go public (in the largest IPO in world history), the China Securities Regulatory Commission summoned the billionaire to a meeting. The commission informed Ma that many of his firms defining features were illegal. Going forward, the lending platform would need to abide by roughly the same capital and leverage restrictions that traditional banks do. Ant would need to provide the government with regular updates on its progress toward rectification. Any new initiatives would need regulators rubber stamp. Ants IPO was abruptly canceled. The company lost $70 billion in value. Ma all-but disappeared from public sight. In April, the government hit Alibaba, Ants parent company, with a $2.8 billion fine for antitrust violations. And Xi Jinpings big tech crackdown had only just begun. Ant and its rival Tencent had built massive user bases as a result of the strength of their digital-payment apps. But they had built their valuations on funneling those users into more profitable financial services, such as lending and asset management. The government forbade such improper links between disparate businesses on antitrust grounds. To further prevent tech giants from leveraging network effects into market dominance, regulators prohibited firms from blocking links to other companies sites and products on their platforms, and ordered Tencents music division to forfeit its exclusive streaming contracts. Meanwhile, Beijing unveiled new data-privacy protections for Chinese consumers. Under the Personal Information Protection Law, tech firms must secure users consent before collecting their information and allow users to withdraw that consent at will. The law also requires tech companies to get the governments approval before transferring Chinese citizens data to foreign territories. Didi, Chinas top ride-hailing service, flouted the governments concern for data protection. Regulators asked the company to delay its IPO in the United States, so as to conduct a thorough investigation into the security of its network. Didi declined; Chinas Uber went public in June. Days later, the government barred new users from signing up for Didi and had it removed from all of the nations app stores. The firms shares swiftly plummeted. Meituan, Chinas largest food-delivery app, attracted public ire for exploiting its workforce and strong-arming food vendors into exclusivity agreements. The government recently launched an antitrust investigation into the latter practice, while ordering the company to start paying its workers at least the local minimum wage, provide them with social insurance, and ease delivery deadlines. Meituan proceeded to lose $60 billion in market value. But regulators saved their sharpest knives for the ed-tech sector. Chinas cultural commitment to education, combined with the gargantuan gap in living standards between those who test into its meritocratic elite and those who do not, had created a vast market for online tutoring companies. In 2020 alone, such startups raised $10 billion. Last week, Xis government prohibited such firms from going public, accepting foreign investment, and making profits. Which is to say: China outlawed one of its fastest-growing industries overnight. Xis antitrust policy is progressivism with authoritarian characteristics. These moves stunned investors and commentators. The CCPs brand of capitalism had never been Milton Friedmans. But it had been decades since the party had displayed such communist characteristics. Most confounding was that Xis government wasnt just interfering in markets to a novel degree but was doing so in a manner that helped U.S. tech firms retain their supremacy over Chinese rivals. Beijing was slaughtering its own unicorns. Surprise at the scope of Xis regulatory campaign is understandable. Bafflement about its rationale is less so. Late last year, Xi declared that 2021 would mark the beginning of a new development phase, one that would privilege national security, common prosperity, and social stability over unfettered growth. The governments crackdown on big tech is consistent with that vision. The crushing of Ant Groups IPO may have had a retributive element. But the firm was operating a vast financial empire built on abetting easy lending practices with little public oversight. Regulatory intervention was justified, even under a Western capitalist paradigm. In any case, China did not actually exterminate Ant; investors are still valuing the humbled firm at $150 billion. Similarly, the antitrust case against Tencent and Alibaba was stronger than the one against Google and Amazon. As Martin Chorzempa of the Peterson Institute notes, Tencent had barred users of WeChat from sending links to Alibabas e-commerce sites, while both giants had coerced smaller merchants into signing exclusivity deals in order to gain access to their platforms. The countermeasures taken by Chinese regulators on this front were no more radical than those embraced by populists on Capitol Hill. And much the same can be said of Chinas confrontation with its food-delivery industry. Beijings antitrust offensive is more exceptional in its swiftness and scale than in its substance. The sudden liquidation of the online tutoring sector is another matter. So profound a contravention of capitals prerogatives is unimaginable in the United States. But it is of a piece with Xis new development model or, as Bloomberg has described it, his pivot to progressive authoritarianism. Education inequality is among the most explosive issues in China. Parents in low-income and rural areas resent their childrens relatively poor prospects for upward mobility. Middle-class parents in major cities, meanwhile, find themselves locked in a kind of arms race, exhausting their household budgets in order to keep pace with their peers spending on private tutors. The ed-tech industry had capitalized on these discontents, at times through fraud and misleading advertising. But even the most ethical of these firms still fueled more out-of-pocket spending on education. And that development doesnt just threaten the CCPs near-term political standing, but also Chinas long-term economic and geopolitical strength. Thanks in part to the one-child policys legacy, China faces a looming demographic crisis. Absent a surge in birth rates, the countrys population in 2100 will be about half its current size. In the interim, a relatively small prime-age labor-force will need to support a massive elderly cohort. To preempt these headwinds to Chinas ascent, the CCP has pivoted from the one-child policy to a relatively pro-natalist stance. Yet its lifting of the former rule in 2015 did not yield its desired baby boom. Instead, the nations exorbitant child-rearing costs helped keep birth rates low. The crackdown on the tutoring industry is the most conspicuous component of a broader push to reduce household education spending (and thus, political disquiet and obstacles to family expansion). In addition to suppressing capital investment in educational services, the state has also prohibited nonprofit tutoring firms from holding lessons on holidays or during winter and summer vacations. Separately, it plans to mitigate education inequality by expanding a pilot program that rotates teachers and principals between schools. All of which is to say: Xi is not sabotaging his tech sector in some suicidal act of retribution or self-aggrandizement. Rather, the Chinese state is subordinating the growth and profitability of the digital economy to higher national objectives. Downsizing the platform economy so as to redirect capital and talent toward high-tech manufacturing appears to be one such objective. Private investors favor consumer-facing tech companies over industrial production. And for good reason. Thanks to globalization, manufacturers tend to face stiff competition; thanks to network effects, social-media firms face little. Manufacturing requires massive investments of fixed capital and the cooperation of large labor forces. Dominant internet platforms can generate windfall profits with relatively few material resources. As The Wall Street Journals Greg Ip notes, Facebook boasts 11 times the market value of the semiconductor manufacturer Micron Technology, even as it employs only 50 percent more people. But the profit signal isnt necessarily the wisest steward of economic development. The platform economy is very efficient at generating monopoly rents for capital owners. The social value of its products, however, is often dubious. When Micron Technology gets better at manufacturing semiconductors, a critical input for myriad electronic devices from smartphones to medical equipment becomes more abundant. When Facebook gets better at stoking user engagement, workers become less productive and more depressed. In a speech last year, Xi made clear that he does not share private capitals reverence for the digital economy, declaring, It must be recognized that the real economy is the foundation, and the various manufacturing industries cannot be abandoned. State policy reflects this sentiment. China has only been waging war on its tech sector if one defines that term narrowly: While Tencent and Alibaba have faced the wrath of antitrust regulators, Chinese manufacturers of computer chips, electric-car batteries, and telecommunications equipment have enjoyed subsidies and protection. There is an alternative. Whether Xis new development phase will succeed on its own terms is far from clear. To date, the governments efforts to promote common prosperity look piddling. Forcing tutoring firms to operate as nonprofits will do little to narrow gaps in educational opportunities or ease middle-class families financial burdens. Requiring gig companies to pay the minimum wage will not make Chinas income distribution any less of an indictment of its putative Marxism. Historically, shared prosperity has rarely been achieved in the absence of a strong, independent labor movement. And brutally suppressing such movements is one of the less-touted pillars of Xis progressive authoritarianism. This said, the U.S. governments response to its analogous economic challenges has been similarly inadequate. The Biden administration has ramped up regulatory oversight of Silicon Valleys titans. But monopolistic tech firms (with unorganized labor forces) still wield outsize power over Americas economy and politics. Meanwhile, Americas education system is riddled with inequality and rent-seeking. The children of affluent suburbs enjoy better-resourced schools than those of disinvested urban centers. This class divide still maps tightly onto Americas racial one; by some measures, the nations schools are more segregated today than they were in 1990. At the same time, extortionary tuition rates have saddled college graduates with unprecedented debt burdens and driven up the typical American familys education costs by 180 percent since 1995. American capitalisms capacity for concentrating income and wealth remains robust. Its ability to prudently direct productive investment is less clear. Over the past 40 years, our private sectors interest in long-term fixed investment has declined, while its appetite for short-term speculation greatly expanded. Investors are still willing to take risks on well-educated white entrepreneurs with disruptive visions for securing monopoly rents. But the free-enterprise system has struggled to adequately finance green technologies, new antibiotics, and myriad other socially vital ends. It has also perennially failed to generate remunerative employment for millions of the nations would-be workers. Instead, we have been running the U.S. economy at far below its productive capacity for decades, condemning millions of marginalized laborers to perpetual unemployment in the process. Justifications of this mode of governance are often fatalistic. Margaret Thatcher famously defended neoliberalism on the grounds that there is no alternative. If Chinese policy continues in its current direction, however, liberal capitalism will face its most serious challenge since the Soviet Unions collapse. Already, the exigencies of great power competition have led Washington to emulate aspects of Beijings model. The United States Innovation and Competition Act, which passed the Senate on a bipartisan basis earlier this year, invests $250 billion into a de facto American industrial policy: Rather than trying to delegitimize Chinas subsidization of its manufacturing sector on free-trade grounds, the U.S. is now subsidizing its own semiconductor industry. At the same time, the Biden administration is pushing for a far more sweeping set of interventions in Americas political economy, in the name of preventing China from eating our lunch. Whether the imperative to compete with China will serve as Americas long-sought moral equivalent of war binding the nation and legitimizing the economic planning necessary for affecting decarbonization and reviving shared prosperity, at no cost to world peace or whether it will put us on the path to nuclear conflagration (or to a future that lies somewhere between those two extremes) cannot be known. It seems likely though that some alternative to business as usual is in the offing. In a context of wrenching inequality and ecological crisis, progressive authoritarianism, with its ostensible capacity to redirect economic activity overnight in defiance of moneyed interests, is liable to have some appeal. If liberal democracies do not prove themselves capable of redressing capitalisms discontents and climatic warming, the end of history might not be a happy one for the American way. they dont deserve a free show Reply Thread Link To be honest. Reply Parent Thread Link lmao i love dave grohl Reply Thread Link Why give them attention, thats exactly what they want. Reply Thread Link mte Reply Parent Thread Link Mte. But Im glad to see their diminished numberstheres barely a handful of protesters Reply Parent Thread Link That's all this performative garbage ultimately does Reply Parent Thread Link Exactly. They want to rile people up and find ways to sue people and get their signs and message on TV. So they go to high-profile things (plays, concerts, large speaking engagements, etc.) and people freak out about it and they get what they want. Reply Parent Thread Link Kings Reply Thread Link We recently watched the two interviews Louis Theroux did with Westboro over the years. They are truly lost. The worst one was the former reporter who went to do a story on their craziness but then decided to join them. Reply Thread Link That fucking guy! Steve Drain. His daughter left and wrote a book. Reply Parent Thread Link https://youtu.be/A37hyUp2JK0 I just looked him up. So after becoming their leader (!!!), it seems he was recently kicked out. Ha! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link He did another one in 2019 and some guy saw his documentaries, flew over from the UK to join the church and married Jael :/ (one of the young women Louis interviewed, the really hardline one) But yeah Steve Drain is disgusting, they literally threw their daughter out after they joined up and became super hardline. I think hes even become more prominent than Shirley in the church. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Have you seen the last one he made? We actually watched a somewhat human side to Shirley. She actually cried. Reply Parent Thread Link Louis Theroux is an incredibly skilled interviewer, he has an amazing blend of child like and cynical. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Read Unfollow, it's the memoir by the older daughter. She's since left and I highly recommend it! Reply Parent Thread Link Im ready for foo fighters disco era I want a kylie feature on their next album Reply Thread Link I fucking hate these assholes and I wanna know where they get money from to do this shit because the church doesn't have many members plus everyone hates them. Reply Thread Link I'm sure that as a "church" they're tax free and have plenty of silent supporters. Reply Parent Thread Link Apparently they don't accept donations and fund this shit themselves. All the main Phelps are lawyers but who the fuck would hire them. I need an investigation into how they fund their lifestyle because I am so confused. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Just when I think I can't love Dave Grohl more Reply Thread Link I'm surprised Westboro is still a thing. I thought after Shirley was knocked off the top that they would implode. Reply Thread Link This post reminds me that I need to watch the Fundie Fridays video on Westboro. I'm skipping around and working my way thru her videos and I just watched the one on Sister wives and it was great. Reply Thread Link Lol the skater at the end Reply Thread Link I turned into the Kid Mero when I saw that. "shorty with the quad skates!" Reply Parent Thread Link Oooh!! I just went to their Spotify and look what I found! Reply Thread Link I loved this so much. From mentioning he saw somebody's mom dancing to the rollerskater. Reply Thread Link Imagination Country: Forest Hill By Woody LaBounty April 2003 Adah Bakalinsky in her wonderful book Stairway Walks in San Francisco describes Mark Daniels' staircase in Forest Hill as "by far the most elegant in San Francisco" and how it sets her imagination loose: "The stairs themselves--18 1/2 feet wide, with balustrades, columns, and patterns of stones repeating into the distance--lend a dreamlike, rococo quality to the setting. Think of Alain Resnais' film, Last Year at Marienbad, and how easily the Pacheco Stairway could fit the surroundings of Marienbad." 1 Bakalinsky's invocation of a modernist film isn't so strange. Forest Hill has always been a place for imagination. Its creators, the firm of Newell-Murdoch, promised "a country home within the city", and to fulfill this vision imposed a number of restrictions on potential residents and their homes. In Forest Hill, the well-off house-hunter of 1913 could live with: "No flats, apartments, double houses or business dwellings... "All houses to be built at least 15 feet back from street and at least two feet from each side line. "No fences or walls higher than four feet within 15 feet of street line." "No Japanese, Chinese or Negros." 2 The last "benefit" was typical of residence parks. Ingleside Terraces and St. Francis Wood had similar housing covenants. Sadly, such racism was such a part of the past that even outside the residence parks San Francisco neighborhood groups fought for decades with realtors who showed homes to nonwhites. 3 Despite heavily promoting the development's "natural park" setting, Newell-Murdoch obviously felt Nature's wonders needed some help, as the surviving concrete urns, benches, stairways and banisters testify. Most of the forest's trees never had a chance to shade the new homes. While any lane in Forest Hill is far more arbored than your typical city street, early photos and newsreels of the 1912 landscaping work show a majority of the trees being cut down. As an additional irony the forest was not natural for the area at all. Adolph Sutro had planted every tree on the land in the 1880s. 4 But one can't deny the beauty that survives. The curving, dipping, hill-circling streets feel like back-country roads littered with Grecian ruins. The homes pretend to be English hunting lodges, Dutch cottages, and French palaces with pillared marble porticos. Architect David Coleman designed the first completed home in Forest Hill at 266 Pacheco Street. Built for William Murdoch, Jr. himself, it doesn't look to have changed a bit in the past 89 years. Across the street the imposing home built for J.S. Malloch at 225 Pacheco has obviously undergone a few renovations. These first few residences reflect the idea Newell-Murdoch obviously had in mind: elegant, formal homes for well-off white families who could stroll out and see an elegant, formal landscape. When sales slowed, and the developers signed the management of Forest Hill over to the residents, imagination didn't die out. The Lang Realty Company filled in the empty lots and used gimmicks such as the "Studio House of Stone" at 400 Castenda Avenue. The company claimed that the unusual house attracted thousands who were "enthusiastic in their praise of the quaint, medieval atmosphere that pervades every room." 5 The Stone House, built in 1927, looks just as medieval and stoney today. The year before, Lang Realty teamed up with the San Francisco Chronicle and a host of home furnishing companies to create the "San Francisco Model Home" at 90 Lopez, supposedly for "educational purposes in better homecraft." The newspaper reported almost weekly on the building's progress, extolling everything from the roof tiles (courtesy of California Pottery Company), to the Corbin door locks (from Palace Hardware Company), to the Frigidaire Automatic Refrigerator, which "unlike an ice box [...] has no drain pipe to clean, no drain pan to empty and no ice delivery to worry about." 6 More thousands reportedly flocked to see this amazing structure which looks rather unamazing behind the trees today. What Forest Hill is best known for are three structures by Bernard Maybeck, the renowned architect of the Palace of Fine Arts. Fans of Maybeck still pull up in front of the Forest Hill Clubhouse, 270 Castenada Avenue (built for S. Erlanger in 1916), and 51 Sotelo Avenue (for Edwin C. Young in 1914). After dropping my daughter off at school one morning I ran into a couple gawking at the clubhouse. They had come all the way from Texas to do their Maybeck tour. One doesn't need to be an architecture expert to appreciate Maybeck's work. The Sotelo Avenue house has a corner balcony/pulpit outfitted with wild clover cut-outs. I try to conjure some fiery orator standing in it, preaching hopelessly to the empty street. Eclectic and original, Bernard Maybeck turns out to be the winner in this country of imagination. Images: 1) "Test by City Fire Department of the High Pressure Water System Installed Throughout. The City Authorities Express Great Appreciation of both the Sewer and Water Facilities in Forest Hill." This photo also appeared on page 2 in the San Francisco Call on August 23, 1913. 2) "Residence of Mr. Geo. E. Covell, Yosemite Avenue, Forest Hill." (Now 2225 9th Avenue). 3) "Tract Office on Pacheco Avenue. The Terrace is Seven Feet High and Shows How Such a Bank Can be Gracefully Handled without the Expense and Bare, Unfriendly Look of a Retaining Wall." All from Newell-Murdoch promotional pamphlet, The Story of Forest Hill . Reprinted by the Forest Hill Association, n.d. (Courtesy of Richard Brandi). Contribute your own stories about western neighborhoods places! The Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) has in a statement commended all caterers signed onto the programme for a successful end of second term delivery. The signed by its Head of Public Relations, Siiba Alfa also assured all caterers that processes are underway to ensure that first term arrears are paid fully. We would want to assure the Caterers that the processes leading to the first term payment of their arrears have advanced, and we would settle them as soon as possible. The statement read Below is the full statement The Ghana School Feeding Programme would want to commend all Caterers of the programme nationwide for their patience over the perceived delay in the payment of their first term arrears, and their dedication towards their obligation of providing daily meals for our school children across the 260 districts. We would want to assure the Caterers that the processes leading to the first term payment of their arrears have advanced, and we would settle them as soon as possible. However, the attention of the Ghana School Feeding Programme has been drawn to series of reports affirming that some Caterers in some schools across the country have not been cooking for the pupils for a number of days. The conduct of those caterers amounts to a violation of the contract agreement they have with GSFP. It must be stated that Caterers who have refused to cook for the children would suffer deductions in their payment for all the non-cooking days. Per the contract agreement, Caterers are supposed to pre-finance the cooking services for a whole term or more. We, therefore, urge our caterers to strictly adhere to their contractual obligations with the Ghana School Feeding Programme. Management would want to thank all Caterers especially those who faithfully discharged their duties throughout the second term in spite of the delay in the payment of the first term arrears. Signed Siiba Alfa Head of Public Relations 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 Before the pandemic, Vietnam had made a virtue of low labour costs and smoothed paths for multinational investment to attract global manufacturers. Many manufacturers spread their work across a range of suppliers. Nike, for example, works with 200 manufacturers that employ 500,000 people producing finished goods, materials, footwear, apparel and accessories. Most Adidas shoes are made in Vietnam, where the company sources about 28 per cent of its stock. The company advised this week it was looking to move production to other centres and expressed a hope Vietnam factories would come online again by mid-August. Garment factories closed In an earnings call at the end of June, Nike warned it expected supply chain shortages and higher logistics costs to persist until mid next year that was before Ho Chi Minh followed Hanoi into lockdown. By the end of this week, up to one-third of the nations garment factories were closed. The American Apparel & Footwear Association, which represents more than 1000 brands including Gap and Levi Strauss, has asked Hanoi to prioritise vaccinations for garment and shoe workers. It has also urged the United States to increase vaccine donations to the country. Vietnams communist government is already trying to redirect vaccine supplies towards Ho Chi Minh City from other regions. The countrys largest conglomerate, VinGroup, has also reportedly lobbied for preferential access for its workers, sparking more debate over vaccine equity. Samsung, Foxconn and Nike are a few examples of key multinational corporations that have experienced a temporary suspension of operations, prompting others to set up on-site facilities for employees in an attempt to keep factories running, said HSBC economist Yun Liu. Closed factories are not picking up imports of raw materials and this has led to trouble at the nations ports. Ho Chi Minhs Saigon New Port this week announced it would stop accepting imports for businesses that have suspended production. The number of containers in the port is close to 100 per cent capacity. It is a similar story at ports across the country, with some container ships being turned away by operators forced to make do with just half their regular workforce. 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. Iconic cars vroom up and down the Kysuce region Vintage cars have been returning to the area for over 20 years. The region of Kysuce, northern Slovakia, was taken over by vintage cars last weekend. (Source: Pavol Stolarik/My Kysuce) It felt like a different world when in late July dozens of vintage cars gradually began to line the streets of Krasno nad Kysucou, a small town in northern Slovakia. Classic car fans and families with children soon filled the streets. About a hundred iconic vehicles returned to the Kysuce region for the 24th time as part of the Beskyd Rallye event, which started and ended in the Czech Republic, the My Kysuce website reported. Apart from Krasno nad Kysucou, the cars continued to other the Kysuce towns of Cadca and Turzovka, where residents welcomed them equally warmly. 7. Aug 2021 at 9:00 | Compiled by Spectator staff It is hard enough finding ghosts out here on Earth, where everything is in close proximity, leave alone out there in deep space. Well, perhaps not. Evidence may be quite scarce on the presence of ghosts on Earth, but these scientists have found some concrete evidence about the existence of 'ghosts' out there in the wider cosmos. Not just ghosts, they have found 'dancing ghosts'! They are as far away as 1 billion light years. It has been revealed that scientists at the Australian Scientific Agency CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization), while using their ASKAP (Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder) radio telescope stumbled across two vague shapes that they could not describe, reported Tech Explorist. The description that fit these shapes, according to them, were dancing ghosts. They were left totally perplexed by the strange phenomena picked up by their state-of-the-art tech and they just could not just explain it away, initially. Also read: Looking for a smartphone? Check Mobile Finder here. Ray Norris, the lead researcher and professor at Western Sydney University and CSIRO said, We are getting used to surprises. When you boldly go where no telescope has gone before, you are likely to make discoveries. So, what are these so-called 'Dancing Ghosts'? These 'Dancing Ghosts' are two separate galaxies with each hosting a supermassive black hole at their centers. Since there are humongous amounts of energy involved there are these jets radiating from the black holes that were in fact electrons bent in grotesque, bewildering shapes. The ghostly shapes appeared to be dancing as a result of electrons being bent into various shapes. The bending was being done by intergalactic winds, but what is powering that, is still unclear. Nevertheless, these were the 'Dancing Ghosts'. What are supermassive black holes? According to Nasa, a black hole has such strong gravity that it pulls in everything into itself, even light cannot escape. Gravity is strong because a lot of matter has been packed tightly into a tiny space, which mostly occurs when a massive star dies and leaves behind its anti-thesis, a black hole. Since black holes give off no light, they are invisible. However, space telescopes can see black holes through a complicated process - they see how stars close to them behave differently from other stars that are far away. Supermassive black holes: Nasa says the smallest black holes are as small as just one atom. However, the matter packed into them is as big as a mountain. Supermassive Black Holes are the second largest kinds of black holes, with their mass ranging from 0.1 to 1 million solar masses. One Solar Mass is the mass of our Sun. Almost every galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its center with even our own Milky Way having its very own Supermassive black hole, called the Sagittarius A. Supermassive black holes have masses that are more than 1 million suns together, says Nasa. Richwood, TX (77531) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. A few clouds. Low near 75F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. A few clouds. Low near 75F. Winds light and variable. Paris, TX (75460) Today Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 72F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 72F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. TOKYO -- The man alleged to have wounded 10 people in a knife attack on a Tokyo commuter train late on Friday told police he became incensed when he saw women who "looked happy" and wanted to kill them, Japanese media reported on Saturday. Police arrested the 36-year-old man in another part of Tokyo after he slashed and stabbed people in the attack at about 8:40 pm (1140 GMT) on Friday on a train on the Odakyu Line in the western part of the city, media reported. One victim, a female university student, was seriously wounded, while the rest suffered less severe injuries. The Sankei newspaper reported that suspect told police: "I began feeling like I wanted to kill women who looked happy about six years ago. Anyone was fine, I just wanted to kill a lot of people." Other media, including broadcaster NHK, reported similar quotes from suspect. People walk along railway tracks after a knife attack on a train in Tokyo, Japan August 6, 2021 in this picture obtained from social media. Twitter/_KING_OF_SKY/via Reuters A police spokesman said they had nothing further to share on the details of case when asked about the media reports on Saturday. Violent crime is rare in Japan but there have been a spate of knife attacks by assailants unknown to the victims. In June 2008, a man in a light truck drove into a crowd in the popular Akihabara district and then jumped out of the vehicle and started stabbing pedestrians, leaving seven dead. All expenses of funeral services for people who die from COVID-19 will be funded by the Ho Chi Minh City budget, Nguyen Toan Thang, director of the municipal Department of Environment and Natural Resources, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Saturday morning. The financial aid for each case, at VND17 million (US$739), is deducted from the citys coffers. The amount is expected to cover all costs of burial, transportation, cremation, and delivery of the ashes to the relatives of the deceased, according to Thang. The city authorities will try to do this process [the funeral services] in the safest and most solemn way, Thang asserted. The municipal Department of Health will receive and transfer the aids to hospitals where COVID-19 patients pass away. COVID-19 patients who die at home will receive the financial support from authorities in their wards and communes. With a death certificate of the deceased, family members can carry out the procedures to receive the aid from their local authorities. Thang added that the cremation of the deceased is being carried out at four venues in the city, including Binh Hung Hoa Cemetery in Binh Tan District, Da Phuoc Cemetery in Binh Chanh District, Phuc An Vien Cemetery in Thu Duc City, and Thap Long Tho Cemetery in Cu Chi District. The city authorities have worked with the management boards of those cemeteries to ensure that all cases are admitted and handled at reasonable fees, the environment director affirmed. As for large numbers of ambulances which carried coffins and were parked in a long line on Tan Ky Tan Quy Street leading to Binh Hung Hoa Cemetery as seen in videos circulated on social media, Thang explained that the venue has been dealing with not only COVID-19 deaths but also those from other diseases, while the road was so narrow. Thang also said that he inspected Binh Hung Hoa Cemetery on Friday afternoon. Before that, he had requested functional forces to reorganize the traffic flow through this cemetery and arrange parking lots for 20 vehicles arriving at the same time so as not to cause traffic disorder and affect people in the area. Regarding the reports that funeral facilities charge exorbitant prices, Thang advised people not use services from businesses that demand high service fees and find others offering the same prices as set by the city authorities. People can also ask Ho Chi Minh City Urban Environment Co. Ltd. (CITENCO) for support and introduction [of reputable funeral services], the director said. According to Tuoi Tre reporters research, CITENCO currently charges VND4.2 million ($182) per cremation case, while other facilities ask for a little higher amount from VND4.5-5 million ($196-217). Other expenses, which can be much higher than the aforementioned amount, are spent on other services provided by funeral facilities. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A deputy director of the Department of Planning and Investment of the northern Vietnamese province of Thai Nguyen has admitted to sexually abusing a female employee in his office after the victim reported the case to local police. The official, D.D.A., made the confession in a report to his superiors, Hoang Van Hung, chairman of the Inspection Commission of the Thai Nguyen Provincial Party Committee, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Friday. In his report, A. admitted his guilt, saying that he acknowledged that his behaviors were non-standard . A. on Tuesday afternoon summoned N.T.T., a staff member of his department, to his office room, where he had molestation behaviors toward the woman, which made her run away from the room. T. filed a report, in which she claimed that A. had acts of infringing upon her dignity and honor, to the police force of the provinces Thai Nguyen City on Tuesday evening. T. proposed the Thai Nguyen City police prosecute A. for those behaviors. After receiving T.s report, the Thai Nguyen City police started an investigation to verify the case according to regulations. However, at 2:30 pm on Wednesday, T. went to the Thai Nguyen City's public security agency to withdraw the prosecution request. Inspectors of the Thai Nguyen Provincial Party Committee have established a team to verify and handle the case, according to Hung. We will ask A. and related people to report on the incident before holding a meeting to tackle the case, Hung said. The one at fault will be handled accordingly. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A traffic police officer gave a 87-year-old male citizen a ride to his COVID-19 vaccination site on a scout motorcycle to save the geriatric from walking for seven kilometers in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday. Lieutenant Colonel Bui Van Khanh, leader of a patrol team for pandemic prevention in the citys Nha Be District, met Nguyen Chi Sac, living in the namesake town of the district, on Friday morning when the senior citizen had walked for three kilometers on his way to Nha Be District Hospital for a COVID-19 vaccination session. As the hospital is seven kilometers away from Khanhs location and there was no buses, the traffic police leader ordered a member of his team to take Sac to the vaccination site on a scout motorcycle. Sac expressed his appreciation to the traffic police officers for the ride. After sending the elderly man to the inoculation venue, the motorcycle-riding officer returned to his post to continue the pandemic prevention duty. Vietnam has administered more than 8.5 million doses to its people, with over 863,300 citizens fully inoculated. In Ho Chi Minh City, the number of vaccinated people has topped 1.9 million, over 85,600 of which have received two full shots. Authorities in the southern metropolis are carrying out the sixth phase of its COVID-19 vaccination campaign with a target of administering doses to five million residents above 18 years old until the end of this month. The city has vaccinated more than 150,000 people over 65 years old with underlying diseases in the fifth phase, according to the municipal Department of Health. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Vietnamese premier has directed the Ministry of Health to promptly assist four local business associations in procuring vaccines from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) amid the severe vaccine supply shortage. In a recent dispatch, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked the health ministry to give assistance to the four business associations that are seeking help in negotiating the COVID-19 vaccine purchase from a supply source in the UAE. The organizations include the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (LEFASO), the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), the Vietnam Electronic Industries Association (VEIA) and the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh City (HAWA). In a joint petition to the government late last month, these societies said they have actively sought and secured a large COVID-19 vaccine supply from a business conglomerate in the Middle East country amidst the dearth of vaccines in Vietnam. They proposed that the central administration either speed up the vaccination progress or assist businesses in buying vaccines urgently and legally so that they can inoculate their workers for free soon to ensure epidemic prevention while maintaining business operations. The associations said that they need support from health authorities and relevant other agencies in evaluation of the vaccine to be purchased as well as in import procedures. The health minister should immediately conduct negotiations with the vaccine supplier, and the ministry is responsible for licensing and preserving the vaccine as well as organizing inoculation, the PM said in his dispatch in response to the proposal. Currently, Vietnam is accelerating its vaccination campaign that aims to inoculate 70 percent of its 98 million population to reach herd immunity against the novel coronavirus. The campaign needs to have 150 million vaccine doses but the country has so far received only about 17.5 million doses in total from different sources, including COVAX Facility, contractual purchases, and donations, the health ministry said. As of Sunday morning, around 8.53 million COVID-19 vaccine shots have been administered nationwide, with the number of people receiving the first and second shots nearing 7.67 million and some 863,000, respectively, the ministry reported. Since the pandemic hit the country in early 2020, Vietnam has registered 197,175 patients, including 194,837 domestic and 2,338 imported cases, of which 62,332 have recovered and 3,016 have died. Among the domestic infections, as many as 193,267 cases, or 99.2 percent, have been recorded since April 27, when the pandemics fourth wave erupted in Vietnam. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! In the battle against the coronavirus, few places seemed as confident of victory as China. As The New York Times writes, the country of 1.4 billion people had eradicated the virus so quickly that it was one of the first in the world to open up in spring last year. People removed their masks and gathered for pool parties. In recent months, the government has contended with sporadic outbreaks in various provinces, but stamped them out swiftly by mobilizing thousands of people to test and trace infections, as well as locking down communities. That model is now looking increasingly fragile in a world that passed a grim milestone on Wednesday: the 200 millionth recorded case of infection. China is facing its biggest challenge since the virus first erupted in the Chinese city of Wuhan last year: the highly transmissible Delta variant that is rapidly spreading throughout the country. Chinese officials have acknowledged that curbing this outbreak will be much harder than the others, owing to the fast and asymptomatic spread of the variant. Globally, the virus is continuing to infect at an astonishing rate. It took more than a year for the pandemic to reach its 100 millionth case, and little more than six months to double that. While the number of cases in China are still relatively low compared to the United States and elsewhere, these new outbreaks happening in cities such as Nanjing, Wuhan, Yangzhou and Zhangjiajie are showcasing the limitations of Chinas zero-tolerance approach to Covid. They may also undermine the ruling Communist Partys argument that its authoritarian style has been an unquestionable success in the pandemic. Although the government had to stamp out a Delta flare-up in June in Guangdong Province, authorities this time are dealing with a much larger spread. Since the current Delta outbreak started on July 21, the number of cases has risen to 483, more than the sum total of infections from the first five months of the year. By Tuesday afternoon, the virus had spread to 15 of the 31 provinces and autonomous regions in China. Once it reaches so many provinces, its very hard to mitigate, said Chen Xi, an associate professor of public health at Yale University. I think this would be surprising and shocking to the rest of the world. Such a powerful government has been breached by Delta. This will be a very important lesson we cannot let our guard down. Last week, Sun Chunlan, a vice premier of China, blamed ideological laxity for the Delta outbreaks and urged officials to step up their prevention efforts. We cannot relax for a moment, Ms. Sun said. Some public health experts in the country say it is time for China to rethink its Covid strategy. In a recent essay, Zhang Wenhong, who advises the Chinese government on dealing with Covid-19, floated the idea of following a model similar to that of Israel and Britain, in which vaccination rates are high and people are willing to live with infections. For now, China has stuck to the same strict playbook. Across the country, the government has instructed people not to travel unless necessary. In the cities of Zhangjiajie and Zhuzhou, 5.4 million people have been barred from leaving their homes. Roughly 13 million residents in the city of Zhengzhou, the site of deadly floods in July, had to stand in line for virus testing starting last weekend. In Nanjing, where the recent Delta cases first appeared, millions of residents have had to participate in four rounds of testing. Its just torturing the masses, said Jiang Ruoling, a resident in Nanjing, who has been tested four times in the last three weeks. Ms. Jiang, who works in real estate, said she understood the need for testing, but was still critical of officials for failing to control the latest outbreak. The leaders are actually wasting resources and everyones time, she said. Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, said Chinas containment-based strategy would not work in the long run, particularly as new variants continue to emerge. It will become extremely costly to sustain such an approach, he said. And yet China appears unwilling to take any chances. In Wuhan, the authorities on Tuesday started testing all 12 million residents after only three cases of the Delta variant were discovered. The cities of Sanmenxia and Zhuhai have also begun mass testing. In Beijing, where there are five infections, train service from 23 cities has been canceled. Jennifer Huang Bouey, a senior China policy expert and an epidemiologist at the RAND Corporation, said that even with strict controls, it may not be realistic for officials in China to get these latest cases down to zero. I think they may have to prepare people for a higher tolerance of Covid, Dr. Huang said. Part of the challenge for Beijing is that the Chinese-made vaccines being used to immunize the country are not as effective against the Delta variant as other shots. The government says it has already administered about 1.69 billion doses. Health officials are now considering giving booster shots to people with compromised immune systems as well as older citizens. Zhong Nanshan, a top epidemiologist, said Chinas vaccines are 100 percent protective against severe disease caused by Delta, and 63.2 percent effective against asymptomatic cases. He said he was confident that the latest outbreak would be controlled in about 10 to 14 days, during which officials hope to carry out extensive contact tracing in Nanjing and several other cities in Jiangsu Province. The current Delta cases have been linked to a flight from Moscow that landed in Nanjing on July 10. Seven passengers on the flight were infected with the variant. On July 20, nine airport cleaners tested positive. Their infections spread quickly among people who entered the airport, a major transportation hub. A mother and daughter and a 12-year-old girl who flew to Zhangjiajie after transiting for two hours in the Nanjing airport have all tested positive. Three other tourists who traveled to Zhangjiajie have been linked to an outbreak in the central city of Changde, after they all took a river cruise. About 27 infections in at least six places have been linked to the boat ride. Cases have also spread in Yangzhou among chess and card rooms poorly ventilated spaces where many older patrons gather to play mahjong, chess and cards. Local officials are offering rewards of several thousand renminbi to whistle-blowers who find and report on people who have been in these rooms. The situation has not yet bottomed out, Wu Zhenglong, the governor of Jiangsu Province, said at a news conference on Sunday. The prevention and control situation is severe and complicated. Han Xiaoyi, a 23-year-old resident in Nanjing, said she was furious at the way the government had initially handled the Delta outbreak in her city. Officials have allowed people to continue going to work in crowded subways and buses, she said. Ms. Han, who works in sales, has had to take time off to stand in line for hours to get tested four times in recent days. When it started, I felt really depressed because at first, it felt like the pandemic was far away from me, she said. Then suddenly, it felt like it was back in my midst. Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar welcomed the convening of a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the country. We welcome the timely meeting of the Security Council on Afghanistan. I thank the UN and Security Council member countries for condemning the violence and sharing our deep concern over the ongoing disaster caused by massacres, extrajudicial killings, massive population displacement and human rights violations amid the terrorist activity," Atmar wrote on Twitter. Today, the mayor of the Turkish resort city of Antalya, Muhittin Bocek, was hospitalised to one of the local hospitals, Daily Sabah reports. On August 17, 2020, Bocek was admitted to the hospital due to a coronavirus infection. For a long time he was in the intensive care unit, from which the doctors transferred him only in November 2020, TASS reports. The publication does not provide the details of the mayors hospitalization. Today, units of the Armed Forces of Armenia from 14:20 (13:20 Moscow time) began shelling positions of the Azerbaijani Army with weapons of various calibres in the direction of Arazdeyen-Sadarak of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic on the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan informs. "The shelling was suppressed by the return fire. The operational situation is controlled by the units of the Azerbaijani troops," the defence ministry adds. There are no dead or wounded among the personnel of the Azerbaijani army. The operational headquarters under the government of the Astrakhan region lifted some of the restrictions introduced to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, the press service of the Astrakhan governor informed today. "It is allowed to operate non-food stores. Cafes and restaurants will open, but visitors wishing to be indoors must provide the results of a negative PCR test valid for 72 hours, or QR-code on full vaccination, the message of the department reads, Interfax reports. Today, an explosion took place in one of the courtyards of the second-largest city in Armenia, Gyumri, as a result of which two people were killed, the Shirak region prosecutor's office reports. "At about 15:40 (14:40 Moscow time), one of the police departments of Gyumri received a call on an explosion in one of the courtyards of the city. A young couple was killed as a result of the explosion. According to preliminary data, one of the victims was a serviceman. At the moment, investigative measures are being taken, "Prosecutor Gurgen Grigoryan says, Armenpress reports. Iran on Saturday rejected as psychological warfare accusations that it was behind a deadly attack on a tanker off Oman's coast, and said Tehran sought to enhance the security of the strategic Gulf waterway, The Jerusalem Post reports. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh rejected the G7 statement as "baseless", state media said. "It is noteworthy that this incident was stage-set to occur days before the inauguration of Iran's new president," Khatibzadeh said. This afternoon, a natural fire broke out on the territory of the Olshansky military training ground in Lukhovitsy, Moscow, a source familiar with the situation informed. The combustion area is 7 hectares. To extinguish the fire, a Moscow Aviation Centers plane was involved, Interfax quotes the source as saying. The Russian Defense Ministry denied the information about the fire at the Lukhovitsy range, noting that the territory where the fire broke out is not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry. "The information about the outbreak of a fire on the territory of the Olshansky military range in the urban district of Lukhovitsy does not correspond to reality," the department of information and mass communications of the ministry clarified, TASS reports. The UN urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to exercise restraint, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General, said at a daily briefing, Public Radio of Armenia reports. The UN calls to refrain from any action that could escalate tensions, and address related concerns through dialogue, the Spokesperson said. Photo of the press service of the Ministry of Health of Adjara The Ministry of Health of Georgia will expand the coronavirus vaccination program and extend it to villages, Deputy Minister Tamara Gabunia said today. Our goal to vaccinate at least 30,000 people daily. The regional hospitals will help us in this process, Sputnik Georgia quotes Gabunia as saying. Mobile teams will be organised to carry out the vaccination in the villages. Three students auctioned paintings to raise more than VND 200 million to donate to Covid-19 epidemic prevention organizations to buy vaccines and equipment. In the last week of July, the three male students Pham Thieu Bao, Hoang Nam Khanh and Tran Duc Hien sold seven paintings for VND50 million (over $2,200) to donate to Cu Chi Field Hospital in HCM City. Bao and Khanh are high school students in the US, while Duc Hien is studying in Vietnam. They saw each other again when Bao and Khanh returned to Vietnam because of the Covid-19 epidemic. Hoang Nam Khanh (left) and Pham Thieu Bao (right). Bao said that his family has a passion for paintings and has collected paintings. The family also has close relations with some painters. Bao auctioned paintings of his family and some donated by artists to raise funds for anti-pandemic activities. Nam Khanh participated in the project of selling paintings to raise money the first time in late July. Bao at that time had already auctioned paintings three times, raising VND43-61 million per auction. Bao said that he reduced the price of paintings by about 10-30% compared to the real value because this is the difficult time. Besides auctioning paintings to support anti-epidemic activities, the 17-year-old student also wants to spread the love of art to young people. Bao said because he is still a student, he did not have the financial capacity to do bigger things, so he just wanted to do the best he could. The group prepared 10 paintings for the auction in late July, but after selling seven paintings, they were satisfied with what they got. A painting by artist Bui Van Tuat auctioned in July. Lotus by artist Ho Huy Hung In the Plum Garden by artist Cao Thuc Dang Duong .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Book of the week Atomic Paradise, the title of Jules Nyquists recent poetry collection, is bound to make you wonder why and how these two words are juxtaposed. The juxtaposition is intentional, ironic and thought-provoking and it introduces broad commentaries on the poems inside. The wordplay of the title, Nyquist said, led her to think about a paradise that can be the Land of Enchantment (New Mexicos nickname) and then spin to what she said could be a land of entrapment. (New Mexico) is a paradise in a way, she said in a phone interview from her home in Placitas. But with the Atomic Age, nuclear energy was to be a solution to different things nuclear cars, nuclear planes after World War II, then the bomb. The nuclear industry started. This poetry collection, Nyquist said, has taken 10 years to develop. It began to form when she was reading about the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the lead Los Alamos scientist on the bomb-making Manhattan Project during World War II. One particular biography she read was American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ In Greek mythology, Prometheus stole fire from Zeus and brought it back to earth. Nyquists reading of the bio spurred her to write a small set of poems that explore moments in the overlapping lives of Oppenheimer, his wife Kitty and his boss at Los Alamos, Army Gen. Leslie Groves. One poem in the set, Poet and Physicist, reveals the range and depth of Oppenheimers intellectual pursuits. This is a quote from that poem: Oppie is interested in everything/ he co-exists with all at once/an afternoon meeting with his students/lasts far into the night/electrodynamics, cosmic rays/astrophysics, nuclear physics/Hindu classics, Homer and Plato read/in the original Greek Keep in mind that most of the poems in Atomic Paradise are written in free verse (meaning neither rhyme nor meter) and cover a multitude of nuclear-related topics, some clearly linked to New Mexico. As one might expect, theres a poem, titled 5:30 a.m., about the first nuclear bomb blast on July 16, 1945 in southern New Mexico: will you cry/or laugh for joy/that determined scientists can create/such release of terror. Various free-ranging poems reflect Nyquists readings and experiences. She revisits a Star Wars movie in a theater, describes the now-dismantled Titan II missiles, 10 stories high in 18 underground silos, discusses the bombing of Hiroshima with her parents, refers to the internment of Japanese Americans during the war, points to a large uranium mine on Laguna Pueblo and zeros in on uranium waste leaking out of lead drums at the Waste Isolation Pilot Project. And here are the bizarre elements of the opening stanza of Nyquists poem La Bomba Grande (or, nuke tourism straight up with tequila): At the Atomic Museum I can buy/an Albert Einstein poster,/a t-shirt commemorating the first nuclear blast,/a silver little boy keychain/or authentic New Mexico table wine: la bomba grande. Little Boy was the code name of the uranium bomb dropped on Hiroshima. In the epilogue, poems strangely veer off to present-day pandemic/Covid-19 issues. Nyquist took the photographs in the book. An apocalyptic-like landscape is on the front cover. She is founder of Poetry Playhouse Publications, a publishing company, library, gallery, and a place for poetry and playwriting retreats and classes. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Chile, balloons, Sandias, biscochitos and United five words that are synonymous with New Mexico and are at the heart of the new clothing store No Coast Goods. Launched in May, the Rio Rancho-based business is an apparel and lifestyle goods store that is all about showcasing Southwest pride, owner Cori Luzietti said. As a lifelong New Mexican, Luzietti said she was interested in creating a brand that encompassed the Southwest, but through a more modern approach. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ You wont find any images of cowboys on the shirts but such New Mexican staples as ristras, and nods to New Mexico United and Duke City are ever present. Luzietti said she has taken a simple approach to the designs on the clothing and, so far, customers have been responsive, with such items as their ristra socks and word shirts the top sellers. Since opening, Luzietti said she has received a lot of support from the Rio Rancho community. The cool thing about Rio Rancho is its smaller than Albuquerque, but its really tight-knit, she said. People support the city and its businesses. Luzietti also said that the location allows her to bring a cool, local apparel store into an area where that type of shop is uncommon. I kind of want to be more of like that hub for this side of the city that doesnt really get as much action, she said. Despite being located in Rio Rancho, Luzietti said many of the customers who go to the store are from the Northeast Heights or Downtown and most of the online orders are from out-of-state customers. Luzietti has worked in apparel manufacturing for more than a decade alongside her husband, JL, who owns Rio Rancho-based screen-printing business Screen Kings. Weve always been creative in that way and Ive always really been interested in apparel design, she said. When Screen Kings moved into its current location, the extra space provided Luzietti with the opportunity to grow her own business. I wanted to delve into kind of creating my own brand, she said. I have a lot of state pride, I love where I live, I love the scenery. Plans to open her own business have been in the works since before the pandemic, but Luzietti said COVID-19 delayed the opening of the store by about a year. However, in that time, she was able to produce more designs and set up the shop in a way that she prefers. Luzietti said she hopes to grow No Coast Goods beyond just her brand, and plans to turn the store into a space that showcases a variety of local artisans. She is currently looking for vendors that would be a good fit for the store. The retail store shares a space with Screen Kings print shop in an industrial neighborhood in Rio Rancho off N.M. 528. No Coast Goods is open 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 114 Industrial Park Place NE in Rio Rancho. To learn more or to order online, visit nocoastgoods.com. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... What is society to do with someone who has been investigated and found to have broken both federal and state laws by sexually harassing at least 11 different women? Well, in the case of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the subject of a five-month-long investigation by the states attorney general, apparently the answer is: nothing. Attorney General Letitia James directed the inquiry, dramatically revealed the findings, spoke of the disturbing toxic culture in the governors office, but failed to seek a grand jury indictment or to file charges against the governor. James kicked the prosecutorial can down the road to local district attorneys offices where the alleged offenses occurred. Andrew Cuomo is a fierce and feared three-term governor, widely known for his political acumen and vindictive response to critics. He has refused calls from several major newspapers and his own partys top members, including President Biden, to resign. No one is publicly urging him to fight on. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ In March, the New York state Assembly launched an impeachment inquiry against Cuomo on wide-ranging allegations, including that he had sexually harassed one female staffer, and to protect his image he directed his staff to lie about the number of elderly citizens who died in nursing homes after he ordered those facilities to take COVID-19 patients. That was a death sentence for such a vulnerable population. Nearly 16,000 seniors died in state care facilities. The Assemblys impeachment proceeding is now on a much faster track. Interestingly, the Department of Justice recently announced it dropped its anticipated civil rights investigation into New Yorks nursing home scandal. Andrew Cuomo has proven to be a master at political survival. By sheer force of will he finds ways to make problems go away. In 2014, when the Moreland Commissions probe of political corruption in the state got too close for comfort, Cuomo simply used his power to disband the panel. The feds showed interest in investigating but didnt. A few years later, one of the governors most trusted aides and best friend, Joseph Percoco, was convicted of accepting more than $300,000 in bribes from fat cats doing business with the state. Cuomo righteously and very publicly distanced himself, saying Percoco, is paying the price for violating the public trust. Privately, The New York Times reported, the Cuomo family spent years raising money for Percocos appeal. Now that the sex harassment allegations against Cuomo have exploded, and the tawdry and downright creepy details have been made public, the New York governor is again a target. He denies the womens very specific accusations of groping, hugging, kissing, butt grabbing and breast fondling and says his affectionate behavior was misunderstood. That is just not who I am, and that is not who I have ever been, Cuomo said in a pre-recorded video which, weirdly, included photos of him hugging and kissing other people. And, predictably, because James is reported to be a possible gubernatorial candidate, Cuomo blames the investigation on politics and foes determined to thwart his run for a fourth term. Ah, he who lives by the political sword can also die by that same sword. Cuomo once tweeted there should be a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to sexual harassment & (we) must send a clear message that this behavior is not tolerated. Hypocritically, the governor now implores us to ignore his accusers. During congressional hearings on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Cuomo again took the high and mighty road to oppose the nomination, writing, We owe it to the American people to #BelieveSurvivors. The Cuomo posts came at a time when other prominent men like Charlie Rose, Matt Lauer, Bill OReilly, Sen. Al Franken, comedian Louis C.K. and actors Kevin Spacey and Dustin Hoffman had faced their own sex abuse allegations and were promptly erased from polite society. With due process apparently a thing of the past, shouldnt Cuomo get the same treatment? Something tells me Cuomo will not win that coveted fourth term. He may never face charges because serial sex harassers rarely do, and he will surely survive. Hell call on cronies for business opportunities and, as usual, they will respond. His mighty arrogance will convince him his enemies were his downfall because it couldnt possibly have been something he did. Move on, Mr. Megalomaniac. Youve lost the publics trust. www.DianeDimond.com; email to Diane@DianeDimond.com. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal Hugo was a war dog, an Air Force working canine who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and assisted in several Secret Service missions. The 80-pound German shepherd was a specialist in bomb detection. Most of his life was defined by four words of command stay, sit, down, heel. But in retirement the past few years, the big pooch with the intense gaze learned a new word cookie. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ He knew that meant a treat, said Gracey Fajardo, who with her husband Frank cared for Hugo in his final years. He was always ready for a treat, and he never needed an excuse for a nap. Hugo died Sunday, three days before his 14th birthday. The Fajardos intend to honor him as war veterans should be. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 7, at the Chester T. French Mausoleum Chapel at Sunset Memorial Park, 924 Menaul NE. Albuquerques American Legion Post 13 will provide an honor guard. Hugo served his country, Gracey said. I felt he was just as deserving as any military veteran. Military working dogs retire without any benefits. They get adopted if they are lucky. At the very least, they should be given respect and dignity with military honors when they pass away. Records show that Hugo was born on Aug. 4, 2007, and was recruited, for a price, by the Air Force from an Indiana kennel on March 29, 2010. He was assigned to F.E. Warren Air Force Base near Cheyenne, Wyoming, and served as a patrol and bomb-detection dog until hip dysplasia and arthritis caused his retirement in April 2016. Hugo was adopted by the Fajardos son, Air Force Staff Sgt. Zachary Lopez. Lopez is a dog handler with Air Force Security Forces, but he and Hugo had never worked together. When Lopez was deployed about five years ago, Gracey and Frank took Hugo into their home in the Mariposa community northwest of Albuquerque. We had no clue how to care for a retired military working dog, Gracey said. She said the nonprofit United States War Dogs Association Inc. helped by providing Hugos medication and prescription foods. Gracey, Frank and Hugo worked the rest of it out themselves. It did not take us long to fall in love with him, Gracey said. He had a very sweet personality. He was not a barking dog. He was quiet as a mouse. Adjusting to civilian life took a little time for Hugo. Everything was unfamiliar to him because his home on base was in a kennel, Gracey said. He had never heard a doorbell. But once he knew what it was, he was always the first one to the door. He had never heard a piano. One thing I loved about Hugo is that I dont play the piano very well, but he never complained. Lets go, boy Frank Fajardo added two more words to Hugos vocabulary: Vamonos, muchacho, which translates into Lets go, boy. Hugo would go for walks at 6:30 in the morning, a short walk at 10 in the morning, a lunch walk at 12:30 and an evening walk between 6 and 7, Gracey said. But he was slowing down and getting to the point where he was having a hard time getting up, walking really slowly. He was hungry in the evening, but his morning appetite was starting to diminish. And then Sunday, Hugo died. The saddest thing was Monday morning when Frank got up to do his walk without Hugo, Gracey said. Hugo was cremated. The Fajardos will keep the ashes for their son, who is stationed at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. But Hugos memory and his service to his country will be honored at Sunset Memorial Park on Saturday. Friends and neighbors will join the Fajardos in the service, which will include a prayer, a Scripture reading, a eulogy, music, a video and the reading of the poem Guardians of the Night, which pays tribute to working dogs like Hugo. Remember me with kind thoughts and tales, For a time we were unbeatable, Nothing passed among us undetected. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal The New Mexico Attorney Generals Office has seized more than $400,000 from bank accounts identified in its fraud and kickback investigation into former state House of Representatives Floor Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton, D-Albuquerque. District Judge Cindy Leos signed an order late last month that allowed the Attorney Generals Office to seize $447,526 from the bank accounts of Washington, D.C.-based Robotics Learning Management Systems LLC, a vendor to the Albuquerque Public School District that has received more than $5.3 million over the past decade from the school system. In its motion to seize the accounts, the Attorney Generals Office said it is the states contention that Robotics unlawfully obtain(ed) sole-source contracts with APS that were the result of Sheryl Williams Stapletons unlawful influence. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ The motion said the state needed to seize the money to keep Robotics executives from looting the accounts. According to search warrants served on APS, bank records show entities with ties to Stapleton received more than $950,000 from Robotics over the past seven years The order also allowed state investigators to seize just under $5,000 from a company, S. Williams and Associates, and two charities linked to Stapleton. State prosecutors alleged in the seizure motion that Robotics has never registered to do business in New Mexico. Robotics has never paid state or federal taxes, prosecutors said in their motion. It appears to have no full-time (or even part-time) employees. It appears to have no physical office. In short, it does not appear Robotics is a legitimate business entity. No criminal charges have been filed, but, according to a federal grand jury subpoena served on APS, the FBI also is investigating Robotics and the companys relationship with Stapleton. Reached by telephone this week, Joseph F. Johnson, who is listed as president of Robotics, said he could not comment. When I can talk, I will talk, Johnson said. Stapleton resigned from the Legislature last week and promised to clear her name of allegations that she profited from the Robotics contract with APS. Leos order gives the Attorney Generals Office 30 days to notify people with an interest in the seized bank accounts an opportunity to contest the action. Stapleton resigned from the Legislature two days after agents served search warrants on her home; the family restaurant, A Taste of the Caribbean; and her office at APS. Stapleton and 11 other APS employees, including two supervisors, were placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation by the school district. Stapleton is the coordinator and director of Career and Technical Education at APS, and oversaw the use of Robotics software and handled invoices from the company to APS. The seizure motion repeats some of the allegations made in the search warrant affidavits, including that Stapleton transferred money from Robotics bank account to her family restaurant and a company she opened a bank account for, S. Williams and Associates. The search warrants also showed more than $350,000 in bank transfers from Robotics bank accounts to the accounts of two charities the Charlie Morissey Foundation and the Ujima Foundation both linked to Stapleton. State Attorney General Hector Balderas began his investigation after APS Superintendent Scott Elder wrote a letter in April saying the school district suspected Williams of having violated the procurement code and governmental conduct act in connection with the Robotics contract. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... TOKYO The French players danced around the court, singing and waving towels. They then threw coach Laurent Tillie in the air a couple of times before heading to the corner of Ariake Arena to sing along some more with the dozens of French officials at the near-empty venue. This was a celebration a long time coming for French volleyball. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ France made sure its first Olympic volleyball medal would be gold, beating the Russians 25-23, 25-17, 21-25, 21-25, 15-12 Saturday night in a breakthrough win for a country that had no history of success. Its just pure happiness, pure joy, just an unbelievable feeling, middle blocker Barthelemy Chinenyeze said. I couldnt even realize it. That gold medal is the biggest prize for volleyball. We made it to the top. Now we are at the top of the world for now. France had qualified for the Olympics four times before this year and made it as far as the quarterfinals only once in 1988. But after a slow start that began with a 3-0 loss to the United States and a 2-3 record in pool play, the French knocked off Pool A winner Poland in a five-set quarterfinal before sweeping Argentina in the semis and beating the Russians in a dramatic final to earn gold. Just when France seemed poised to blow the match, it mustered up enough energy to pull it out at the end. Jean Patry delivered a kill and an ace on back-to-back points to put the French ahead for good at 13-11. Antoine Brizard then surprised the Russians when he sent a soft shot over the net instead of setting it to give France match point. France won it 15-12 when Maxim Mikhaylovs shot went wide, sending the French pouring onto the court in celebration. I had a good feeling today, French star Earvin Ngapeth said through an interpreter. But the Russians almost put some doubt in my mind. There might have been a little bit of doubt but we managed to stay strong. That made the difference in the tiebreak. We didnt give up. We kept believing in ourselves. This marked the first time a team that came into the Olympics without ever winning a medal in mens volleyball went home with the gold since the U.S. did it in 1984 in Los Angeles. It provided the perfect capper to the coaching career of Tillie, who took over the French team in 2012 and now is planning to retire. Its a fairytale, Tillie said. Its been a fairytale since the beginning. France rallied after falling behind by four points late in the first set to jump out ahead of the Russians. The set turned when Dmitry Volkov was called for a center line violation with the Russians up 22-18. Back-to-back aces by Brizard got the French even at 22 and they closed out the set 25-23 when Trevor Clevenot dug out an attack by the Russians and then converted a kill. That momentum carried over to the second set and the French seemed in control until the Russians mounted a rally similar to the one that gave them gold in 2012. They became the only team ever to win gold after falling behind two sets that year against Brazil. There would be no repeat. Before coming to Tokyo we were thinking about a gold medal, captain Igor Kobzar said through an interpreter. We wanted a gold medal. We have received the silver medal. Dreams are dreams but Im grateful we got this medal, the silver medal. In the bronze medal game, Argentina won its second Olympics medal ever in mens volleyball, rallying to beat Brazil 25-23, 20-25, 20-25, 25-17, 15-13. The only other medal the Argentinians won in the sport came in Seoul in 1988 when they also beat Brazil for the bronze. Argentina lost the bronze medal game in 2000 in Sydney to Italy in its only other appearance in the medal round. I can swear theres nothing better than this, setter Matias Sanchez said. It was a dream we were chasing and now becomes a reality. Finally our second medal. Brazil failed to medal for the first time since 2000. On the womens side, the United States seeks its first gold medal ever on Sunday against Brazil. The Americans lost to Brazil in the gold medal game in 2008 and 12. Serbia faces South Korea for the bronze. ___ More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2020-tokyo-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Missouri Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Tuesday announced pardons for Patricia and Mark McCloskey, the St. Louis homeowners who pointed guns at protesters near their home last summer. The couple, who pleaded guilty in June to misdemeanor charges stemming from the incident, were among the 12 pardons that Parson granted last week, the governor's office said in a statement. The McCloskeys drew national attention in June 2020 after they were seen on video brandishing guns outside their mansion and pointing them at protesters, who were walking on a private street toward the home of the St. Louis mayor. In videos posted to social media, Mark McCloskey is seen holding a long rifle and Patricia McCloskey a handgun as demonstrators -- who were protesting then-Mayor Lyda Krewson's decision to publish the names and addresses of people in favor of police reform -- walked past their home. Mark McCloskey had pleaded guilty to fourth-degree assault and faced a $750 fine while Patricia McCloskey pleaded guilty to second-degree harassment and faced a $2,000 fine, according to court documents. As part of the plea agreement, the couple had agreed to surrender their handgun and semi-automatic rifle, according to the documents. Mark McCloskey told CNN last July that he was "in imminent fear they (protesters) would run me over, kill me." The documents also state Mark McCloskey "purposely placed at least one person in apprehension of immediate physical injury" by waving a semi-automatic rifle in the direction of the crowd in front of his home. But the incident has vaulted the McCloskeys into national Republican politics. Mark McCloskey parlayed his notoriety from the 2020 incident into a bid for the US Senate, and pictures of him brandishing a long rifle outside his St. Louis mansion are prominently featured on his campaign website and social media. He's is vying for the Senate seat currently held by Roy Blunt, who announced he would not seek reelection next year. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. A wedding hall in the west of Kandahar, Afghanistan's second city, now lies on the front line of fierce fighting between Taliban forces and Afghan government troops. Dust coats the chairs where the guests would normally sit. Instead of the chatter of celebration, gun shots crack through the air. Glass is pockmarked with bullet holes. Only 50 yards from the wedding hall, according to Afghan soldiers, Taliban snipers hidden in civilian homes are firing night and day. A Taliban flag is visible on a nearby mountain top. As Afghan forces fight to maintain control, this city of close to half a million people is almost entirely cut off from the rest of the country. Kandahari MP Gul Ahmad Kamin, hunkered down in a villa on the city's eastern outskirts, told CNN the situation had deteriorated badly over the past four weeks, with the Taliban pushing in on all sides. "We are an island," he joked, "a Taliban-made island." The only way to leave the city currently is along a 20-kilometer (12-mile) road to the airport and then on a flight out. If the Afghan army loses control of the road, the city will be completely cut off. Last week rockets hit the airport runway. According to Kamin, 15 of southern Kandahar province's 17 districts are now under Taliban control, with about a quarter of the provincial capital's territory also in the Taliban's hands. Elsewhere, Taliban forces are threatening other provincial capitals including Herat and Lashkar Gah. The city of Zaranj, near the Iranian border, became the first provincial capital to fall into Taliban control on Friday, according to a government source and multiple videos from the city. The country's swift descent into violence following the withdrawal of US and NATO troops supporting the government has shocked many. There are fears even the national capital, Kabul, could fall. Of Afghanistan's 34 provincial capitals, Kandahar city is of particular strategic importance. Sitting in the south of the country, it lies on the junction of the highways from Kabul in the northeast, the city of Herat in the northwest and Quetta in Pakistan, to the south. The Taliban are intent on taking Kandahar, the Islamist fundamentalist group's birthplace. Meanwhile, the government knows it cannot afford to lose it. "Around the city of Kandahar a very heavy war is started where from four sides of the city, every minute there are many attacks from the Taliban side and the government is trying to [defend] the city," Kamin said. "At night when you're sitting with your children and you cannot sleep because of the bombardment ... and every second, something may happen, someone may enter your home, someone may shoot or from [the] sky a bomb will come and destroy you," the lawmaker added. "People in this city are waiting for when they will be killed, when will someone will kill them, when their home will be destroyed and it is happening every minute." Nowhere to go Afghan commandos who took CNN to their base by the deserted wedding hall say the Taliban snipers' concealment in civilian homes makes it harder to root them out. "We cannot use, you know, the big weapons, heavy weapons, for the civilian life," one soldier told CNN. Following the withdrawal of almost all US forces, American airstrikes in support of Afghan forces can no longer be counted on except in emergencies. "We feel a little bit weak without US airstrikes and ground support and equipment," said Maj. Habibullah Shaheen. "But this is our soil and we have to defend it." Amid the fear and confusion, there is nowhere to go to escape the Taliban threat. "You cannot leave Kandahar because all roads which are connected with the other neighboring provinces are also under their control. So there is only two options -- do or die," Kamin said. For the lawmaker, "do" means "to convince different sides to cease fire, to work on peace, to convince them to not fight, not to kill," he said. But the prospects for peace are not promising. While US-backed negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban continue, experts say the latter wants full control of Afghanistan and will continue to seek leverage for that goal on the battlefield. The vast majority of the Taliban's territorial gains have come since the United States withdrawal of forces began in May, after President Joe Biden's announcement that all US combat forces would leave Afghanistan by the end of August. The Pentagon has said about 95% of US troops have already left, with the Taliban rapidly expanding their presence to large swaths of country. 'We just want peace' During the day, a tense calm presides over Kandahar city. The fighting has now become a part of everyday life. Markets are open and cars move through the streets, although one baker said even sales of bread had gone way down since the violence skyrocketed. "It's the most important thing in life but still we aren't selling -- even us," he said. Afghanistan -- and Kandahar in particular -- is no stranger to war. The city served as headquarters to the Taliban from their emergence from the wreckage of the civil war in the 1990s until they were overthrown in 2001. But all those who spoke to CNN said they had never seen the fighting like this. An International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) report released last month said Mirwais Regional Hospital in Kandahar had treated 2,366 weapon-wounded patients in the first six months of this year, more than double the number of patients during the first six months of last year. Nationwide, the ICRC helped provide treatment and care to more than 49,500 people injured in conflict in the first six months of this year. As the violence escalates, many have fled in search of safety. An estimated 294,000 people have been forced from their homes since January, the United Nations Refugee Agency reported on July 21, bringing the total internally displaced to more than 3.5 million. More than 10,000 people are now displaced in Kandahar city, according to the UN. On the outskirts of the city, some 30 families have sought shelter in a makeshift camp in a dingy construction site on a roundabout. Among the latest arrivals were street vendor Mahmad Ismael and his family of eight, who climbed out of a tuk-tuk. They had just come from the village of Malajad, five miles away, where an hour earlier a massive airstrike had hit two shops in the market where Ismael works selling second-hand clothing. The village has been caught up in heavy fighting between Taliban and Afghan forces in recent days, with homemade bombs and gunfire claiming lives. The airstrike was the final straw. "Three dead bodies were rotting outside our home for three days, but it was too dangerous to get them. The Taliban is attacking on one side. The government is attacking the other side. In the middle we are just losing," Ismael said. "We just want peace. We need peace. We don't care who's the ruler ... People said that when America withdraws there would be peace in Afghanistan but then they withdrew and the war got worse." Children left fatherless Conditions in the makeshift camp are awful. There is no toilet. A baby screams constantly as we walk around. One of the men explains that the baby is sick. He nods to three other boys sitting on mats looking listless. "He has no father. He has no father. All their fathers [killed] in the fighting." Rubbina, a 35-year-old seamstress who gave only her first name, sits quietly with her two daughters. Her husband was shot three weeks ago, leaving her alone with the two children. She is petrified of what the future will bring. "Every night we hear the fighting ... Last night I didn't sleep all night and the fear was in my heart," she told CNN. "I hope that God will have mercy on us and that someone will help us get back to our home." At 6 p.m. the cell phone network is shut off and the streets quickly empty. This is the time the fighting normally starts. As darkness falls, the sounds of war can be heard in the city center. Tracer fire lights up the night sky and the call to evening prayer is punctuated by gunfire and sporadic thuds of artillery. The Taliban seem to be increasing their control in Kandahar. But lawmaker Kamin is still hopeful that Afghan forces can turn it around and he said he has no plans to leave his home. Ismael, the street vendor, was more cynical. "There's no hope for us as long as the war continues," he said. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. The select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection is weighing whether to pursue call logs from the Trump White House on the day of the riot, a move that could present a potentially thorny dilemma for President Joe Biden who would ultimately have to determine whether the records should be covered by executive privilege or qualify as essential evidence for the ongoing probe. The committee has been engaged in ongoing discussions with the Biden administration about its plans for the investigation as it has taken the lead role in examining all things related to January 6 and prepares to issue its first round of subpoenas, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. Phone records from former President Donald Trump's White House will likely not be among the first subpoena targets as a source familiar with the matter told CNN that the committee has not broached the topic during preliminary discussions with the Executive Branch. But the panel is actively considering the possibility of pursuing those records and other relevant documents that could raise additional executive privilege questions, the source added. Members of the committee, including GOP Rep. Liz Cheney, have made clear investigators must "get to every piece of information that matters" in order to piece together a detailed understanding of what Trump and his closest allies were doing that day. But what that will entail still remains unclear. Select committee chairman Bennie Thompson has declined to say specifically if investigators will bring in former Justice Department officials who were considered key witnesses in the probe led by the House Oversight and Judiciary committees, including former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen. Rosen was set to be interviewed by the House Oversight and Judiciary committees this week but that plan was scrapped once House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decided to shift all January 6 investigative responsibilities over to the select panel. Still, the select committee has expressed an interest in speaking to former DOJ officials who have been linked to Trump's effort to push false voter fraud claims and could seek relevant White House call logs from the National Archives, which has legal custody of all the presidential records from Trump's time in office. The Archives acknowledged to CNN that it has possession of the Trump-era call logs and other potentially relevant records from the previous administration. In March, the Archives received a letter from several House committees "requesting records related to the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol," but it is unclear whether White House call logs were considered part of that specific ask. Still, the Archives noted that there is a process "by which the Congress and the incumbent administration may request access to records of former administrations." But doing so may be fraught with political challenges. Biden has the ultimate say over whether those phone records from the Trump White House can be shared with the committee or if doing so could compromise the privilege of the presidency itself. Deciding the latter could pose a potentially uncomfortable political scenario should the Democrat-led committee decide to pursue more extreme legal avenues in an attempt to obtain those records. A source familiar with ongoing engagement between the committee and Biden administration suggested the panel is still deciding if it wants to go down that road, telling CNN it is still "TBD" whether specific requests will be made during staff meetings with the executive branch. Biden's executive privilege and Trump's The Biden administration has formally declined to assert executive privilege over testimony related to January 6, telling former Justice Department officials in a letter they were free to provide "unrestricted testimony," but it remains unclear if that view also applies to records and documents from the Trump White House. Trump can also assert executive privilege if the committee does ultimately request the records, though Biden would still have the opportunity to overrule him, according to federal regulations for presidential records managed by the National Archives. The process for requesting the call logs and other executive branch records begins with a court-established doctrine known as the "accommodation process," according to Norm Eisen, who served as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee for Trump's second impeachment and trial, during which investigators say the White House largely refused to hand over any relevant documents or records that were requested. "First you have some combination of written requests and phone conversations to describe what you want, because of constitutional balance of power issues, both sides are supposed to work with each other informally. If that breaks down, you move to the subpoena process, if that breaks down, you go to court," Eisen, a CNN contributor, said. Should Biden deem the White House call logs and other internal documents as being protected by executive privilege, the committee will then have to decide if it wants to challenge that decision through litigation -- a move that would likely require a months-long court battle. So far, the Justice Department and the White House Counsel's Office are letting the six former DOJ officials who witnessed Trump's pressure on election fraud share what they know with Congress, because January 6 and what led to it is an "exceptional situation" in "which the congressional need for information outweighs the Executive Branch's interest in maintaining confidentiality." "The Counsel's Office conveyed to the Department that President Biden has decided that it would not be appropriate to assert executive privilege with respect to communications with former President Trump and his advisors and staff on matters related to the scope of the Committees' proposed interviews," Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer wrote in a letter last month. There are also other ways the committee could potentially get its hands on those call logs. During Trump's second impeachment, House investigators faced obtained White House call records from the phone provider after the executive branch made clear it was not going to cooperate. Shedding light on Trump's January 6 whereabouts Questions about how the committee will proceed with regards to potential subpoenas come as it has taken over key witness interviews that were just about to be conducted by another congressional panel. The select committee, which met virtually on Monday to discuss plans for the weeks ahead, is still in the process of hiring staff and determining the exact scope of its investigation, but members of the panel have already made clear it will issue "quite a few" subpoenas, likely by the end of August. Specific subpoena targets, however, remain unclear as members have expressed interest in hearing from anyone who might be able to shed light on Trump's whereabouts on January 6 and reviewing all relevant documents that might exist, including various memos written by senior Trump officials that have not yet been handed over. That includes former Department of Justice officials believed to have direct knowledge of efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 presidential election -- individuals emerged as potential witnesses in the more narrowly focused probe being conducted by the House Oversight and Judiciary committees. Those committees have already released hundreds of pages of documents and requested transcribed interviews from a host of former DOJ officials that could contribute meaningful testimony in the January 6 investigation, including: Rosen Former Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows Former Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark Former Associate Deputy Attorney General Patrick Hovakimian Former US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Byung Jin Pak Former Acting US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Bobby Christine. Some of the former officials who have already been contacted by the Oversight and Judiciary committees, including Rosen, Clark and Donoghue, also expected to hear from the January 6 panel, according to people briefed on the matter. Last week, Thompson, a Democratic congressman from Mississippi, declined to say if the panel would bring in Rosen and former Attorney General Bill Barr, but contended the Justice Department's decision to greenlight testimony from former officials who served at the department under Trump will make their job easier. "We are not putting names to it," he said. "We think it is important now that the process of accessing individuals is easier that is important for the committee. I appreciate DOJ's position on it ,and it makes the work of the committee that much easier." Thompson wouldn't say whom he wanted to subpoena. "It's early," he said. "I can tell you that when we issue them, they will be part and parcel to the individuals who are germane to the investigation." Targeting McCarthy, Jordan and other Trump allies Members of the select committee have also expressed interest in hearing from lawmakers who spoke to Trump on January 6, like House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and GOP Rep. Jim Jordan, as well as those who participated in the former president's rally that day, like Rep. Mo Brooks, suggesting they too could be subpoena targets. "I'm sure we will want to talk to members of Congress," Rep. Zoe Lofgren told CNN's John King on Sunday when asked about Brooks. She also said that "sounds like [Jordan] has something to hide," pushing back on Jordan's threats to us that the GOP would seek to depose Democrats Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell in a Republican majority next Congress. But the committee may have a harder time securing testimony from Trump and aides such as former White House chief of staff Meadows, as well as McCarthy, Jordan and Brooks. Even if the Biden administration doesn't intervene, Trump could still try to go to court to stop the select committee from obtaining documents and testimony from the Trump White House by attempting to assert privilege, an effort that could delay the probe. Officials could also defy congressional subpoenas as they did frequently during the Trump administration. GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger said on Sunday he expects the select committee to issue "a significant number of subpoenas for a lot of people," in order to learn details of Trump's whereabouts on January 6, but indicated he would be reluctant to subpoena Trump himself immediately. "Well, look, I don't know. Again, it's going to depend where the facts lead. We may not even have to talk to Donald Trump to get the information. There were tons of people around him, there were tons of people that were involved in the things that led up to January 6. Obviously if you talk to the President, the former President, that's going to have a whole new set of kind of, like, you know, everything associated with it," Kinzinger said, when asked on ABC This Week whether he would want to hear from the former President. Kinzinger struck a different note when asked whether he would support issuing subpoenas to McCarthy or Jordan, saying, when asked, that he would support subpoenas "to anybody that can shed light" on what Trump did on January 6. He added: "If that's the leader, that's the leader. If it's anybody that talked to the President, they could provide us with that information. I want to know what the president was doing every moment of that day." McCarthy has long been among those considered to be a likely subpoena target given previous reporting about his conversation with Trump on January 6. Interest in hearing testimony from Jordan has increased in recent weeks after a series of interviews during which he failed to directly address questions about the nature of his phone call with Trump on January 6. While subpoenaing Jordan could carry political risks, Democrats have left the door open to that possibility. "The odds go up every time he opens his mouth," one Democratic aide said about the possibility of issuing a subpoena to Jordan. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. I have been embedded with every branch of the US military multiple times -- in war zones and on base -- but nothing is quite like an inside look at the newly created US Space Force. Space Force "Guardians," as they're known, do their work hundreds -- even thousands of miles -- from the front lines of the conflicts they are fighting. And yet, each Guardian we spoke to describes their fight as just as hostile as any other front today. "Space is a war fighting domain," said Col. Matthew Holston, Space Delta 8 Commander. "It's the reason that we stood up the United States Space Force as a separate service. So each and every day we're training our operators to deter conflict, but if deterrence fails - to compete and win in space." My team and I visited mission control at Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora, Colorado, where Guardians fly the nation's missile warning satellites. Using infrared sensors, these satellites, orbiting 22,000 miles above Earth, scour the planet 24/7 for missile launches and nuclear detonations. 'Always vigilant' "We never stop, always vigilant and we've never failed," Lt. Col. Michael Mariner, 2nd Space Warning Squadron Commander told me. "And there's a reason for that. And it's because that's how important this mission is to our nation. We provide decision quality data to tactical war fighters on the ground to save their lives." In January 2020, these satellites sprang into action -- detecting multiple missiles from Iran targeting the Al-Asad air base in Iraq where US troops were stationed. Before those missiles rained down, within minutes, Space Force had delivered a life-saving warning to US units on the ground. "It is lightning fast," Space Force Specialist 4 Sally Stephens, who was on duty that day, told me. "Not very often do we get reminded of where our data gets to, and that night was a shocking reality." Missile warning satellites are just a fraction of the hundreds of US government and commercial satellites monitored and defended by the Guardians of the Space Force today. The trouble is, space - once considered largely friendly territory - has become a potential war zone. China is launching "kidnapper" satellites, with grappling arms capable of plucking satellites out of orbit. Russia is deploying "kamikaze" satellites capable of ramming and destroying US space assets. And Russia has a new weapon that Space Force dubs the "Nesting Doll" Gen. John "Jay" Raymond, Chief of Space Operations for US Space Force, walked us through one of the most alarming episodes of a growing space arms race. "Back in 2017, Russia launched a satellite, and you can picture it kind of like that doll," he said. "It opened up and another satellite came out. And it opened up and a projectile came out. That projectile is designed to kill US satellites. So, in 2019, they did the same thing, but this time they put it up next to one of our satellites. It opened up, the second doll came out, and we started talking about it." "Talking about it" meant, in effect, warning Russia away. As Gen. Raymond told it to me, "we described what safe and professional behavior [is] -- it's important. Today, there's no rules in space. It's the wild, wild west." A potential front Russia and China also have directed-energy weapons, which can damage or disable US satellites from a distance. The age of lasers in space has already arrived. Space Force is now an independent branch of the US military due to this alarming new reality: space -- once relatively peaceful territory -- is now considered a potential front in any modern war. The US has far more satellites than any other nation: some 2,500, compared to 431 for China and 168 for Russia, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. And a whole range of military technologies depend on them: satellites help warships and aircraft navigate and communicate...help smart bombs and guided missiles hit their targets...help warfighters monitor threats on land, sea and in the air. "There's nothing we do as a joint force, whether it's humanitarian assistance, disaster relief or combat that isn't enabled by space," said Raymond. More than many Americans realize, civilian technologies are equally dependent on space. The nation's constellation of GPS satellites -- flown by 2nd Space Operations Squadron at Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado Springs -- is the backbone of multiple critical infrastructures. "The standard American people will probably use space 20 to 30 times between the moment they get up to the moment they have breakfast," Col. Miguel Cruz, Space Delta 4 Commander said. How exactly? Holston, the Space Delta 8 Commander, explained. "If you take a look at just in everyday life, the financial sectors rely on positioning and timing information for precise banking operations and transactions, financial markets synchronizing all of those operations, our transportation sector for positioning and timing, air, land, sea, and rail all rely on the global positioning system to be able to execute our critical infrastructure," he said. Raymond described the importance of space to American life by saying, "the US is a spacefaring nation. We have long understood that space provides the foundation for all of our instruments and national power." That dependence on space is one reason Space Force was stood up as its own separate branch of the military in December 2019. That step, practically speaking, makes "a significant difference," Raymond said. 'The target's on your back' "It allowed us to attract more talent, to develop that talent in ways that that we haven't been able to in the past," Raymond explained. "It's helped us strengthen our requirements. It makes me a member of the Joint Chiefs. It allows me to integrate space into joint war fighting constructs. It also puts me on par with the international chiefs that I deal with, allowing us to strengthen our partnerships." The job of defending the nearly three dozen GPS satellites rests with a remarkably small team: ten Guardians on duty at any time, outnumbered nearly three-to-one by the half-billion-dollar satellites they fly. Schriever Space Force Base has control over multiple constellations of US satellites, every constellation with dozens of satellites, each providing capabilities, such as GPS, secure military communications, and -- more and more -- situational awareness in space, that is, looking out for adversaries and weapons targeting US space assets. The danger for the US is that greater dependence on space equals greater vulnerability. "Our biggest challenge is staying on top, right?" said Mariner, the 2nd Space Warning Squadron Commander. "When you're at, when you're at the top, the target's on your back, everybody's shooting for you. So they are developing better technology." New satellites are being designed with greater maneuverability, shielding to block directed-energy weapons, and resiliency so that losing one or a few does not disable the system. Space Force commanders welcome the private sector's entry into space, since it creates more and cheaper options to get into orbit. In June this year, the newest GPS satellite went up on a SpaceX rocket. "I would bet on US industry any day," said Raymond. "It's a huge advantage that we have." As for the US weaponizing, Space Force wants to avoid a space arms race. "We would prefer for the domain to remain free of conflict," Raymond said. "But like in any other domain, air, land, sea and now space, we'll be ready to protect and defend." Adversaries have already attempted to use space weapons to temporarily disable US satellites, using lasers and directed-energy weapons to blind or "dazzle" them. Space war is not science fiction, but a battle already underway today. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Dr. Anthony Fauci has an impressive resume but nothing in it meant that he was qualified to be the ultimate decision-maker for a contagious disease, especially one that his actions helped create. Its high time his wings are clipped before more Americans die. Dr. Anthony Fauci is brilliant. At least according to his fawning Wikipedia entry, which says he graduated number one in his medical school class at Cornell, and then did two years of internal medicine residency at their prestigious hospital, following which he was invited to train and work at the NIH (unfairly, in my opinion, called a yellow beret.) Understanding Faucis career there requires some backstory. The U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) evolved from the medical branch of the Coast Guard Marines, which was eventually placed under the aegis of the Revenue Marine Service forerunner to the Coast Guard. Its head, called the Surgeon General of the United States is a naval officer. Important people serving in various parts of the USPHS (NIH, CDC, FDA) are officers, for they are in one of eight uniform services of the US government. The NIH, one subsidiary, does specialized medical research and, in some cases, provides healthcare for patients who are of research interest. Before 1973, all male physicians, regardless of age, served in one of the uniform services of the federal government. Most were drafted into the Army, with a smaller number into the other armed forces. However, physicians could fulfill their Selective Service obligations by joining the NIH. Understandably these positions were very highly sought after in the late 60s, during the Vietnam war. Only the top 1% were invited to join. A slot at the NIH ordinarily led to a career in research or in medical academia. Many, like Tony, trained and then stayed at NIH for their careers. I treated gonorrhea in Vietnam for the U.S. Army. Tony did a fellowship in Immunology at the NIH. Immunology is a subspecialty of internal medicine dealing with autoimmune diseases like systemic lupus; allergic disorders like asthma; and in Tonys case, vaccine development. When the HIV-AIDS virus was discovered in 1984, Tony started to work on a vaccine against that virus. (Id guess that he has pompously continued to advise on that failing project for over 35 years.) I dont remember ever reading anything that Tony authored but I read more general clinical studies for my practice. Most researchers careers shrivel in their 40s. Tony heard the dirge and gradually shifted to administration. He took over the helm of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a subdivision of the NIH, where he has ruled for 37 years. The NIH doles out $41 billion to 300,000 researchers around the country. Tonys NIAID division does some research in-house at the main NIH campus in Bethesda but gives nearly $5.9 billion to outside researchers, including to virology laboratories in Wuhan, China. Tony, with these 5.9 billion friends, is loved and honored. He became a member of the Infectious Diseases Society among many others without earning much in the way of credentials. Despite this impressive CV, I contend that Tony is not suitable to be the public health coxswain running the Covid 19 muddle. Tony was selected for that position by the media and political nabobs for only two reasons: First, the NIH and Tony are conveniently headquartered near Washington. The CDC, which might have more appropriate contagious diseases pretensions, languishes in Marietta in the far-off hills and hollows of northern Georgia. Second, our self-styled cognoscenti confused infectious diseases (an internal medicine subspecialty that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of infections in patients) with contagious diseases. They then conferred near-dictatorial authority on an immunologist, who was incidentally the political head of an NIH division with Infectious Diseases in its title. A real infectious diseases consultant would have had practical experience interacting with the public health-contagious diseases crowd. That hands-on knowledge would have led to very different recommendations from those that Tony provided. Infectious diseases doctors usually serve on hospital infection control committees -- the in-patient equivalent of public health cadres. Worn-out nurses, trained on the job, usually run the committees. They are terrified of making mistakes. Forty years ago, they put anyone with a possible infection into isolation. It was ridiculous. In 1980 about one-in-four occupied adult hospital beds had an isolation cart and signs by the door stating the nature of the isolation. Patients in isolation were known to get substandard care because no one wanted to don gown, gloves, facemask, hoody, and cover for shoes to care for them. I, seeing infected patients, had to put up with more than the usual share of this crap. Then, in the early eighties, we were slammed with the AIDS epidemic. Lots of young men were hospitalized and dying. The signs outside their rooms said strict isolation. The gay community did not want to be stigmatized and it had power. Hospital infection control committees folded and dropped the entire isolation charade, along with its personal protective equipment, instead replacing it with universal precautions, meaning that we washed our hands between patients and avoided contact with most bodily fluids. The incidence of transmission of infection among patients and to medical staff did not change. All of that PPE was for naught. Incidentally, British surgeons did not wear masks way back when. A 1991 well-done study showed a much lower wound infection rate when surgeons did not wear facemasks. This information was whispered among infectious diseases doctors in group meetings, but no one wanted to annoy the surgeons who sent us so many patients. Tony knew none of this. Working in immunology, he must have known, as I have pointed out in publications elsewhere, that vaccines cannot be declared safe and effective after a few months of testing, especially ones using this radical new mRNA technology. Tony as a scientist knows the nature of testing with its appended sensitivity, specificity, and the Bayesian constraints, yet I was the first to point out the high incidence of false-positive results. Tony has done his administrative chores, lobbied for more money, and played at laboratory medicine. He grabbed at the opportunity to pontificate on the pandemic like a shark seeing a human foot in the water. He almost certainly had to call public health experts for advice to help him answer questions about the epidemiology, transmissibility, mortality, and measures that a government might take. Last year, no one else had any idea about how this virus spread or its clinical evolution (or maybe an intelligent design in Wuhan?), so everyone was flying by the seat of their pants. A clinical maxim is that If you dont know what the hell youre doing, do nothing, but Tony never heard that cliche. The public heard a lot of nonsense based on his hunches. His public utterances changed with each phone call. They were often incoherent. Tony terrified the public by intimating that a plague was attacking them. People were more than willing to follow this Pied Piper who promised to drive the virus away and save people from the epidemic. In the original Hamlin story, the towns people got screwed. The mayor had promised the piper 1000 guilder to get rid of the rats. When the mayor reneged on his contract the piper piped all their children out of town. They disappeared. Our government has vested its public face and credibility in Tony. We have not seen the end of Tonys compositions. He will continue to pipe. Look for yet more morbidity. And mortality. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the Surgeon General is an officer in the Coast Guard. We have corrected that error and clarified the USPHS's relationship to the Coast Guard. Erwin Haas MD MBA, an Infectious Diseases consultant, served as a flight surgeon in Vietnam and as a city commissioner in Kentwood, Michigan. He is a policy advisor at the Heartland Institute, has published 12 articles in peer reviewed scientific medical journals, also in the American Thinker, Liberty Magazine, Lew Rockwell, and Medical Economics and wrote several books including A Brewery Workers Boy in Vietnam. AnneMarie Schieber from Heartland helped with some references. IMAGE: Caricature of Anthony Fauci by DonkeyHotey. CC BY 2.0. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Why do the Progressive Big Media, Democrats, elites, and Democratic Socialists feel duty-bound to create false realities? Why must they silence, obstruct, or distort any truthful voice before it can ever be heard? And why do they rush to judgment before the facts can be sorted out? The answer is simple: socialists and collectivists have no other choice. By hard experience, they learned over 100 years ago that their ideology is devoid of facts and reality. They had to sacrifice truth in order to hide the inevitable failures of socialism. This realization occurred in the late 1890s, when a crisis of confidence began to reach a fever pitch. Before that, Marxian socialists were seen as the bright new kids on the political block. They were gaining acceptance and recognition. They thought they had it made. Socialists had long predicted capitalism's inevitable demise. In anticipation, they prepared to be capitalism's pallbearers, and they breathlessly awaited the birth of a glorious socialist-proletarian revolution. But then something unexpected happened: socialism started to decompose. Marxist leaders and revisionists looked inward and noticed serious flaws in Marx's socioeconomic predictions. Across Europe, the truth of Marxian socialism was called into question. As the defects and failures started to pile up, Marxian socialists faced an ideology both false and unworkable. Instead of witnessing capitalism in its last stage of life, it was apparent that Marxism and socialism were dying on the vine. Like a viral plague, these inconsistencies within Marxist theory swept across the entire socialist and Marxist landscape. It became known as the "crisis of Marxism," a term dubbed by Marxist theoreticians and practitioners themselves. This internal struggle revolved around the release of devastating economic data in the 1890s. Obviously, this situation was a bitter pill to swallow. Socialist intellectuals had to face the fact that truth and scientific law could easily destroy their political agenda to reconstruct society. If Marxian socialism did not conform to reality, then they would have to rely on other methods to gain political power. They found it more effective and convenient to sidetrack the truth at every possible opportunity. Ironically, the man who pointed out the many fatal flaws of socialism and communism was a rising star in the Marxist movement: Eduard Bernstein. He was an important Marxist political theorist and historian and a close friend of Friedrich Engels, working with him for almost ten years. Bernstein also personally collaborated with Marx, becoming not only a patron, but editor of Der Sozialdemokrat, the militant organ of the Social Democratic Party in Germany, from 1881 to 1890. Bernstein was being groomed as one of the major philosophical heirs of Marx and Engels. A stickler for ethics, Bernstein embraced the idea that truth was a strong disinfectant against hypocrisy. He wanted to see successful results, not Marxist dogma. He waited until the passing of Marx in 1883 and Engels in 1895 before he launched an investigation of Marx's predictions. The litany of failed promises that Bernstein discovered overwhelmed orthodox Marxists with a stunning sense of denial. Marx had predicted that industrial capitalism would result in a concentration of a few big companies; instead, ownership of companies become more dispersed, decentralized, and scattered into many hands. Marx and his surrogates predicted that the poor would become poorer; instead, Bernstein showed empirical data that the incomes of workers were rising to unheard-of levels. He discovered that big companies were not as profitable as smaller businesses, which defied Marx's contentions. Technology was advancing, not hitting a roadblock. Profits were rising, not falling. Past problems of "unemployment, overproduction, and the inequitable distribution of wealth" were being overcome by capitalism. Bernstein even targeted Marx's cherished "class struggle" theory, proving that capitalism's wealth-building capacity had reduced the animosity between the wealthy class and the worker class. These statistics confronted Marxist and socialist theorists with a paradox: why was capitalism growing more vibrant when it was supposedly entering its final dying days? To Marxist socialists' dismay, the bourgeois system of market economics had gotten a clean bill of health. Capitalism was flourishing. Objective reality refused to comply with socialist demands. Instead, Marxian socialism was found guilty and given a sentence of rejection. To the public, Marxian socialism had lost its credibility. As reams of published evidence proved the emptiness of socialist theories, Marxian ringleaders became distraught. They were taken by surprise by something they had never expected widespread repudiation of Marxian fundamentals by economic and social statistics that appeared in many journals and newspapers. Nonetheless, Marxism and socialist revolutionary activity did not die. A French Marxist and Revolutionary Syndicalist, Georges Sorel, had already figured out the next course of action. His prescription was to inject heavy doses of "myth-making" into public discourse, confusing political issues, and overriding truth. His plan was to reinvigorate the socialist brand by releasing mountains of lies. Sorel understood that unconstrained truth would crush socialist theories and their fledgling movement, forcing socialists to master the art of slick propaganda to prevent being invalidated once again by the power of truth. Georges Sorel went on to make lies sound truthful in an effort to defend the fallacies and failures of Marxism, propping up the advocacy of labor violence in the streets, anti-democracy, autocratic socialism, and revised Marxism. His myth-making propaganda became an inspiration to Marxists, fascists, and a host of socialist elites. To Sorel, truth was no longer important; it was an impediment to progress and had to be relegated to the dustbin of history. In reality, there is no truth in socialism, because it has never worked. Still smarting from the hard lessons of history, today's Marxist socialists have learned to swiftly bury truth and any truth-seekers, before they can become entombed themselves. Image: wal_172619 via Pixabay, Pixabay License. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. In systems theory, complex systems are said to be resilient when they can withstand damage on multiple fronts and still function properly. The ecosystem is one such system. Although we are bombarded with intentional misinformation about Earth's imminent destruction to scare people into handing complete control over their private economic decisions to a small cabal of techno-fascists, political aristocrats, and Build Back Better oligarchs who promise to use their new powers to save lives, our planet's thermodynamic management of atmospheric gases and heat energy is robust without the help of cubicle bureaucrats. Air masses move, lands green and suck up carbon dioxide, and even pollutants are broken down through dispersion over time. The global ecosystem has inestimable "pathways" to naturally remedy any perturbation. To believe that our four-and-a-half-billion-year-old planet is incapable of surviving without Karen from down the street becoming a Prius-leasing vegetarian abstaining from air-conditioning or having children is the height of human hubris. Build Back Better is really about building dummies who have neither the education nor the curiosity to question the 1%'s power. In contrast to the profound capabilities of our global ecosystem to naturally rebalance and self-heal, our social system is far less resilient. Society and civilization are the aberrations of humanity's existence not its natural resting state. Westerners who take society's existence for granted need only look at the chaos in Afghanistan, Libya, Congo, Somalia, or any of the other three dozen or so conflict zones in the world today. When violence and famine are viewed up close and personal, it is difficult to see life outside a functioning social system as anything other than "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." What I mean by all this is that human society is an incredibly good, albeit fragile, thing. Note that I did not say "government." There's a big difference between the two. In the words of Thomas Paine: "Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness POSITIVELY by uniting our affections, the latter NEGATIVELY by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse; the other creates distinctions. The first a patron, the last a punisher. Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one[.]" Believe it or not, humanity can tick along just fine without a small collection of permanent power-holders ruling from D.C. or Brussels or United Nations Plaza in New York City. When "society" collapses, however, all hell breaks loose. It is also true that society is strongest when it is allowed to exist and grow naturally when the individual decisions and desires of millions of humans are allowed to influence and affect each other without the artificial intrusion of bureaucratic government. When people are allowed to freely interact in order to maximize their wealth, security, and overall happiness, many "pathways" exist for society to respond to any system crisis. The more pathways, the more overall stability. When there is only one pathway for responding to crisis the government's mandate through threat of force the loss of that pathway cascades into total system failure. We are seeing today the potential for system-wide collapse because government's one-pathway solution to every problem cannot account for the complexities that occur naturally in human society. Global protests against mandatory vaccinations, forced lockdowns, and outright censorship are only the beginning. The more governing institutions insist on rewiring society in the artificial image of "Great Reset" bullies, the faster the failure cascade will become. Traditionally, the "power of the purse" represented the public's power through their representatives to restrict executive overreach by starving its funding. In a perverse irony, legislatures across the West have legally encumbered their citizens' property by manipulating the monetary and banking systems in such a way as to maximize governments' power over every purse in every home. In pursuit of ever-more-socialist governments, Western nations have leveraged their societies. This is not difficult to see. One of the primary delusions of socialist governments is this: when looking at free men operating with individual liberty in free markets of ideas, goods, and labor, they lose sight of the individual and instead view him as merely a cog in the overall system. They prioritize and concentrate on the collective human organism and forget the huge, incalculable collection of individual and private decisions, each one of which represents personal power, authority, and self-government. When all those discrete decisions are ignored, a socialist government cannot distinguish between the robustness of a "free system" and the fragility of one run through government mandates, even though the former arises from the individual decisions of every person and the latter reflects forced direction and coerced movement from a single conductor. The two systems free and controlled overlap, of course. Free people are influenced by central messaging, organized law, and "groupthink." Controlled citizens still privately tell jokes to their friends and whisper loving words to their children. But whereas the complexity of a free society reflects personal choice, the dogmatism under a socialist government reflects imprisoned constraint. The former is a system ever expanding; the latter is a system ever constricting. Since socialism has failed wherever it has been foisted upon a population, I think it is fair to conclude that the natural human spirit rebels against the artificial prison in which socialism seeks to keep it chained. Socialism despairs of the "commodification" of the human being in an exchange of labor for money, but socialism depends on treating the human being as a commodity resource available to the government when enforcing mandates. What are we now but biological subjects for experimental science? Each human is stripped of individuality and free will and subsumed to the architecture of the socialist state. A person is dispossessed of his natural ability to rationalize, labor, and live as he sees fit in return for the promise of safety and security from the state. Sameness and status quo become both desired (by the brainwashed) and imposed (by those doing the brainwashing). By denying a person the natural ability to think and reason on his own, socialism excises the human-ness of the individual and leaves a bare reminder of a life capable of breathing but not living. Contrary to its marketing, socialism is the industrialization of the human being on a massive scale, extracting the human soul in exchange for mere existence. There is no more resounding commodification of humanity. It is like a vast insurance company whose premiums are nothing less than the essence of one's human-ness, paid in exchange for the promise to keep the physical body alive. The greater the government embraces socialism, the more it becomes a grand insurance Leviathan, commodifying the human being in a manufacturing process that treats it as a mere resource while stripping away individual possibility in exchange for subsistence. Socialism is the single greatest mechanism for dehumanizing the world's population the world has ever known. This takeover of society by government is what has led us to the brink of disaster today. By denying complex societies the chance to solve complex problems and instead insisting on one-size-fits-all solutions at every turn, our social system is on the verge of collapse. Although it pretends otherwise, in its heart, socialism yearns for the king's prerogative. Yet it is the king's prerogative that leads to arbitrary rule-making, social strife, and ultimately revolution. By destroying society, the socialists have constructed a system that will cascade toward total collapse. Once it does, it is up to us to pick up the pieces and rebuild society once again. Image: JSMed via Pixabay, Pixabay License. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. For the millions of us around the world who have looked forward to Daniel Silva's books each summer for the last twenty-one years, this new one he's written, The Cellist, represents an ending, and a sad one at that. The writer that for all those years taught his readers about the art of art restoration interwoven with the storied career of his main character, Gabriel Allon, a member of Israel's Mossad, has become so addled by his hatred of President Trump that this book reads like a tired screed from Media Matters, a group committed to destroying all things even mildly conservative, which runs a deranged leftist blog. Sure, he can claim in his Author's Notes that all of his characters are fictional, which will make anyone who reads them laugh out loud. But his story is not well disguised to anyone who reads the news. Opening with a loosely based retelling of the 2013 death in London of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky under mysterious circumstances, combined with various retreads of various Russian intelligence-linked poisonings of dissidents, the plot begins with MI-6 concluding that the death is a Russian "wet op" and Putin is to blame. Our fearless Mossad agent, however, finds a group of rogue KGB agents based in Switzerland responsible, and then learns they are planning worse acts to destroy the West with a plan to make Russia supreme. Naturally, a loosely disguised President Trump is one of the bad guys, an actual asset of this fictional network of Dr. Evils. Silva is no longer a serious novelist; he's just another Trump-hating leftist who, laughably, thinks Trump went easy on Russia and that Biden would clamp down on the rogue nation. Trump was harder on Russia than any previous president, shutting down entire Russian missions, expelling dozens of "diplomats," and tightening sanctions. Biden immediately removed Trump-imposed sanctions and gave Putin the energy pipeline that will put Germany on his string and bring billions of dollars into his coffers for decades to come. Silva should really write an addendum of apology for his wildly inaccurate premise that Trump was a Russian asset. In another shocking note of ignorance, Silva seems to think Russia is "the most dangerous nation on the planet." He has apparently not been paying attention to the ongoing dirty deeds of China or that communist nation's plan to become the world hegemon. China owns the Bidens, lock, stock and barrel! Neither China nor the CCP are mentioned once in the book. It's all about how vast sums of ill-gotten Russian/Putin money is laundered throughout the global banking world. Now, much of what he writes about global financial corruption is probably true and was covered brilliantly in the 2009 film The International. The banking corruption in the film was similar but had much to do with illicit weapons sales, not the purchase of real estate around the world. But the gross fraudulence is the same, no matter what the product. But if we're speaking of destruction of the West, Silva misses the boat entirely. Biden's opening of our southern border on the day he was inaugurated was the first proof that he is an integral part of the planned destruction of America as founded. It is Biden, not Trump, who has colossally ramped up international financial corruption, starting with his abject capitulation to the drug cartels of Mexico. Cartels are raking in millions of dollars a day, about $6 billion per year, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The people they bring across the border must pay the cartels and are either trafficked or compelled to sell their drugs. Biden has done much, much more damage since then. He continues to import hundreds of thousands of migrants, many of them unaccompanied children, many of them sick with COVID. They are then transported to unsuspecting cities throughout the country. Americans must be masked and vaxxed, but these invaders are free to infect thousands. All part of the plan? Perhaps. The left would love nothing more than another lockdown in order to cheat again with mail-in ballots in 2022. Keep in mind that President Trump had the border under control. Biden is letting in the sex-traffickers, the drug-dealers who sell China's fentanyl, the vicious MS-13 gangsters who murder for sport, etc. Wherever Silva makes his home, the consequences of Biden's irresponsible partnership with the cartels may well come to Silva's doorstep someday soon. Silva laughably still believes that the Hillary Clintoncommissioned and paid for Russia collusion hoax dossier was real, and that the Mueller Report did not absolve the president. He thinks the Russians rigged the 2016 election for Trump and that Biden won fair and square in 2020! In short, he inhabits a bubble of his own making. Meanwhile, the conclusion of Silva's book is so ridiculous that it boggles the mind that a man who has written so well for so long could have put such words on paper. As Bill Hansmann wrote here at AT a few weeks ago, Silva's only source of American news is probably CNN, where his wife works. He devotes the conclusion of the book to the events of Jan. 6 at the Capitol. In Silva's telling, like most everyone at CNN's, it was "worse than 9/11." How foolish does one have to be to write that? Three thousand people died on 9/11. The only person who died at the Capitol that day was a woman who was unarmed, shot to death by a Capitol cop whose identity the powers that be have attempted to conceal. Ashli Babbitt was given no warning; she presented no threat to anyone. As the facts leak out, it has become clearer and clearer that the Jan. 6 affair was very likely a false flag operation, instigated by operatives within an agency or agencies, a Deep State undertaking. What else explains Pelosi's refusal to have the National Guard available as Trump had offered or to release the thousands of hours of video that exist? It is becoming alarmingly obvious that Pelosi was in on the operation. It was she who nixed the National Guard and told the Capitol Police to stand down. Did she order the Capitol Police to invite the protesters into the Capitol building as they did? Contrary to Silva's despicable description in his book, Trump incited no one. Silva may have to write a second apologetic addendum to his loathsome book. No one can dispute Silva's expertise when it comes to art, and he has made countless cities around the world come to life for his readers. While the last book hinted at his contempt for Donald Trump, The Cellist is a tract of pure loathing for the very U.S. president who made us energy independent, secured the border, and did not leave NATO but got them to pay their bills. Biden is sure to let them slide again as he has already has on Russia, and he is reducing sanctions on Iran as well. Most surprising and disappointing is that Silva's always reverent love and respect for Israel seems to be wavering; our Israeli spy Gabriel, the main character in all the books, now opposes the "occupation." That alone is a crushing deviation from his previous allegiance to the Jewish state. For those unfamiliar with Silva's books, anyone who loves them will enthusiastically recommend each of them that came before his mental deviancy due to the Trump derangement that has so ruined this new novel. Up until now, they have all been wonderful. But this one is a screed, a vehicle for his intense, confused, and vicious hatred of Donald Trump. Most of what he thinks he knows about President Trump has obviously been gleaned from other Trump-haters, that peculiar group of elites who to this day fear him and his supporters' true love of America and his promise to drain the swamp. Even Trump did not realize how venal and vicious that swamp actually is. But it is, and with this book, Silva unmasked himself as not only easily compromised, but willingly co-opted by the swamp-dwelling uniparty that was and remains terrified of Trump. That is why they, Silva included, must demean and disparage him. The Cellist is a sad end to what was a glorious series. One has only to read the reader reviews on Amazon to see how disappointed Silva's legions of fans are with this hollow expression of his antipathy for the president who did more good for this nation and its citizens than any president since Ronald Reagan and in a shorter amount of time. As for Silva, "There's what people want to hear, what people want to believe, then there's everything else, then there's the truth." He has written what he believes, what he thinks people want to hear and believe, and is clueless about the truth. Disappointed. Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License, with additions. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. The recent exchange of fire over the Israeli-Lebanese border Palestinian groups in Lebanon firing three rockets, Israel responding with the tank fire and aircraft strikes, and Hezb'allah firing a salvo of about twenty of its own rockets caused a good deal of geopolitical analysis focused largely on the intentions of Hezb'allah, on the state of Lebanese economy and politics, and on the newly sworn Iranian president. But there was also a sideshow: "Lebanese Druze intercept truck with rockets meant for Israel." This offers a fascinating window into a situation in Lebanon, and into the thinking of Hezb'allah, and of the Lebanese who are not particularity sympathetic to its cause. Apparently, some of the rockets in Hezb'allah's salvo were supposed to come from a Druze village. From Hezb'allah's perspective, that would have had multiple benefits. Politically, Lebanese Druze are opposed to Hezb'allah, so the return Israeli fire would have helped drive the Druze into Hezb'allah's circle, along with creating political problems inside Israel: the Israeli Druze are fully integrated, including mandatory army service, and an attack on their Lebanese brethren would have shaken Israel's internal cohesion. Clearly, the Lebanese Druze understand that too and, not willing to be Hezb'allah's human shields, seized the rocket truck and those operating it (the rockets were later taken by the Lebanese army). The video footage of the incident shows a Hezb'allah operative a massive, muscular guy who would have been hired on sight as a bouncer by any bar cowering at the passenger seat of the car surrounded by a crowd of men, the word "Hezb'allah!" thrown at him as an invective. That scene is highly instructive. While we tend to think of Hezb'allah as all-powerful in Lebanon, having essentially taken the country over, that may not be exactly so. It also shows that the non-Hezb'allah Lebanese are not particularly eager to get into war with Israel and are willing to intervene to prevent it. And clearly, being a member of Hezb'allah does not mean impunity the moment one steps outside Hezb'allah-controlled areas. Yes, Hezb'allah is heavily armed; yes, it is politically dominant in Lebanon; yes, it is controlled by Iran. And yet, watching the amazement and fear of a heavyset, muscular Hezb'allah operative cowering in a car seat while having "Hezb'allah" thrown at him as a term of contempt makes one wonder whether there is more to Lebanon than it being a mere puppet of Iran. Image: Israel Defense Forces. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. The vaunted Lincoln Project, a scandal-scarred PAC full of former Republican political operatives all dedicated to Getting Trump through political dirty tricks, has abandoned its fancy Park City, Utah headquarters. Nothing left but the dangling wires and dust. According to the Washington Free Beacon: Visual evidence obtained by the Washington Free Beacon confirms that the office space is now empty, save for the memories its former inhabitants made along the way and whatever ghastly demons they may have conjured in the process. The abandoned headquarters, located in suite 310 at 1910 Prospector Avenue in the luxury ski resort town, was featured in a 60 Minutes segment on the Lincoln Project's largely unsuccessful campaign to defeat incumbent Republicans in the 2020 election. According to federal election records, the Lincoln Project paid a total of $24,229, including a deposit of $6,923, to rent the office space from B&B Prospector Properties LLC, a Florida-based real estate firm. The group's final rent payment of $3,461 was recorded in May 2021. The super PAC's official mailing address, according to its website, is a P.O. box in Washington, D.C., near the Capitol building. The Lincoln Project shares that P.O. box number with several left-wing activist groups, including Forward Majority and Defend the Vote. It also shares personnel with those groups and was funded by many of the same left-wing donors during the 2020 election. In the past, that very headquarters was beamed out to a fawning press as evidence of the PAC's success. The Beacon mentions a profile that 60 Minutes did of this group. Here, the Lincoln Project headquarters was featured in a Canadian broadcast company report just ahead of the 2020 election, too: In the final weeks of the campaign, the group allowed a camera crew with CBC's The National to capture them at work for a day, beginning with their morning meeting hosted by Schmidt. It is an unvarnished look at how they engage each other, a foul-mouthed and jocular approach to work once used to fight Democrats. Blech. Now, the reason for the abandonment could be anything. Maybe, like Hunter Biden, they found fancier digs elsewhere and didn't tell anyone. Maybe they couldn't stand being away from their native stomping ground, the Washington swamp, and chose to work out of their homes with just a P.O. box among them instead. But most likely, the group has fallen into some kind of miserable state and can't pay its rent. It's telling that on its leaders' Twitter feeds, there's no mention of any financial problems, and the leaders are now shilling Trump-hating backwash from the impeachment era, such as Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who's trying to sell a book, sometimes featuring other sites' work instead of their own. No flashy ads designed to persuade that sliver of Republicans to abandon Trump and go for Joe Biden is evident. Biden's performance as president, after all, makes that mission impossible. And if hard times are the case, it won't be surprising. The Lincoln Project raised millions in cash from left-wing billionaires on a promise that through its ads and public messaging, it could persuade enough Republicans to become NeverTrumps to hand victories to Democrats. That certainly never took off, and today, public support for Trump is stronger than ever, with polls showing that Trump bests Joe Biden on the popularity front. It could very well be that donor cash is drying up just on those failed mission grounds alone. That's compounded by evidence of other problems with the group. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of all people lambasted the group as a grift operation dedicated to sucking in Democrat donors and their cash (leaving less on the table for other Democrats) while delivering nothing in return. The Beacon points out that they've spent lavishly on their marquee headquarters, and their founders paid themselves monster salaries and other compensation, basically using most of the money to finance their lavish lifestyles, some of them using it to erase their personal debt. The PAC claimed to have pulled in $100 million in the last election cycle. Lastly, the group is morally repugnant in pervy sex scandals. According to the Beacon: Dozens of young men, including one who was just 14 years old, accused Weaver of inappropriate sexual behavior, such as sending unsolicited photos of his genitals and grooming them by offering career opportunities in exchange for sex. Lincoln Project cofounders Reed Galen, Steve Schmidt, and Rick Wilson were aware of Weaver's problematic behavior yet only took action after a January report from the New York Times. Does this sound like a viable group going forward? Nobody's converted to NeverTrumpism for their efforts, they can't stop lining their pockets, and they're now just reliving the good old days with self-important fools like Vindman, as well as a new sideline of shaking down companies that donate to Republicans such as Toyota through political boycotts rather than ads meant to persuade. Does "Ridin' with Biden" sound like a vote- and cash-getter? Does the whole thing sound like a viable project for leftist billionaires to throw their money at? Not based on what I can tell. Quite likely, they've been found out and called out like con men, and the grift is over. Image: Amaury LaPorte via Flickr, CC BY 2.0. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. "How flimsy it is!" wrote Emile Zola in his public letter to French president Felix Faure. "The fact that someone could have been convicted on this charge is the ultimate iniquity. I defy decent men to read it without a stir of indignation in their hearts and a cry of revulsion, at the thought of the undeserved punishment being meted out." The year was 1898. The man convicted of espionage was Alfred Dreyfus, a French Army General Staff officer who was then rotting away on Devil's Island to which he had been sentenced for life. The evidence of Dreyfus's guilt mattered less to the French military establishment than did the need to feed the anti-Semitic mania then sweeping the country. Upon Derek Chauvin's conviction for the murder of George Floyd, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris unwittingly laid bare the equally racist mania sweeping America. "America has a long history of systemic racism. Black Americans and Black men, in particular have been treated, throughout the course of our history, as less than human," said Harris in her formal statement on Chauvin's conviction. "We are all a part of George Floyd's legacy, and our job now is to honor it and to honor him." "It was a murder in the full light of day," echoed Biden, "and it ripped the blinders off for the whole world to see the systemic racism the vice president just referred to the systemic racism that is a stain our nation's soul; the knee on the neck of justice for Black Americans; the profound fear and trauma, the pain, the exhaustion that Black and brown Americans experience every single day." If Dreyfus's real crime was being Jewish, Chauvin's was being white and a cop. The fact that that three of the five officers on the scene that day were non-white did not matter to the mob now fully in control of the media and the Democratic Party. Nor did it matter than even Keith Ellison, the black Minnesota attorney general who overcharged Chauvin, admitted on 60 Minutes, "We don't have any evidence that Derek Chauvin factored in George Floyd's race as he did what he did." Having created a nightmare landscape out of whole cloth, the left felt the need to people it. Image: Lori Shaull via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. I hope I am wrong, but my guess is that Andrew Cuomo will ride out this latest threat. He may be damaged, but in the end, he will prevail. The fate of politicians caught in a scandal is nearly always in the hands of their own party. One reason that parties exist is to protect their members. In the eyes of most Democrats, Governor Cuomo's value to the party is the only consideration. He has been one of their COVID superstars, and his daily press conferences were viewed as the anti-Trump response for the nation. His "leadership" was worth a significant payout for his book during the pandemic, and he was considered a possible contender for president before Biden was selected. He still has political value. The Democrats are in trouble politically, and the upcoming midterm elections are trending badly. In California, a very visible recall challenge to Governor Newsom is happening. He is damaged, but his fate is in the hands of the electorate, not the party. If Cuomo should go down as well, it would be another political wound for Democrats. The risk from ousting the governors of two of the most populous Democrat states cannot be allowed to happen just before people go to the polls and pretend to cast their votes in the midterm elections. If Cuomo is impeached or resigns in shame, it opens up the potential for a Republican challenger to run against the record of a failed governor and his party. If he is not ousted, any challenger could run against the corruption, but that is a tougher slog. After all, Cuomo is still the COVID hero in Democrat eyes and will be the one who has survived attacks from Republicans trying to oust him. The A.G. report may not be enough to end Cuomo's career as governor. Democrats have established themselves as the standard-bearers of godlessness and immorality in the things they desire to do to the nation. What Cuomo has done is prove that he is just as immoral as what they want to do in America. He is the picture of Democrat policy. There is no personal failure to punish except the stupidity in getting caught being a normal Democrat. Democrats will sometimes throw their own under the bus. The primary example is Senator Al Franken of Minnesota, who was forced to resign over allegations that were not nearly as severe as the Cuomo accusations. However, that was at a time in which the Democrats thought they could damage President Trump with a similar accusation. They were using Franken to get to the president. They knew that his replacement would be another reliable Democrat. There was a small risk to the party, and Franken would bear the cost. The #MeToo movement was always a "get Republicans" effort that wounded an occasional Democrat with friendly fire. Since they could not get Trump, they seem to have moved on to other things. The sexual abuse charges against Cuomo are serious. However, the action leading to thousands of possibly negligent deaths in New York nursing homes is failed political judgment and not personal morality. That fix appears to be in. A political Department of Justice leadership has already given a pass to Cuomo and the other governors who had similar policies. This allows Cuomo to dodge that political bullet. The New York A.G. has issued her reprieve on his personal failings as well. Cuomo is politically protected. Republicans will decry the double-standard. Republicans are not perfectly moral, but they openly base policies on a comparison to traditional values and morality. Their base expects it. Since perfect morality is impossible, there will always be a risk that Republicans will be exposed as having failed to meet their standards. When that happens, the Democrats will push the "hypocrite" accusation all the way to impeachment or resignation. How dare they try to make us a moral nation when they cannot even be moral themselves? It works because the Republican base expects its politicians to promote specific policies they see as moral imperatives. Donald Trump was the example of how to stand against these accusations. The standard for Democrats is how well the person advances Democrat policies, and Cuomo is a master of this. Politics is the Democrat's morality. His political skills may save him from his personal bumbling. Yes, it is a double-standard, but it is a standard based on the brand that each party has created for itself. It ain't fair, but life ain't fair. Image: Andrew Cuomo "explains." YouTube screen grab. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. "The times, they are a-changing" or something like that. By the end of 2021, we may have new faces governing New York and California. In New York, it's probably just another Democrat. In California, it may be a Republican, according to polling data: Among minorities, Asian-Americans are Newsom's strongest supporters with 62 percent saying they will vote against the recall measure. But Hispanics are about split on keeping Newsom in office with 47 percent supporting the recall and 41 percent opposing it. Whites strongly back kicking Newsom out of office by a 56-35 margin. And opposition to Newsom appears to have united the genders. The poll showed 52 percent of men and 50 percent of women want him gone. It looks as if Newsom may be history soon. What does it all mean for the future of California? Is there change coming, or is this a rerun of Arnold Schwarzenegger? All we got out of that recall was a GOP governor who drove the state farther to the left. Looking back, we may have been better off keeping Governor Gray Davis and running against his bad policies. Of course, 2021 is not 2003. I don't know anyone who is happy with the politics of California. How can you support a total breakdown in the rule of law, from tolerating shoplifting to letting people live in the streets? Add to all of this very high taxes, and it's only natural for Californians to ask what in the world they are paying taxes for. So let's hope Larry Elder can deliver a message and break down the left's super-majorities. At least they can't call Elder a racist, but they probably will anyway. PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk). Image: Thomas Hawk. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Nicole Solas, a Rhode Island mom with a kindergartener in public school, was curious about whether CRT had entered her daughter's school. Therefore, she filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with her school district. The school has been fighting her to keep these taxpayer-funded records private, and, just this week, the local branch of the National Education Association (America's largest teacher's union) sued to block her request. Frankly, from a lawyer's point of view, the union's objections are ridiculous. The complaint is here. I've reviewed it, and, while I'll be the first to admit that I last worked on school district law in the mid-1980s, I think I have enough experience under my belt to point and laugh at the complaint. The remedy the union seeks is simple: In short, this action seeks to: (a) prohibit the disclosure of non-public records; and/or (b) for those requests that call for personally identifiable and other personnel related information about public school teachers, that no records be disclosed under the Court employs a balancing test that properly assesses the public interest in the records at issue measured against the teachers' individual privacy rights. It's certainly understandable that the teachers should have an expectation of privacy when it comes to records about their health or personal finances. Otherwise, these are public employees. If one of the teachers is sending around emails saying, "We'd better make sure the White students understand their unfairly acquired privilege," it doesn't matter if she didn't fill out a form to make that statement. Anything in the school's possession that touches upon curriculum matters is appropriate for public consumption. Much as the unions and school district would like to ignore the fact, it is the taxpayers who, by paying school salaries, are the employers. The NEA explains that when the school principal refused to turn over papers and, instead, told Solas to utilize the state's FOIA process, AKA the Access to Public Records Act (APRA), she did so with enthusiasm, as did others, once word got out about her efforts to pry loose information from her school. Instead of producing the requested information, the school whined that Solas was asking for too much. The NEA was also upset by multiple requests, a few of which I've highlighted here: Documents about the union's role in the school. Considering the fact that unions have significant say in school curricula, this is an appropriate thing for a taxpaying parent to want to know. "Public documents" about a union employee. The fact that they are public makes them automatically discoverable. Complaints about a specific retired teacher and union member. If those complaints are relevant to CRT in the classroom, they should be discoverable. Details of disciplinary [actions] against teachers. This request made clear that it sought publicly available information because it further acknowledged that, even if the details were private, a parent is still entitled to know the names of the teachers who were subject to such actions. Once again, this is appropriate information for taxpayers dealing with their children's public schools. Teachers' emails. No employee can ever write an email with an expectation of privacy. All emails belong to the employer. In the case of a public entity, the ultimate employer is the taxpayer. A reasonable negotiation would exclude or redact emails in which teachers relate personal concerns, such as matters regarding their or their families' health, personal financial issues, or other obviously private matters. To the extent that the emails discuss school policy, there is no basis to object to them. If the teachers are genuinely concerned about their well-being, their names can be redacted, provided that the content is produced. It's certainly true that there are a lot of bad judicial rulings out there protecting public employees from being called out for their bad actions. However, without doing a review of that law, I'm betting that the rules are different when parents are seeking information about what schools are teaching their children and if they're not, they ought to be. Meanwhile, at Legal Insurrection, law professor William A. Jacobson has a vast body of articles about Solas's efforts to get these records. Jacobson's take is a little broader than mine about motives, but the same about the specifics of production: My initial take is that this smells collusive. South Kingstown doesn't want to produce records and the union is helping them out. The lawsuit purports to prevent disclosure of "private" information, but the public records laws and Solas' requests pursuant to those laws only require the district to produce public records. The district has been very aggressive in asserting exemptions and redacting documents, so the union's concern and rush to court seems peculiar, at best. Ultimately, the school's resistance, now with the backing of the union, is so over the top that it's reasonable to infer that the school has been grossly abusing its access to innocent children in order to indoctrinate them with Critical Race Theory, an ideology so racist that, if one substituted Black or Jewish for White, it would be appropriate in a KKK or Nazi school. Image: Nicole Solas. YouTube screen grab. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. On August 3, Ebrahim Raisi, a notorious henchman, officially took office as the Iranian regime's president, replacing the incumbent Hassan Rouhani. The United Nations and Amnesty International have formally stated that Raisi was involved in the massacre of tens of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 and must be brought to justice. This would be a fate similar to Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, who were put on trial for the Srebrenica massacre of July 1995. One may ask why Tehran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei used the Guardian Council to disqualify all other serious candidates, leaving a few who had no chance of defeating Raisi. History has shown that when dictatorial regimes feel vulnerable and fragile, they rely on their most loyal functionaries to streamline their oppressive machine. Raisi's installation as the new president follows the same pattern. The timing is critical for Khamenei because of growing unrest throughout Iran, which has continued with an uprising in Khuzestan and other provinces in July. On August 10, 2021, a court in Sweden will try an individual involved in the 1988 massacre of political prisoners. Sixty-year-old Hamid Nouri, who was then deputy prosecutor in Gohardasht prison in Karaj, is being prosecuted under the universal jurisdiction of the Swedish judiciary, particularly for "war crimes" and "murder." The vast majority of the victims of the massacre were supporters of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), the sworn enemies of the Iranian regime. Was this person unhappy with the regime and opted to travel to Sweden, where someone discovered his presence, resulting in his arrest? Was it a conspiracy? A person close to the case says it is doubtful that an Iranian assistant prosecutor chose to go to Sweden on his own, and it just so happened that someone reported him to the authorities. Nouri has a history of traveling abroad with the same name on several prior occasions. His story may have similarities to that of Ruhollah Zam, who had connections to the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and went abroad to play the role of an "opponent" of the Iranian regime. But Zam seems to have gone beyond what he was supposed to do in his assignment. According to some informants, he was caught in a conflict between the intelligence unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the MOIS. In the end, the IRGC lured him into Iran and later executed him. Such internal conflicts have been pointed out by the regime's current minister of intelligence. It is worth noting that Zam's father was a regime official and a former member of the MOIS. Although he may not have been aware of it, Hamid Nouri's story reinforces the hypothesis that he was used as a conspirator by the Iranian regime. The regime plans to focus on Nouri and portray him as one of the significant figures in killing more than 30,000 prisoners in the summer of 1988 in Iran. By magnifying Nouri's role, the regime hopes to reduce the focus of the massacre on Raisi. In this way, at least to some extent, Raisi will escape the burden of massacring 30,000 political prisoners. On the one hand, the regime may be using its propaganda machinery to badmouth the MEK and accuse them of "killing thousands" in Iran. This is the regime's go-to propaganda to discredit the MEK. The mullahs hope to divert the international community's attention from the crimes committed in Iran and instead spread false information about the MEK, which is an existential threat, as shown by its extremely active role in leading recent uprisings in Iran. No head of state should shake hands with someone whose hands are drenched in the blood of young people whose only sin has been to advocate freedom and secularism. Most of those executed were young Muslims who challenged Khomeini's authority by presenting a peaceful and tolerant modern Islam that angered Khomeini. Khomeini issued a religious decree ordering those who oppose the regime to be immediately annihilated. During the 1988 massacre, members of many ethnic minorities, such as Kurds or religious minorities, were also executed. Raisi and Khamenei, who were directly involved in this massacre, must be brought to justice. The unjust impunity that has prevailed in Iran for 42 years must end once and for all. Photo credit: Amir Hashem Dehghani, CC BY 4.0 license. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Vermont state senator Richard McCormack has once again abused his constituents with dishonesty and name-calling. In a partisan harangue against the unvaccinated, McCormack has publicly requested that Vermont's secretary of education, Dan French, "limit entry to Vermont public schools to people fully vaccinated against Covid-19." (It is not clear whether this is directed at children themselves). Though Senator McCormack smugly chirps that "like my legislative colleagues, I've generally refrained from injecting myself into the details of managing a public emergency," he has ambitiously injected his dishonesty by openly calling for discrimination against unvaccinated citizens. Says McCormack: People have a right to not vaccinate. But the rest of us also have the right to bodily autonomy, including the right to public spaces that are as free of contamination as possible. This government duty, to protect bodily autonomy, is especially pressing regarding our schools, where unvaccinated people act in a manner that threatens the health, indeed the lives, of staff, faculty, parents, visitors, and, most importantly, unvaccinated children. This legislator is spreading a tyranny more dangerous than COVID-19 and is eminently unqualified to comprehend, let alone protect, the Constitution. Nowhere has he informed the citizenry of the constitutional standard required under federal law in order to impose any restrictions on liberties. Yet the government must demonstrate a "compelling interest," using the least restrictive means possible to restrict the liberties of Vermont schoolchildren. Has that standard been met, and are other impacts on children being weighed? McCormack calls for all unvaccinated people to be banned from public schools. "[I]f we must allow viral vectors into our children's schools, let us at the very least require masks, hand sanitizing, social distancing, and a negative Covid test." Well, Senator, each of those measures potentially impacts a constitutional right as well as the health of a child. Each must be justified, using science, to then meet the government's duty to use the least restrictive means possible to protect children. Instead, this senator states that the government's duty is to violate others' rights to protect him from other people! McCormack has not related the scientific evidence justifying his "Andromeda Strain" histrionics. Instead, he further misinforms: We have many mandates and prohibitions. We ban drunk driving. People go to jail for committing physical assault. We don't treat these as matters of personal choice in which we try to persuade people to choose to behave well. Rather, we recognize certain behaviors as invasive, assaultive, dangerous, and we prohibit them. To equate the medical decision not to get vaccinated to "committing physical assault" and "drunk driving" is reckless and false. Is it any wonder people are losing trust including in doctors and the CDC when there is misinformation this dysfunctional being distributed? McCormack suggests that Governor Scott was too lenient in his COVID edicts: The governor's gentle persuasion may have gotten better results than he'd have gotten using the full authority available to him. But it has had the unintended effect of lending credence to anti-vaccine nonsense, as though this public health imperative is a mere matter of differing opinions, and not a question of life and death[.] Senator McCormack does not define what the governor's "full authority available to him" is. Neither has attorney McCormack cited any legal authority to mask children or deny them an education. The Constitution sets clear boundaries to protect individual liberties from government intrusion, which McCormack seeks to eliminate in the name of enlarging state power without ever making either the factual or the legal case. He seems to think his public calls for government to discriminatorily violate the well established and hard won rights of others are "a mere matter of differing opinions, and not a question of life and death." Image: State of Vermont. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Julie Kelly used Twitter to launch a full-on assault against Michael Fanone, one of the weeping Capitol Hill police officers who showed up for the House's show trial last week. According to Kelly's sharp and amusing expose, Fanone is a "crisis actor," who gets away with it because the DOJ and Capitol Police are hiding massive amounts of evidence from January 6. Kelly doesn't just insult Fanone; she brings evidence to back her disdain for the man: I mean, who among us on paid mental health leave doesnt go to a pricy DC wine bar to pick up chicks, ask the bartender to turn on CNN to watch a video of himself, then have a breakdown in front of a sympathetic crowd? pic.twitter.com/p523aKqVTq Julie Kelly (@julie_kelly2) August 6, 2021 The clip Kelly included in her tweet comes from a newly published article in Time (yes, the once decent mainstream, now hard-left dreck publication still exists) about the martyrdom of Mike Fanone. It would take a heart of stone not to laugh at the oozing pathos and bathos in the article. Kelly's tweeted the article's first paragraphs. There's poor Mike at an extremely expensive bar to pick up girls, showing his sensitive side. And then you learn that this big boy is almost broke and lives with Mommy. The takeaway from the Times' maudlin piece is that this is not a man who should ever have been put in a position of responsibility. Kelly has more about both Fanone and the corruption in Washington that allows the Capitol Police and the DOJ to hang onto potentially exculpatory evidence: Its not just 14,000 hours of USCP surveillance video that DOJ wants kept from the public and media. DOJ also refusing to release Officer Fanones full body-cam footage from January 6. Why? My latest report on whats happening in court: https://t.co/fGvDgIyD9C Julie Kelly (@julie_kelly2) August 6, 2021 Fanone, as you know, has been on a nonstop publicity tour for 7 months. Hes stalked GOP lawmakers and said its disgraceful! anyone would defy his narrative. One federal judge cited the 4 officers testimony last week while scolding a couple charged with misdemeanors for J6. Julie Kelly (@julie_kelly2) August 6, 2021 Joe Biden is flagrantly interfering in the J6 criminal investigation, robbing defendants of a fair trial. Fanone and his fellow witnesses are, too. If they want to use cops to stoke the flames of J6, fine. But release the tapes.https://t.co/fGvDgIyD9C Julie Kelly (@julie_kelly2) August 6, 2021 Of course, the real issue isn't Fanone's showboating (if he's broke, he's probably hoping for the book deal that seems to be the payoff for all Deep State actors); it's the DOJ's utterly reprehensible refusal to show possibly exculpatory evidence to the defendants. This refusal violates every known prosecutorial requirement to ensure that defendants get their full due process rights and aren't railroaded by a corrupt government: I talked to a defense attorney who said he's never seen prosecutors use so many screenshots of videos rather than videos themselves. Now we know why. DOJ doesn't enter videos as evidence so judges can justify keeping them concealed from public/press.https://t.co/fGvDgIyD9C Julie Kelly (@julie_kelly2) August 6, 2021 "What are they hiding? The Press Coalition, in addition to other news outlets, should keep pushing. Fanone has made himself into a media celebrity while gaslighting the public; worse yet, his unproven accusations now contaminate potential jurors and federal judges." Julie Kelly (@julie_kelly2) August 6, 2021 Meanwhile, just as a reminder, we hear nothing from the officers who spent weeks fighting off Antifa members attacking the federal courthouse in Portland. These men were assaulted by lasers (leaving some with permanent eye damage), rocks, bottles of frozen water, feces, rockets, and all sorts of other lethal weapons. As far as the Democrats are concerned, those federal law enforcement officers don't exist. Every day, in every way, January 6 looks more like the Democrats' Reichstag fire an event of questionable origin that they are weaponizing to destroy their political opposition. Image: Michael Fanone. YouTube screen grab. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) A woman who accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo of groping her breast at the governor's state residence has filed a criminal complaint against him, the Albany County Sheriff's office said Friday. The complaint, filed Thursday with the sheriff's office, is the first known instance where a woman has made an official report with a law enforcement agency over alleged misconduct by Cuomo. Its filing is a potential first step toward bringing criminal charges. We take every complaint seriously, Albany County Undersheriff William Rice said Friday. It's possible the Democratic governor could be arrested if investigators or the county district attorney determine he committed a crime, Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple told the New York Post. The end result could either be it sounds substantiated and an arrest is made and it would be up to the DA to prosecute the arrest, he told the newspaper, which was the first to report on the complaint. Just because of who it is we are not going to rush it or delay it, Apple said. Apple didn't return a phone message from The Associated Press. The Cuomo aide who filed the report has accused him of reaching under her shirt and fondling her when they were alone in a room at the Executive Mansion last year. The woman also told investigators with the attorney generals office that Cuomo once rubbed her rear end while they were posing together for a photo. The sheriffs office didnt immediately provide a copy of the complaint. Cuomos lawyer, Rita Glavin, didn't immediately address the criminal complaint in an online briefing with reporters, but said the groping allegation which was also outlined in newspaper articles and in a report released by the New York attorney general's office was fabricated. He is 63 years old. He has spent 40 years in public life and for him to all of the sudden be accused of a sexual assault of an executive assistant that he really doesnt know, doesnt pass muster, Glavin said. The Albany County district attorney would not confirm that they received a complaint, saying they had no plans to release any information because "this is an ongoing matter that is under review, spokesperson Cecilia Walsh said in an email. Calls for Cuomo's resignation or impeachment soared this week after an independent investigation overseen by the state attorney general's office concluded that Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women and worked to retaliate against one of his accusers. The attorney generals report describes a series of times Cuomo allegedly acted inappropriately with the aide described as Executive Assistant #1, culminating with the groping encounter at the mansion in November 2020. According to the woman, Cuomo pulled her in for a hug as she prepared to leave the governors office at the mansion. Told that youre going to get us in trouble, Cuomo replied, I dont care, and slammed the door shut. He slid his hand up her blouse, and grabbed her breast over her bra, according to her account. I have to tell you, it was at the moment, I was in such shock that I could just tell you that I just remember looking down seeing his hand, seeing the top of my bra, she told investigators. She said she pulled away from Cuomo, telling him Youre crazy. Cuomo has adamantly denied touching her breasts, saying I would have to lose my mind to do such a thing. Records confirm that the woman was at the mansion for several hours on Nov. 16 and had at least one interaction with the governor, but Glavin said she also sent emails to staff while she was in the building that didn't mention that anything upsetting had happened. Mariann Wang, an attorney for two other accusers, said the governor's lawyers are ignoring any fear the employees had of being punished by Cuomo if they complained. The fact that any assistant might try to continue with her day or act normal even after being harassed brutally is something many women who have been harassed at work understand," Wang said. "These women are trying to survive. The woman told investigators she had initially planned to take the harassment claims to the grave. Prosecutors in several New York counties have said they are interested in investigating claims of inappropriate touching by Cuomo, but all had said they needed the women involved in the allegations to make a formal report. The Albany Police Department, the primary law enforcement agency for the city, had been informed of the woman's allegations regarding the encounter at the mansion several months ago and had spoken to her lawyer, but didn't open an investigation at the time because she didn't make a report. The criminal investigation comes as lawmakers were moving toward a likely impeachment proceeding over the allegations. Lawyers working for the state Assembly sent a letter to Cuomo Thursday giving him until Aug. 13 to respond to the allegations against him or provide documents to bolster his defense. The state Assemblys judiciary committee plans to meet Monday to discuss the possibility of impeachment proceedings. Nearly two-thirds of the legislative body have already said they favor an impeachment trial if he won't resign. Glavin and a lawyer representing the governor's office, Paul Fishman, criticized the attorney generals office for not providing its findings to them ahead of time and claimed the investigators didnt take a strong enough look at the accusers' credibility. They also demanded an opportunity to see transcripts of interviews witnesses gave to investigators. Attorney General Letitia James spokesperson, Fabien Levy, said the office will be providing interview transcripts to the Assembly, and said the women's accounts were corroborated by a mountain of evidence. To attack this investigation and attempt to undermine and politicize this process takes away from the bravery displayed by these women, Levy said. ___ AP reporter Michael Hill contributed from Albany, New York. People living in the scenic forestlands of Northern California found themselves facing a weekend of fear as the largest single wildfire in state history threatened to reduce thousands of homes to ashes. The Dixie Fire that incinerated much of the gold rush-era town of Greenville has destroyed 268 homes and other structures and is threatening nearly 14,000 buildings in the northern Sierra Nevada. It had engulfed an area larger than the size of New York City. Firefighters battling the Dixie Fire clear Highway 89 after a burned tree fell across the roadway in Plumas County, Calif., on Friday. Firefighters battling the Dixie Fire clear Highway 89 after a burned tree fell across the roadway in Plumas County, Calif., on Friday. (Noah Berger/) Wind-driven flames destroyed homes and most of Greenvilles downtown on Wednesday and Thursday, and also heavily damaged Canyondam, a hamlet with a population of about three dozen people. The fire reached the town of Chester, but crews managed to protect homes and businesses there, officials said. Charlene Mays kept her gas station in Chester open as long as she could, telling weary firefighters not to apologize for the trail of ash their boots left on the floor. But when the small town on the northwest shore of Lake Almanor lost power, Mays decided it was time for her to leave. She ran home to grab a box of valuables, including her husbands class ring and jewelry. The smoke was so thick it was hard to breathe. Chunks of ash broke apart as they hit the ground, making a sound like broken glass. A fire truck drives through central Greenville, which was largely leveled by the Dixie Fire on Friday. A fire truck drives through central Greenville, which was largely leveled by the Dixie Fire on Friday. (Noah Berger/) Since then, Mays has been living in the parking lot of Lassen Community College in Susanville. Her husband stayed behind to maintain water tanks firefighters were using. Its just her, a miniature pinscher chihuahua named Jedidiah and a pit bull named Bear. Her home was still standing on Friday. But her fate was bound with the direction of the wind. She wasnt alone. Ive got probably 30 of my regular customers right here, she said. Deer wander among homes and vehicles destroyed by the Dixie Fire in the Greenville community of Plumas County, Calif., on Friday. Deer wander among homes and vehicles destroyed by the Dixie Fire in the Greenville community of Plumas County, Calif., on Friday. (Noah Berger/) The Dixie Fire, named for the road where it started, now spans an area of 698 square miles and was just 21% contained. Four firefighters were taken to the hospital Friday after being struck by a fallen branch, said California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection firefighter Edwin Zuniga. Cooler overnight temperatures and higher humidity slowed the spread of the fire. Calmer winds were expected Saturday, with temperatures topping 90 degrees instead of the 40-mph gusts and triple-digit highs recorded earlier in the week. Still, the blaze and its neighboring fires, within a couple hundred miles of each other, posed an ongoing threat. Heat waves and historic drought 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. Near Klamath National Forest, firefighters kept an eye on small communities that were ordered evacuated in the path of the Antelope Fire, which earlier had thrown up flames 100 feet high as it blackened bone-dry grass, brush and timber. It was just 20% contained. Flames leap from trees as the Dixie Fire jumps Highway 89 north of Greenville in Plumas County, Calif., on Tuesday. Flames leap from trees as the Dixie Fire jumps Highway 89 north of Greenville in Plumas County, Calif., on Tuesday. (Noah Berger/) Further northwest, about 500 homes scattered in and around Shasta-Trinity National Forest remained threatened by the Monument Fire and others by the McFarland Fire, both started by lightning storms last week, fire officials said. About a two-hour drive south from the Dixie Fire, crews had surrounded nearly half of the River Fire that broke out Wednesday near the town of Colfax and destroyed 68 homes and other buildings. Evacuation orders for thousands of people in Nevada and Placer counties were lifted Friday. Three people, including a firefighter, were injured, authorities said. Dale Huber walked into the fire zone Friday to check on his brothers home, which was reduced to rubble. It used to be a bunch of cool stuff, and now its just trash, Huber said. You cant fix it. We can tear it out and start over again or run away. I think hes decided he wants to rebuild here. This photo shows homes destroyed by the Dixie Fire line. This photo shows homes destroyed by the Dixie Fire line. (Noah Berger/) Smoke from the fires blanketed central California and western Nevada, causing air quality to deteriorate to very unhealthy and, at times, hazardous levels. Air quality advisories extended through the San Joaquin Valley and as far west as the San Francisco Bay Area, where residents were urged to keep their windows and doors shut. Californias fire season is on track to surpass last years season, which was the worst fire season in recent recorded state history. Since the start of the year, more than 6,000 blazes have destroyed more than 1,260 square miles of land more than triple the losses for the same period in 2020, according to state fire figures. Californias raging wildfires were among 107 large, active fires burning across 14 states, mostly in the West, where historic drought conditions have left lands parched and ripe for ignition. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. The US House of Representatives passage of Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallones amendment on restricting U.S. foreign military financing and training assistance to Azerbaijan is Washingtons first message to Aliyev that he can no longer deal with the United States the way he used to, Armenian National Committee of America Executive Director Aram Hamparian told ARMENPRESS, reminding that President Joe Biden had vowed to suspend military aid to Azerbaijan back when he was running for office. Biden has spoken about this publicly. Now, months after Bidens election, for the first time Congress had the chance to publicly make a decision, and the Congressmen clearly showed that they want to cut the aid to Azerbaijan. It is noteworthy that none of the members of Congress defended Azerbaijan and no one supported the program of providing military aid to them, Hamparian said, mentioning that the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor, because it is unclear both for them and for ordinary Americans why Americans should send money and military aid to a billionaire, dictatorial, racist and anti-Armenian Aliyev. Hamparian says the Congressmen gave a clear and simple answer to this question, by saying: lets stop military aid to Azerbaijan. Now, the ANCA and supporters of Armenians will make efforts to pass the Pallone amendment in the Senate as well. But the military support which will be stopped with the Pallone amendment is only a small part of the aid which Azerbaijan is receiving. Hamparian says its just about a few million dollars, while most of the aid is provided through programs of the Pentagon. Hamparian says there are different ways to suspend the aid provided through Pentagon channels, one of them is cancelling the waiver of Section 907, or suspending the US law Section 333, which authorizes the Department of Defense to provide military aid to foreign countries to develop ties. This money is given to the Azerbaijani military and they are using the technologies, arsenal and military training skills against Armenians. It is naive to think that one can give military capacities to Azerbaijan and they wont use these capacities against Armenians. Thats how Azerbaijan works. Whatever you give to them, it uses it to kill Armenians, Hamparian said. Im not making any predictions for a long time now, but thats our goal and we are working day and night in this direction, Hamparian said when asked whether or not they will succeed to initiate Section 907 again. Writing by Aram Sargsyan Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan The 5 vaccines granted EUA in India are SI's Covishield, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, Russia's Sputnik V, Moderna and now Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson will further boost the country's collective fight against the novel coronavirus infection. (Reuters/File Photo) New Delhi: Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine has been given Emergency Use approval in India, Union Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Saturday. He said this will further boost the country's collective fight against the novel coronavirus infection. "India expands its vaccine basket! Johnson and Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is given approval for Emergency Use in India. Now India has five EUA vaccines. This will further boost our nation's collective fight against #COVID19," the minister tweeted. The US-based pharmaceutical company had applied for Emergency Use Authorisation for its jab on Friday and was granted the approval the same day by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). The five vaccines granted Emergency Use Authorisation in India are Serum Institute's Covishield, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, Russia's Sputnik V, Moderna and now Johnson & Johnson. Ben Sydoryk, whose rapper name is The Benji Blanco, pours a little Hennessy in front of the Maroon Bells to acknowledge friends and family hes lost in the cover shot of his newly released EP, Risk Takers. As many people already know, the LeMans also paved the way for the introduction of the GTO in 1964, initially as a performance package and later as a separate model.Getting back to the 1963 LeMans, the standard engine was a 194ci (3.2-liter) l4 unit developing approximately 120 horsepower, yet the lineup now included not only a 215 (3.5-liter) V8 but also a new optional 326 producing 260 horsepower.The same engine is also powering the LeMans that we have here, and according to eBay seller boatscapt.rocky , its the same unit that came with the car back in 1963 when it rolled off the assembly lines.Found in a storage container in the Southern California desert, this LeMans has already received plenty of fixes, yet small extra TLC is still required to get back in tip-top shape. So for example, while the engine runs correctly with no smoke, the brakes still need some adjustments, which isnt necessarily surprising given the car has been off the road since 1995.The rust doesnt seem to be a concern this time, but the seller does say there are signs the LeMans has already been repainted at some point.An air conditioning system installed from the factory is also offered, and other things that are part of the TLC section we told you about include the headliner and the side door window, which appears to be cracked.But overall, this LeMans looks like an easy restoration project, and this is probably the reason why the car has already received 14 bids since it was posted online. However, the reserve is yet to be met, with the top offer at the time of writing set at close to $8,000. So, after the longest-standing luxury automotive and watch partnership globally, something didnt tick right anymore. Still friends, Bentley and Breitling are now ready to part ways. In a very elegant manner, because the companies made sure to know the fracture was on (very) amicable terms. Otherwise, they wouldnt put any effort into remembering their best-in-class union and significant shared achievements.For the history records, Bentley and Breitling kicked off their collaboration back in 2002, with Bentley at the time delving deep into the development process of its Continental GT grand tourer. Of course, such a luxurious car also needed a timekeeping partner to measure, especially since the British automaker was looking to include a bespoke clock into the design.So, the signature onboard Breitling clock made its way into the Continental GT and that paved the way for a fruitful collaboration that involved many extraordinary wristwatches, in-cabin clocks, events, and experiences. Still, the Swiss watch brand and the carmaker will cease their long-standing partnership at the end of 2021.And before that happens, they decided to share some of the most memorable highlights from the past 19 years. Naturally, all of them have been embedded below in the press release section, just to make sure no one misses any of the memorable moments. For us, though, its all about the final Bentley Breitling Tourbillon watch.This is because one can easily imagine this terminal collaboration between the two renowned brands will hold a very special place with fans of both companies. So, who cares to place a wager, this isnt the last time we are hearing about this collectors timepiece and that its probably on its way to establishing a new auction record somewhere? In other words, Google Maps can let you know in advance that your route goes through a low-emission region, therefore giving you the option to either look for a different route or choose an alternative mode of transportation.Announced earlier this year, this feature started rolling out in June and is now available to everyone out there, both on iPhone and Android. However, the low emission zones are currently supported only in a limited number of regions, such as the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, and Spain.However, Google says its already working on bringing it to more countries where such low-emissions zones have been introduced by the local authorities, but for the time being, no specifics are available.Meanwhile, Google Maps is getting other smart capabilities that help you reduce your carbon footprint when driving.The application can now look not only for the fastest route to a user-defined destination but also for the most fuel-efficient one , all by analyzing the traffic and the road incline. This way, Google Maps can determine if by using a certain route, drivers can actually reduce the fuel consumption and therefore cut their cars emissions, even if this isnt necessarily the fastest way to reach a destination.However, this doesnt mean that youll be sent on a route that significantly increases your ETA. Google says that itll always display a route preview screen to provide an overview of all alternatives, therefore making it easier to choose which way to go.The CO2 impact will be highlighted on this screen specifically to let you know how fuel-efficient a specific route is, hoping more people would go for the eco-friendly way. It seemed like a regular day at the Grand Forks Air Force Base, home to the 319th Reconnaissance Wing, which operates the Global Hawk. That was about to change around 7:00 a.m. Central Standard Time, when an RQ-4 that was returning to base suffered a crash, for reasons that are yet unknown. According to the official statement released by the Grand Forks Air Force Base, the incident took place a rural field near Gilby, in North Dakota.Luckily, the fire that broke out was extinguished and nobody got hurt at the scene of the accident. Although no official images have been released so far, its not hard to imagine the damage that a 14,950-pound (6,782 kg) aircraft with a 130.9-foot (40 meters) wingspan can cause. It really was lucky that there was no one in the area that could have gotten hurt.Its almost ironic that this giant spy drone that is specifically meant to perform stealthy ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) tasks, failed in such a striking manner. Its been in service with the U.S. Air Force for decades, but the particular one that crashed was a Block 40 model, which means it was the latest version. The Block 40 Global Hawks were the first to integrate the Radar Technology Insertion Program (RTIP) for Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) data.Able to reach a 310 knots (357 mph) speed, the RQ-4 Global Hawk UAS was meant to be able to sustain flights over 30 hours at high altitudes , in any type of weather, day or night, while collecting near-real-time critical data. And it wasnt cheap either which makes the loss even more substantial for USAF.Since yesterday, the public was requested to stay away from the area until the investigation is completed. Col. Jeremy Fields, 319th Reconnaissance Wing vice commander, said that the military investigation will likely take several weeks. Hopefully, there will be a reasonable explanation for what brought down the RQ-4 drone, on a seemingly routine flight. Vahagn Khachatrian was appointed as minister of high-tech industry as part of a Pashinians post-election cabinet reshuffle. He attended on Friday his first cabinet meeting chaired by the premier. Speaking to journalists, Khachatrian said his ministry has a very large role to play in reforms planned or already implemented by the Armenian government. It must specifically foster Armenias industrialization, he said. Khachatrian, 62, is an economist who had served as mayor of Yerevan from 1992-1996 during Ter-Petrosians rule. He remained loyal to Ter-Petrosian after the latter stepped down in 1998. Khachatrian became a senior member of the Armenian National Congress (HAK) set up by the ex-president in 2008. At least until recently he remained affiliated with the party that participated in the June 20 parliamentary elections but failed to win any seats in the National Assembly. Like other opposition groups, the HAK has blamed Pashinian for Armenias defeat in last years war in Nagorno-Karabakh. A spokesman for Ter-Petrosian has branded the prime minister as a nation-destroying scourge who will never be forgiven by the Armenian people. During the recent election campaign Ter-Petrosian poured scorn on several current and former members of his political team who accepted in recent months senior positions offered by Pashinian. Khachatrian refused to comment on the ex-presidents criticism. I wont respond because its Levon Ter-Petrosian, he said. In weeks, 2 groups of students separated by a sharp divide over vaccinations will arrive on college campuses Thats going to get somebody killed: West Texas becomes latest border battleground for immigration A jury trial is about to begin in a years-long dispute between two Kern County oil companies accusing each other of damaging their property an Click here to read the full article. Dennis Dee Tee Thomas, a co-founder of soul-funk outfit Kool & the Gang, died on Saturday, his reps confirmed to Variety. He was 70. According to a press release, Thomas died peacefully in his sleep in New Jersey. Thomas had just performed with Kool & the Gang at their Los Angeles show at the Hollywood Bowl, which kicked off its 2021 season on July 4. Thomas was an original member of the group, in which he played alto saxophone, flute, percussion and served as the master of ceremonies during the bands concerts. Thomas was known as the quintessential cool cat in the group, loved for his hip clothes and hats, and his laid-back demeanor, the press release states. He was credited for coming up with the intro to their 1971 hit, Whos Gonna Take the Weight. Born on Feb. 9, 1951 in Orlando, Fla., Thomas co-founded Kool & the Gang in 1964 alongside brothers Ronald Bell and Robert Kool Bell, and friends Spike Mickens, Ricky Westfield, George Brown and Charles Smith. First calling themselves the Jazziacs, the band created their own fusion of jazz, R&B, soul and funk and eventually became Kool & the Gang in 1969. Throughout the bands legendary career, it has earned two Grammys and seven American Music Awards and has become the most sampled band of all time. They have sold over 70 million albums worldwide, and have produced 25 Top 10 R&B hits. Their most recent album, Perfect Union, was released this year and the band continues to perform. In 2014, the band earned the Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award, and was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame the following year. Most recently, Thomas was interviewed for Kool TV, a series of animated shorts about each band members childhood and career. Thomas fellow Kool & the Gang co-founder, Ronald Bell, died in September 2020. Thomas was a longtime resident of Montclair, N.J. and was married to Phynjuar Saunders Thomas. He is predeceased by his mother Elizabeth Lee Thomas, sister Darlene Thomas and his daughters, Michelle Thomas and Tracy Jackson. In addition to his wife Phynjuar, Thomas is survived by his daughter Tuesday Rankin, sons David Thomas and Devin Thomas, aunt Mary Duggie Jones, sisters Doris Mai McClary and Elizabeth Thomas Ross, brother Bill Mcleary and many nieces, nephews and grandchildren. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) A man was brutally beaten by corrections officers and denied medical treatment at a county jail in a small New Mexico community after guards mistook dentures in the inmate's mouth for contraband, according to a civil rights lawsuit. The New Mexico Prison and Jail Project, a watchdog group for improving prison conditions, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court this week on behalf of former inmate Marvin Silva. The group said Silva was left naked in a holding cell at the Valencia County Adult Detention Center with no security cameras after a medical checkup, when a guard insisted that the inmate was hiding contraband in his mouth. The lawsuit said several other corrections officers arrived and beat Silva at the lockup in the community of Los Lunas, about 30 minutes from Albuquerque. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary compensation for Silva for injuries and emotional harm plus punitive damages against the jail and health care employees and attorneys fees. Administrators at the Valencia County detention center did not immediately respond Friday, and an attorney for the county said there would be no comment on pending litigation. The lawsuit levels charges of excessive use of force at four corrections officers and accuses Texas-based prison health care provider CorrHealth and two of its employees of deliberate indifference to a person in serious medical need. CorrHealth President Todd Murphy said Thursday that he could not comment on details of an active legal claim. Allegations such as these are important to us, as is ensuring were providing a high standard of care, Murphy said in an email. Our team will be closely reviewing these allegations and this claim. According to the lawsuit, medical personnel at the jail denied Silva's requests for medical care before he was released to walk 5 miles (8 kilometers) toward home and hitched a ride the rest of the way. An ambulance later took Silva to an Albuquerque hospital that treated him for fractured ribs, a collapsed lung, injuries to the spleen and other injuries to the head, neck and abdomen. FARMINGTON, Mo. (AP) An eastern Missouri man who was sentenced to life in prison last month for murder has been found dead in his jail cell, St. Francois County Sheriff Dan Bullock said. Jail staff found Anthony David Caruthers, 32, of Bonne Terre, dead in Thursday at the St. Francois County Jail. WASHINGTON (AP) The Senate moved closer to passing a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package Saturday after lawmakers from both parties came together and voted to clear a key procedural hurdle, but the action soon stalled out as a few Republican opponents refused to speed up approval of one of President Joe Bidens top priorities. The measure would provide a massive injection of federal money for a range of public works programs, from roads and bridges to broadband internet access, drinking water and more. In a rare stroke of bipartisanship, Republicans joined the Democrats to overcome the 60-vote threshold needed to advance the measure toward final votes. The vote was 67-27, a robust tally. If approved, the bill would go to the House. But momentum dragged as a few Republican senators refused to yield 30 hours of required debate before the next set of procedural votes, which could delay swift passage of the package and result in a dayslong slog. We can get this done the easy way or the hard way, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said as the Senate opened on Saturday. Despite the overwhelming support for the package, by evening there was no deal struck to quicken the process for considering amendments and final votes. Schumer said senators would resume at noon Sunday. This is the second consecutive weekend senators are meeting to work on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which is the first of Bidens two infrastructure packages. Once voting wraps up, senators immediately will turn to the next item on Bidens agenda, the budget outline for a $3.5 trillion package of child care, elder care and other programs that is a much more partisan undertaking and expected to draw only Democratic support. Schumer has vowed to keep senators in session until they finish up the bipartisan bill and start the initial votes on the next big package. For some Republican senators, the back-to-back voting on Biden's big priorities is what they are trying to delay, hoping to slow or halt what appears to be a steady forward march to achieve the presidents infrastructure goals. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., an ally of Donald Trump and the former presidents ambassador to Japan, was among those leading the effort for the Senate to take as much time as needed to debate and amend the bill. Theres absolutely no reason to rush, Hagerty said during a floor speech Saturday. Trump himself weighed in Saturday with a statement criticizing Biden, senators of both parties and the bill itself, though its not clear whether the former president's views hold sway over the lawmakers. As hours ticked away Saturday, senators seemed resigned to the long haul. Impasse, said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. Biden has encouraged senators on, saying the bipartisan package offered a potentially historic investment, on par with the building of the transcontinental railroad or interstate highway system. Vice President Kamala Harris arrived on Capitol Hill for meetings on the bipartisan legislation. Overcoming the 60-vote hurdle was a sign that the tenuous alliance between Republicans and Democrats could hold on the public works package. At least 10 Republicans were needed to join all Democrats to push the measure past a filibuster and in the end 18 Republican senators voted to advance the package. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has so far allowed the bill to progress, and his vote yes was closely watched. This is a compromise, he said before the vote. Senators have spent the past week processing nearly two dozen amendments to the 2,700-page package, but so far none has substantially changed the framework of the public works package. Some senators are insisting on more amendments including one on cryptocurrency, and a longshot effort by defense hawks to add $50 billion for defense-related infrastructure and a bipartisan amendment from Cornyn and others to repurpose a portion of the untapped COVID-19 relief aid that had been sent to the states. For senators who have been slogging through debate and months of give-and-take negotiations the bipartisan bill is a chance not only to send federal dollars to their states, but also to show the country that Congress can work together in a bipartisan way to solve problems. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the needs in her state were obvious including money for water systems in remote villages without running taps for handwashing during the COVID-19 pandemic. But as one of the negotiators, she also wants to demonstrate that lawmakers can unite. Im really worried that everybody believes that were as dysfunctional as we appear to be, and so to prove otherwise, its kind of important, she said. The Senate needs some demonstrated acts of bipartisanship. Senators have found much to like in the bill, even though it does not fully satisfy liberals, who view it as too small, or conservatives, who find it too large. It would provide federal money for projects many states and cities could not afford on their own. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said, America has not seen this type of infrastructure investment in 30 years. An analysis of the bill from the Congressional Budget Office drew concerns, particularly from Republicans. It concluded that the legislation would increase deficits by about $256 billion over the next decade. But the bill's backers argued that the budget office was unable to take into account certain revenue streams including from future economic growth. Additional analysis released Saturday by the budget office suggested infrastructure spending overall could boost productivity and lower the ultimate costs. Paying for the package has been a pressure point throughout the months of negotiations after Democrats objected to an increase in the gas tax paid at the pump and Republicans resisted a plan to bolster the IRS to go after tax scofflaws. Unlike Biden's bigger $3.5 trillion package, which would be paid for by higher tax rates for corporations and the wealthy, the bipartisan package is funded by repurposing other money, including untapped COVID-19 aid, and other spending cuts and revenue streams. The House is in recess and is expected to consider both Biden infrastructure packages when it returns in September. ___ Associated Press writer Alan Fram contributed to this report. BANGKOK (AP) Thai police said Saturday they arrested a suspect in the death of a Swiss woman on the tourist island of Phuket. Thailands national police chief, Pol. Gen. Suwat Jangyodsuk, confirmed to reporters that a suspect was arrested but offered no other details. HARTFORD, Conn. Connecticut has become the latest state to mandate that workers in nursing homes be vaccinated against COVID-19. Gov. Ned Lamont on Friday directed an executive order that requires all employees of long-term care facilities to receive at least the first dose of a vaccine by Sept. 7. In a statement, he said it would absolutely irresponsible for staffers not to be vaccinated, given the vulnerability of the people in their care. According to Lamonts release, more than half of all nursing homes in Connecticut have a staff vaccination rate lower than 75%. Connecticut joins at least five other states that have issued similar mandates. ___ MORE ON THE PANDEMIC: Study: Vaccines give COVID-19 survivors big immune boost Vaccination form for federal workers adds penalties for lies Some US schools reopen with mix of masks in classrooms United Airlines will require US employees to be vaccinated ___ Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine ___ HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California has announced another round of coronavirus vaccine incentives. The California Department of Health Care Services on Friday said it would spend $350 million to vaccinate more people on the states Medicaid program. Medicaid is the joint state and federal health insurance program for people who are disabled or have low incomes. About 76% of California residents 12 and over have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. But only 45% of the states Medicaid population has been vaccinated. The new incentives include up to $50 grocery store gift cards. About 13.8 million people are enrolled in Californias Medicaid program. ___ LANSING, Michigan Hundreds of people gathered outside the Michigan State Capitol on Friday to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Carrying signs with slogans such as Jab or Job? Wrong! and Let me call my shots, the demonstrators heard speakers criticize government officials and and urge their audience to contact elected representatives to express their opposition. Ron Armstrong, president for Stand Up Michigan, one of the organizers of the rally, said they were fighting for individuals rights to choose thats all in the employment area, in the student area, in the schools, in the universities . . . or wherever else it is mandated. ___ JACKSON, Miss. The Mississippi State Medical Association on Friday urged all school districts to require masks for students and employees as COVID-19 cases continue to proliferate with the highly contagious delta variant. At MSMA, we love to follow the science. We digested it, and we believe in mask mandates for the schools, the associations president, Dr. Mark Horne said during an online briefing about the pandemic. The state health officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, said during the briefing that he applauds school administrators and school board members who stand firm for mask mandates, even as some face pushback from angry parents. Its tough to be a good leader, but its good for the kids, Dobbs said. Its going to save lives. Many districts are leaving decisions about face coverings up to students and parents, saying they dont want to set a requirement if Republican Gov. Tate Reeves is not issuing a statewide mask mandate for schools. ___ LIBERTY, Mo. Thirty ambulances and more than 60 medical personnel will be stationed across the state of Missouri to help transport COVID-19 patients to other regions if nearby hospitals are too full to admit them, Gov. Mike Parson announced Friday. Parson said the mutual aid ambulances will begin arriving Friday in five districts from across the state and will operate anywhere they are needed through Sept. 5. The state sent ambulances from Arkansas to Springfield in mid-July when that region began straining under new COVID-19 cases caused by the delta variant. These 30 new ambulance teams triple our transport capacity and expand it to the entire state, as needed, Parson said in a statement. Our health care professionals are performing heroically to save lives as the delta variant dramatically increases hospital admissions. We will continue to support our health care heroes across the state. The move comes as Missouri reported a seven-day average of 2,069 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, which is the highest number since Jan. 12 when the the seven-day average was 2,348, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. ___ NAMPA, Idaho -- A popular Idaho ski destination had one of the highest per-capita rates of coronavirus in the country at the start of the pandemic last year. Now the Sun Valley region is leading the state and most of the country in vaccinating its citizens. The Idaho Press reports numbers from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare show that more than 87% of Blaine County residents ages 12 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. According to healthdata.gov, 80% of the countys residents are fully vaccinated, which puts the county in the top 10 among more than 3,000 counties nationwide. ___ HOUSTON Houston area officials say the latest wave of COVID-19 cases is pushing the local health care system to nearly a breaking point, resulting in some patients having to be transferred out of the city to get medical care, including one who had to be taken to North Dakota. Dr. David Persse, who is health authority for the Houston Health Department and EMS medical director, said some ambulances were waiting hours to offload patients at Houston area hospitals because no beds were available. Persse said he feared this would lead to prolonged respond times to 911 medical calls. The health care system right now is nearly at a breaking point ... For the next three weeks or so, I see no relief on whats happening in emergency departments, Persse said Thursday. Last weekend, a patient in Houston had to be transferred to North Dakota to get medical care. An 11-month-old girl with COVID-19 and who was having seizures had to be transported on Thursday from Houston to a hospital 170 miles away in Temple. The rising hospitalization and positivity rate in the Houston area prompted Houston Independent School District Superintendent Millard House II on Thursday to announce that he plans to ask the school board during its meeting next week to approve a mandate requiring all students, teachers and staff to wear masks. Classes in the Houston school district, the states largest, begin Aug. 23. We know that were going to get pushback for this, House said. If approved, the mask mandate would go against an executive order Gov. Greg Abbott repeated last month banning such mandates by any state, county or local government entity. ___ BATON ROUGE, La. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards warned residents that their states place at the epicenter of the latest coronavirus surge isnt lessening. He noted that Louisianas COVID-19 case growth and hospitalizations continue to worsen, and he said the percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive continues to go up, reaching more than 15% Friday. We have no reason to believe in our data that weve reached the peak or that were coming down, the Democratic governor said. He urged people to get vaccinated against the coronavirus illness and to follow the states mask mandate, saying thats the only way to lessen the surge. I know were going to get through this, Edwards said. But he added: How many people die between now and then is largely going to be up to us. Still, the governor offered some signs of hopefulness in the continued increases in people newly seeking the vaccine. Edwards chief public health officer, Dr. Joe Kanter, said vaccinations have increased more than 500% over the last month. But Kanter also offered a list of grim statistics as well, saying 15% of emergency room visits in the state are now related to COVID-19. He said 50 hospitals have asked the state for staffing assistance, warning they can no longer adequately provide care to the community. And he noted that over the past two weeks about 1% of the states entire population has become infected with COVID-19. ___ TOPEKA, Kan. A small but growing number of places in Kansas are requiring people to wear masks indoors. The spread of the more contagious delta variant across the state prompted the University of Kansas on Friday to reverse course and impose a mask mandate on its main campus in Lawrence and a satellite campus in Johnson County in the Kansas City area. The mandate takes effect Monday and applies whether someone is vaccinated or not. Washburn University in Topeka also announced an indoor mask mandate, and Wyandotte County has one in place for most residents. Meanwhile, Gov. Laura Kelly released a new public-service announcement urging people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. ___ WASHINGTON White House press secretary Jennifer Psaki said Friday that there are early discussions about a range of options for new vaccine mandates or penalties for certain situations, such as domestic travelers and nursing home workers. She added that the administration has concern about anti-mask, anti-vaccine mandate restrictions in some states. If you dont want to abide by public health guidelines, dont want to use your role as leaders, Psaki said, then you should get out of the way. She also applauded United Airlines announcement that it would require workers to get vaccinated, saying support these vaccination requirements to protect workers, communities and our country and we hope to see even more action from the public and private sector over the coming weeks. ___ TOPEKA, Kan. Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids has tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated against it and is in isolation. Davids said Friday in a statement that she has had only mild symptoms from her breakthrough case. She said she was tested after undergoing outpatient surgery involving the parathyroid glands in the neck that regulate calcium levels in the blood. The two-term Democratic congresswoman for the states portion of the Kansas City metropolitan area said shes been following precautions recommended by health officials, including wearing masks indoors. She said shes grateful for COVID-19 vaccines and urged people to get inoculated. Her statement did not say how she contracted COVID-19. ___ LAS VEGAS More than 6,000 people in Nevada have died of COVID-19, a grim milestone the state surpassed Friday as officials struggle to respond to another surge of the coronavirus. Gov. Steve Sisolak called it another significant and heartbreaking milestone for the state and issued another plea for people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Nevada reported 26 new deaths Friday and 1,299 new cases of COVID-19. Since the pandemic began, the state has reported 363,574 COVID-19 cases and 6,005 deaths. Sisolak and state health officials have been struggling to mitigate another resurgence of the virus in Nevada driven by the highly contagious delta variant and a still-lagging rate of vaccinations. ___ PHOENIX Arizona is seeing another significant leap in new COVID-19 infections, with more than 2,800 reported Friday. The number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations also continued to climb, with 1,309 patients. The state Department of Health Services dashboard showed 2,826 new confirmed cases and 42 deaths. The latest figures bring Arizonas pandemic totals to 940,762 cases and 18,342 deaths. Since most Arizona schools returned this week, eight districts have now made indoor masking mandatory in defiance of the law. All except for Tucson Unified are in the Phoenix area. It has prompted a lawsuit from a Phoenix biology teacher. Brophy College Preparatory, a private, all-boys high school in Phoenix, will require everyone regardless of vaccine status to wear masks indoors when classes start Monday. Masks will then be optional starting Sept. 13. But thats when students and staff must be vaccinated or face weekly testing, according to a letter from the principal. Any student who wants to participate in overnight retreats or school-related travel will have to show proof of vaccination. The Catholic, Jesuit high school, which counts Duceys two sons as alumni, is not obligated to follow the state law. ___ MINNEAPOLIS Target said Friday that it will not require its downtown Minneapolis headquarters employees to return to the office for the rest of the year, due to a surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the delta variant. Target has about 8,500 workers at its headquarters offices, making it the largest employer in downtown Minneapolis. In an email sent to employees Friday, Target said it is still planning a gradual transition back to the office starting Sept. 20, but only common areas such as cafeterias or conference rooms will initially be open. Plans to reopen other floors and personal workspaces in September have been put on hold, the Star Tribune reported. ___ NEW YORK Even people who have recovered from COVID-19 are urged to get vaccinated, and a new study shows survivors who ignored that advice had twice the risk of getting reinfected. The report Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention comes as scientists urge people to get vaccinated because of the highly contagious delta variant. That includes people who had a prior infection. The report out of Kentucky adds to growing laboratory evidence that vaccines offer an important boost to natural immunity, including broader protection against new variants. If you have had COVID-19 before, please still get vaccinated, said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. Getting the vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and others around you, especially as the more contagious delta variant spreads around the country. Theres little information yet on reinfections with the newer delta variant. But U.S. health officials point to early data from Britain that the reinfection risk appears greater with delta than with the common alpha variant, once people are six months past their prior infection. Theres no doubt that vaccinating a COVID-19 survivor enhances both the amount and breadth of immunity so that you cover not only the original (virus) but the variants, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert, said at a recent White House briefing. ___ WASHINGTON -- Federal employees who need to certify their vaccination status under a new policy instituted by President Joe Biden intended to encourage COVID-19 shots will face disciplinary action and potentially criminal prosecution if they lie on the form. The Biden administration on Friday unveiled the attestation form that employees will need to fill out about whether they have been fully vaccinated against the virus, adding legal teeth to the presidents mandate. Federal employees wont be following the honor system but will instead be required to acknowledge that making a knowing and willful false statement on this form can be punished by fine or imprisonment or both. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the form, which was distributed Friday to agency leadership. By Zeke Miller Brunei Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Erywan Yusof is pictured ahead of a meeting between ASEAN Foreign Ministers and the United States in Bangkok, Aug. 1, 2019. ASEANs newly appointed special envoy to Myanmar will insist on meeting with jailed politicians and members of the opposition, he told reporters Saturday in his first public remarks about the role. A plan to visit Myanmar was in the pipeline, but Second Foreign Minister of Brunei Erywan Yusof did not give a time frame, citing a need to consult all countries and actors concerned. This time around, it'll be a more substantive discussion on the five-point consensus, particularly cessation of violence, dialogue, and mediation, Erywan told reporters in Bandar Seri Begawan, the Bruneian capital. The five-point consensus clearly states that it will involve all parties concerned. And that's something that we will uphold. Because that was what the leaders agreed, with Myanmar included, so there is no two ways about it, he said when asked if he would speak with toppled civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Erywan is one of two Bruneian officials who visited Naypyidaw in May to meet Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the architect of the Feb. 1 coup, and present him names of envoy candidates. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations hammered out its five-point plan on post-coup Myanmar at a special summit in Jakarta in April, calling for appointment of a special envoy; provision of humanitarian assistance; cessation of violence; dialogue among all parties; and for the envoy to mediate that dialogue. Addressing criticism of the time it took to begin implementing the plan he was named envoy just this week Erywan said that in addition to operating by consensus, ASEAN had prioritized naming an envoy that Myanmars military leaders would accept. We wanted to avoid the same situation that was faced by the U.N. Secretary General's Special Envoy on Myanmar, he said, referring to Swiss diplomat Christine Schraner Burgener, who has not been allowed into Burma. Whilst we can appoint anybody what use would that be if Myanmar is not willing to, or not comfortable, and thus not willing to allow or to talk to them, he said. While he did not give a date for his maiden trip to Myanmar as special envoy, he said that ASEAN was moving immediately on the provision of humanitarian assistance and medical equipment. Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi has been in touch with international agencies and those inside Myanmar, and would be staging a donor conference not later than the second week of August, he said. He also sought to tamp down expectations about what the envoy could accomplish. A lot of the hype is that I'm going to solve the situation, Erywan said. [T]his is a Myanmar-led and Myanmar-owned initiative, outcome. All I can do is only facilitate and help, he said. On Wednesday, Burmese political analyst Than Soe Naing cast doubt about who the ASEAN envoy could negotiate with, since officials from the elected civilian government were now in jail. The military council has put everybody concerned into the prison and filed various charges, Than Soe Naing told the Myanmar Service of Radio Free Asia (RFA), a BenarNews affiliate. On Aug. 1, coup leader Min Aung Hlaing appointed himself prime minister of Myanmar and announced that elections would not take place until 2023. Six months earlier, the military overthrew the democratically elected government, claiming voter fraud had led to a landslide victory for Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy in the countrys November 2020 election. The junta has violently suppressed demonstrations calling for a return to civilian rule, killing some 950 people over six months. Thirty-two have died under suspicious circumstances while undergoing interrogation by security forces, according to RFA. A Burmese human rights attorney greeted Wednesdays announcement of the envoy with optimism. [H]e could bring something to the table, instead of the continuing stalemate, Min Lwin Oo said. I think the ASEAN envoy needs to execute the tasks, such as pushing for the release of detained leaders. But an international relations expert in Jakarta said Erywan was chosen to mollify ASEAN members who are not invested in human rights. He has not been chosen for his ability to navigate complex issues in Myanmar, but to come to terms with other ASEAN members that are half-hearted in their efforts, or even actively rejecting efforts to find a solution rooted in democracy and human rights, said Dinna Prapto Raharja, of Synergy Policies, a Jakarta-based think-tank. Among ASEAN members, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are one-party states and Brunei is a sultanate. Thailand is governed by a former coup leader who awarded Min Aung Hlaing a royal decoration in 2018. In this July 22 photo, a health care worker fills a syringe with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in New York. On Friday, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online that misrepresented data from Pfizers COVID-19 study to falsely suggest the vaccine is not effective at reduce the risk of dying from the disease. Data from countries where the vaccine is widely in use shows it is effective at preventing deaths from COVID-19. LENOX The first time Andris Nelsons and Baiba Skride performed together, he was 21 and she was 19. Their families knew each other the fath Campers at Camp Lenox in Becket discovered a decomposing body in the woods around the camp, according to an email sent by camp owners to parents and guardians of campers. State police spokesman David Procopio confirmed in an email that the man may have died by suicide, and said to date no evidence suggesting foul play has been found. Im not upset that you lied to me, Im upset that from now on I cant believe you. Friedrich Nietzsche I have certain rules I live by. My first rule: I dont believe anything the government tells me. George Carlin The pronouncements from the worlds favorite science troll, who hasnt told the truth since March 2020 when he told the world masks were useless in stopping a virus from spreading, are coming fast and furious as more and more people ignore the fear propaganda. Alpha!!! Delta!!! and now Lambda!!! Were all going to die unless we allow Big Pharma, with no liability for killing or maiming you with their experimental gene therapy, and totalitarian politicians to inject us with a concoction which doesnt keep you from contracting covid or spreading covid. But it may kill you, give you a dose of blood clots, or a touch of myocarditis. Fauci, Walensky, Biden, Pasaki and the rest of the Biden apparatchiks are liars, frauds, and fear mongering whores for Big Pharma. Fauci is the father of covid. He created it with his illegal gain of function funding, partnering with the communist government of China and is responsible for all the death and economic destruction wrought over the last eighteen months. He should be tried, convicted and executed for crimes against humanity. History should lump him with the likes of Josef Mengele and other mass murders. He continues to lie on a daily basis and the cucks in the corporate propaganda media never question his lies or push back in any way. They are co-conspirators in this authoritarian attempt to override the Constitution and enslave you in a pharmacological techno gulag. The merger of Big Government with Big Pharma, Big Tech, Big Finance and Big Corp endangers the rights, freedoms and liberties guaranteed to citizens under the U.S. Constitution. They are pushing the country towards inevitable violent conflict by using their powers of coercion to force people to inject a substance into their bodies they do not need and do not want. For what ultimate purpose, we do not know. But we do know it is not about your health or the health of others. The current fear narrative being peddled by Fauci and Biden is the dreaded Delta variant, previously known as the Indian variant. Did you ever wonder why they had to rename the Indian variant? The chart below is why. The panic porn media was running non-stop horror stories about India and the bodies piling up in the streets back in May. At that time less than 4% of the Indian population had been vaxxed. Even today it is only 7% of their 1.3 billion people. The talking heads, and Fauci, all pointed to India as a humanitarian tragedy in the making using it as their fear tactic for getting the jab. But their narrative fell apart in a matter of weeks and you no longer hear about India on the nightly news. Thats because cases crashed by 90% in the two months from the peak in May. And guess what? It happened with no vaccine rollout. They did send tens of millions of doses of ivermectin out to the population. These FACTS do not support the approved narrative being spun by our contemptible corrupt leaders. This flu is seasonal. Cases, based on a flawed PCR test, are already highly questionable. And 40,000 cases per day in a country with four times the population of the U.S. is a non-event. Indias deaths peaked at about 4,000 per day in May and are now 500 per day, down 88% with virtually no one getting jabbed. How could Indias deaths per million (312) be 64% lower than the U.S. (866) when they have very few vaccinated, have a vast majority of their 1.3 billion people living in squalor, and have limited medical resources for the majority. Seems like a conundrum, and now you know why our pandemia panic patrol no longer speak about India. Just like they no longer speak about Sweden, because their no lockdown, no mask mandates, and no forced vaccination policies have worked spectacularly well, while not infringing upon the rights and freedoms of their citizens. These examples are an embarrassment to the Great Reset crowd and their agenda of controlling the masses through fear and threats. After the powers that be were forced to rename the Indian variant to the scarier foreboding Delta variant, it was time to launch a new fear marketing campaign in the UK, where Boris the Great fulfilled his Great Reset obligation to Schwab, Gates and the rest of the Davos elite by ramping up restrictions, lockdowns and vaccine passports. What a good little obedient puppet he has become. Cases, again based upon a PCR test just pulled from the market by the FDA, began to rise in early June. By mid-July they had already peaked, just as expected from a seasonal flu. They have now fallen by 50% from the peak. I bet you havent heard that on any propaganda spewing mainstream fake news media outlet. Twitter and Facebook would ban these facts and declare them misleading. A strange thing happened on the way to impending doom, as a teary eyed Walensky would say. Deaths with covid barely budged upward during this surge. When daily cases had reached 50,000 in January there were 1,200 deaths with covid per day. During this scary outbreak of the dreaded Delta variant, the average deaths per day has been 80, 93% below the January peak. This isnt due to masks or lockdowns. The Delta variant is not more transmissible and it is far less deadly than the first strain. Its the flu bro. You would think our trust the science gurus would actually observe what has actually happened in both India and the UK and give a fact based assessment to the American people. The Delta is far less lethal and nothing to be frightened about. Based on the facts, the cases will peak in early September and then fall precipitously thereafter. Delta is not scary. Its not deadly. The cases are based upon a faulty PCR test that cant tell the difference between the common cold, seasonal flu and covid. Real health experts would be telling people to calm down and stop worrying. The U.S. is currently averaging 100,000 cases per day, the highest since mid February. At that time 3,000 people per day were dying with covid. Currently 470 people are dying per day with covid, 84% below the mid February amount. Oh the horror!!! We already know, based on the facts, those dying are over 80 years old, morbidly obese, and/or have 5 co-morbidities. This horrific surge is nothing more than a fart in the wind. But that is not how our glorious leaders are treating this farce of a flu. MECHANICS SAY THESE ARE THE WORST CARS ON THE MARKET IN 2021 MoneyWise.com This brings us to more trusting the science. These vaccines were hailed as the miracle to win the war against covid. Trump said so. Fauci said so. The executives at Pfizer, Moderna and J&J said so. They declared them 96% effective in keeping you from getting covid. There would just be a minuscule number of breakthrough cases. Its more like a dam break of cases. They didnt tout these drugs as reducing the symptoms of covid. There is no one who got the jabs who thought they would get covid after being vaxxed. Watching the cognitive dissonance being exhibited by the vaxxed is a wonder to behold. They cannot admit they were misled and bamboozled by Fauci and friends.They cannot admit they made a mistake and still dont know the long term effects of this gene altering therapy. And this doesnt even take in to account the 12,000 deaths, 70,000 serious injuries and 550,000 adverse reactions reported into the VAERS system from the vaccines. And these numbers are likely under-reported by a factor of at least three. The vaccine doesnt keep you from catching covid, spreading covid or dying from covid. It doesnt reduce the symptoms any more than ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine. The vaxxed can also carry a heavier viral load, making them even more dangerous. The anger which should be directed at the liars and frauds who touted this cure is instead being directed at those who choose to let their immune system do its job. The anger is being fomented by Biden and his acolytes blaming the current surge on those choosing to let their natural immunity work. More lies. And we have the proof. Israel, the most vaxxed country in the world, is experiencing a surge in cases among the vaxxed, while neighboring Palestine with virtually no one vaxxed is experiencing no surge. And now Israel is locking down again. Are the vaccines causing the Delta surge? You certainly wont get an honest answer fro Fauci & Pfizer. There are hundreds of billions in profits to be made. Just get that booster and all will be well. The totalitarians never let a good fake crisis go to waste. This faux flu crisis is being marketed to the hilt by those pressing their agenda of medical tyranny, backed by technological surveillance and tracking, and coordinated with mega-corporations and social media censorship police. Their agenda is deeply disturbing and Orwellian in nature. The almost hysterical lies and blather being uttered by Fauci, Walensky, their fawning media acolytes, tyrant governors, and bureaucrat government drones, clearly points toward a more nefarious goal. Nothing being implemented by the Federal government, state governments, or mega-corporations is based upon science, your health, or anyone elses health. This full court press to forcibly vaccinate every person in America is nonsensical, unnecessary, unscientific, and un-Constitutional. This flu already had a 99.7% survival rate. And it is less lethal than the annual flu for anyone under 30 years old. The Delta variant is far less lethal than the original virus. But, those in power are compelled to ruin the livelihoods of anyone refusing to become the research in this experimental gene therapy scheme. The government is conspiring with corporations and social media companies to force these jabs into arms. The desperate nature of the authoritarian actions being implemented by the elitists running our country and their corporate co-conspirators is foretelling a much darker truth lurking below the surface. This global Ponzi scheme we call our economic and financial system is ripping apart at the seams. The powerful and wealthy oligarchs who already control the levers of power and own most of the wealth do not want to see their heaven on earth of riches evaporate like a puddle on a hot summer day. This is why they are attempting to install a command and control build back better Great Reset plan where they will own everything and you will own nothing, say nothing, do as you are told, and get your yearly booster shot for the newest variant of a phantom flu. The globalist empire of debt is faltering under the weight of un-payable obligations and derivatives of mass destruction. How these vaccines play into their overall plan to retain power, control and wealth is unclear at this point, but the frantic, autocratic, and unrestrained shredding of our Constitutional rights over a flu virus should make every critical thinking American pause and ponder what comes next. We allowed them to shut down the country, destroy small businesses, put tens of millions out of work, forced you to wear face diapers, created drastically more dependency on government handouts, drove the national debt up by $6.5 trillion in eighteen months, and essentially handed over our entire economy to Wall Street puppets at the Federal Reserve whose sole purpose is to keep enriching bankers, billionaires, and the corporatocracy. They reduced the pressure for a brief time, but they learned how gullible and pliable the willfully ignorant masses were during round one of their authoritarian takeover. Round two looks to be more tyrannical and enforced by their police thugs, corporate backers, social media tyrants, and their zombie hordes of vaxxed Karens snitching on those not following the plan. Biden and his handlers are shitting on the Constitution on a daily basis and dont believe the rule of law applies to them. They are allowing millions of illegal immigrants (many with covid), who somehow (Soros) have the money to fly to Mexico from their 3rd world shitholes, to pour over the border and be transported to swing state Democrat run urban paradises. If we dont forcefully push back now, we may never be given another chance to reverse this downward spiral of a once free nation. We are crossing our Rubicon and there will be no turning back. The decisions we make individually and as a country in the next few months will determine whether we are mice or men. US federal charges were filed after agents were tipped off to the plot. US Attorney Audrey Strauss detailed in the Friday statement: "As alleged, Phyo Hein Htut and Ye Hein Zaw plotted to seriously injure or kill Myanmars ambassador to the United Nations in a planned attack on a foreign official that was to take place on American soil." In what sounds like something out a Hollywood movie, the pair were alleged to have been touch with an international arms dealer out of Thailand who helped coordinate a murder-for-hire plot. "In the course of those conversations, HTUT and the Arms Dealer agreed on a plan in which HTUT would hire attackers to hurt the Ambassador in an attempt to force the Ambassador to step down from his post," a detailed statement from the DOJ described. "If the Ambassador did not step down, then the Arms Dealer proposed that the attackers hired by HTUT would kill the Ambassador." "Shortly after agreeing on the plan, ZAW contacted HTUT by cellphone and transferred approximately $4,000 to HTUT through a money transfer app as an advance payment on the plot to attack the Ambassador," the statement continues. "Later, during a recorded phone conversation with ZAW, HTUT discussed how the planned attackers would require an additional $1,000 to conduct the attack on the Ambassador in Westchester County, and for an additional payment the attackers could, in substance, 'finish off the Ambassador." Gun control laws dont work. Yet politicians eager to curb Americans Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms keep pushing for tighter laws to grab more guns. A good example is Californias Armed and Prohibited Persons System (APPS), defined by California Attorney General (AG) Rob Bontas website as a database populated with data from a number of existing [Department of Justice] databases. Hows that for a bureaucratic phrase? The APPS data identify criminals who are prohibited from possessing firearms subsequent to the legal acquisition of firearms or registration of assault weapons. In English, theyre felons or others who previously had purchased guns, but were banned from owning them. Yet, they continued to hold the guns or are suspected of having them. The APPS programweirdly defined by the AG as a system and a programis a highly sophisticated investigative tool that provides law enforcement agencies with information about gun owners who are legally prohibited from possessing firearms. APPS was actually started by Republicans with Senate Bill 950 in 2001, by state Senate Minority Leader Jim Brulte, who later became party chairman. It passed unanimously in both houses and was signed by then-governor Gray Davis. Trying to get ahead of the curve on crime issues, Republicans periodically decry the backlog of APPS cases, a safe way to seem tough on crime while not directly offending their pro-gun constituency. One example was a 2018 letter by the state Senate Republican Caucus to then-Attorney General Xavier Becerranow a U.S. senatorblasting him for allowing 10,226 delinquent cases. SB 950s Senate floor analysis from 2001 actually explained it in clear language: This bill will provide a way for law enforcement to find out which proven felons are still possessing weapons. And the analysis provided the reason for the law as well. The Attorney General [Bill Lockyer, the powerful former Senate majority leader] is sponsoring the bill in the wake of the mass slaying in February 2000 at Navistars International Truck and Engine Plant in Melrose Place, Illinois. In that case, the murderer was a twice-convicted felon who had previously, before his convictions, purchased firearms. Thus, even though he was prohibited and in possession of firearms, there was no way for law enforcement to find out, and he was left to commit murder. The bill was brought to the [attorney general] at the urging of law enforcement agencies in the state, and it will provide them with a tool that will disarm these proven law-breakers before they can break the law again. If the state is going to find that some people are too dangerous to possess a gun, then we should make it as easy as possible for law enforcement to ensure that these laws are enforced. Failed Potential But what seemed at the time like a straight-forward approach to the enforcement of existing gun laws has instead become mired in chronic shortcomings, failing for years to make good on its potential. Successive administrations have vowed to fix the problems, but all have fallen short, CalMatters reported on July 27. Today, the state is struggling to recover thousands of guns from people who have been ordered to surrender them. At the start of the year, the list compiled by the state Department of Justice (DOJ) had swelled to 24,000 individuals, the most ever. The pandemic only worsened the mounting backlog of cases when some state Justice Department agents were pulled from field enforcement. That assumes there actually was any potential regarding the system. For perspective, I turned to John Lott, the nations top gun expert. I reviewed his book More Guns, Less Crime when it was released two decades ago. He recently was a senior adviser for research and statistics at the Office of Justice Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice. He now heads the Crime Prevention Research Center. The notion that you will stop criminals from getting guns simply because you stop them from having legally acquired guns seems as likely to succeed as preventing criminals from buying illegal drugs, which obviously has worked flawlessly, Lott said, with a touch of irony. The major source of illegal guns is drug dealers, who have to have weapons to protect their very valuable property. The Brady Background Check System was enacted by Congress in 1993. Thats what you go through when you buy a gun, and its used with APPS. There is no real evidence that the Brady system has reduced violent crime [even gun control people agree, but they now claim thats because it didnt go far enough]. I would argue that there is no evidence that background checks on the private transfer of guns have reduced violent crime or mass public shootings, Lott said. He pointed to his research on those issues in Chapter 10 of the 3rd edition of More Guns, Less Crime, which came out in 2010. Does Not Compute Then theres the problem of flagging innocent people. A lot of Americans hold the same names. As noted above, the California DOJ claims that its APPS database is a highly sophisticated investigative tool. If thats really the case, then its the only efficient computer system run by the state government. Despite being the home of Silicon Valley, the Golden States government is known for its pyrite data systems. The most notorious is the system of the Employment Development Department (EDD), which collapsed under the load of millions of newly furloughed workers when COVID-19 hit. A December 2020 report by the California Auditor excoriated its computer system. Nearly half of the claims EDD processed in the first six months of the claim surge required additional intervention to complete filing after claimants submitted them online, the report reads. Lets not forget the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), a byword for bureaucratic incompetence. Government Technology magazine reported in February: Personal information for possibly millions of California drivers may have been accessible to hackers this month after a company contracting with the California DMV suffered a security breach earlier this month. Getting back to guns, Lott said that the APPS has followed a similar trend of technological failure. The background check system that we have is a mess, with about 99 percent of the 3.8 million who have been stopped being mistakes. It is one thing to stop a felon from buying a gun, but it is something else to stop a law-abiding person simply because they have a name similar to a felon, he said. With racial tensions rising since the killing of George Floyd more than a year ago, the last thing we need to do is make that worse over guns. But thats whats happening. The error rate is very high among minorities because people tend to have names similar to others in their racial groups, Lott said. When I was recently working at the [U.S. Department of Justice], the error rate for black males was three times their share of the population and for Hispanic males was 2.5 times their share of the population. That is to say, minorities Second Amendment rights were violated at a much higher rate than were those of whites. Lack of Data The CalMatters article summarized numerous problems with the APPS being unable to go after a lot of people who arent supposed to have guns, but still have them. Experts on the systemwho note that thousands of guns have, in fact, been removed from individualssay stakeholders throughout government must summon the resolve to finally fix the systems deepening problems, the article reads. Although the state does not track how many individuals, if any, commit crimes while they continue to remain armed, the agency has good reason to be concerned. But if theres no data, theres just smoke. The state has no idea whats going on. At the time of its adoption, the Armed and Prohibited Persons System was seen as the low-hanging fruit of gun-control measurestaking firearms from known owners who legally shouldnt have them, the article states. But today, the inability of state and local agencies to make it work as envisioned has raised questions about how they can begin to confront the wider menace posed by the thousands of illegal firearms circulating throughout California or the new wave of untraceable ghost guns, assembled at home from mail-order kits. Ghost Guns Ah, yes, the bogeyman of ghost guns, which President Joe Biden also demanded be regulated in his Feb. 14 speech attacking the Second Amendment. Theyre made by using 3D printers, which means the only way to stop them is by banning or regulating those printers. The designs can be downloaded from internet sites located around the world. It reminds me how, in the Soviet Union, Xerox copiers were numbered and regulated to prevent samizdatself-published underground publicationsfrom being circulated. Thats what tyrannies do. The fact is, unless you live in a city such as Chicago or Baltimore thats run by Democrats defunding the police, your chances of being murdered are quite low, by guns or other means. Its a gigantic country of 330 million people. So bad things will happen, including massacres that lead the news cycle. The Armed and Prohibited Persons System was a mistake enacted 20 years ago that shouldnt be fixed, but ended. Of course, if police in the course of their work come across someone who shouldnt own a gun, then they should enforce the law. But a special program sending officers to peoples homesoften the wrong homesin search of alleged violators went too far. We need to get back to the American reflex to always bend our laws toward freedom. John Seiler is a veteran California opinion writer. He has written editorials for The Orange County Register for almost 30 years. Hes a U.S. Army veteran and former press secretary to California State Sen. John Moorlach. He blogs at johnseiler@substack.com. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. This evening I received an email (shared below) from Davey Alba at the New York Times. Davey explained that researchers from two organizations with direct connections to and funding from Facebook were defaming both myself personally and Gab as a whole for spreading misinformation. Ill get into the baseless and defamatory claims, but first Id like you to tell you a little more about these two organizations. Stanford Internet Observatory is led by Alex Stamos who is the former Chief Security Officer for Facebook. The CTO of Stanford Internet Observatory, David Thiel, also worked at Facebook before starting at SIO. Stanford itself is of course widely known as the Ivy League snob school that the best and brightest in Silicon Valley all attended and have deep connections to. The second organization is Graphika. Graphika is a Facebook-funded research group whose executive leadership team includes Camille Francois, a woman worked at Googles infamous censorship technology incubator Jigsaw, and Lauren Pencek who previously worked for the National Security Agency (NSA) among others. The New York Times own reporting confirms that Graphika receives its funding from Facebook and Facebook is also listed as one of Graphikas top clients right on the front page of their website. Aside from Facebook, Graphika also partners with DARPA, a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense, along with Google, TikTok, and Pinterest. Gab will never work with organizations like these and will never subject our community members to the slimy eyeballs of people who wish to research them. In fact we have spent years and a considerable amount of our engineering resources to stop these type of reeeesearchers from treating our community like lab rats. Perhaps thats another reason why Graphika has spent almost an entire year attacking Gab, but I suspect it has more to do with their deep connections to our competitors. Lets dive into the email from the New York Times, shall we? Hi Andrew, Im a reporter from The New York Times, where we are writing about some viral posts about the coronavirus that have gained traction online in the past few weeks. I wanted to get your comment on a post by you that the Virality Project a consortium of research groups focused on misinformation, including the Stanford Internet Observatory and Graphika, among others identified as misinformation. You can find their assertions here: https://static1.squarespace. com/static/ 60025974f9f7920e6b40885b/t/ 61097813bdc29713648c24bf/ 1628010515835/Virality+ Project+-+0803+Weekly+ Briefing+.pdf Ive also screenshotted the relevant portion in the document: Would you have a response to this being labeled as misinformation by this group of researchers? Hope to hear from you as soon as possible my deadline is on Monday, Aug. 9, at 12nn ET. Feel free to call me at XXX-XXX-XXX if you have any questions about our story. Best,Davey My response to Davey is as follows: The news that Lloyd Austin intends to make vaccinations mandatory in the military is two days old: https://www.foxnews.com/ politics/sec-of-defense- austin-to-announce-mandatory- vaccine-policy-for-all-active- duty-military Furthermore, Pfizer and Moderna tested their vaccines on fetal cell lines and J&J used fetal cell lines in vaccination development. https://www.nebraskamed.com/ COVID/you-asked-we-answered- do-the-covid-19-vaccines- contain-aborted-fetal-cells Im telling the truth. Your Facebook-funded fact checkers like Graphika are wrong and are the people peddling disinformation here. My response to them is that they can get bent. Im reminding tens of millions of people that they have religious liberty and God-given human rights in this country. Deal with it. Jesus is King. Andrew Torba I spent all week posting the many dozens of direct messages that I have been receiving on Gab from Military service members and their families who shared their personal stories and experiences with me. I also posted similar stories from those working in healthcare and other various industries. People are scared, but not of Covid. They are scared of being forced to choose between violating their religious beliefs and giving up control of their own bodily autonomy or losing their livelihood. Its a position that no human being, let alone a citizen of the United States of America, should have to be in. I choose to share their stories because no one else is. I then drafted a blog post about my experience reading and sharing these heartbreaking stories and reminded millions of people that in the United States of America we have God-given human rights, including religious liberty. I did this by providing a set of religious exemption templates for Christians to use in the Military and in their workplace. The post went wildly viral on Gab, Facebook, and Twitter. I also emailed it to millions of people, because people deserve to know that they always have options and the dignity of bodily autonomy and religious liberty. For doing this both Gab and myself are being defamed for spreading misinformation, a totally subjective and ambiguous term that can mean anything the tyrants in power want it to mean. Ultimately what we are seeing here is an anti-Christian, anti-competitive attack on Gab by organizations who partner with, are funded by, and are staffed by people who worked for our direct competitors. I am sharing this all with you now to let you know how these wicked people operate and to shine a light on their lies, deception, and anti-Christian attacks. They arent just attacking me, they are attacking any and all dissent and opposition to their libido dominandi (lust for power.) Im also beating the New York Times to print by emailing this information to millions of people over the weekend. This is how you beat these people at their own game. The time to stand up and speak the truth boldly is now. God bless you and thank you for reading. Andrew Torba CEO, Gab.com Brandon University has hired Anishinaabe violist and award-winning composer Melody McKiver to teach at the institutions School of Music starting this fall. Advertisement Advertise With Us Brandon University has hired Anishinaabe violist and award-winning composer Melody McKiver to teach at the institutions School of Music starting this fall. McKiver will be teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in composition as an assistant professor on a tenure-track appointment, according to a Friday news release from the university. "Im looking forward to getting to know the faculty and students at such a highly-regarded School of Music," McKiver said in Fridays release. "I hope to encourage students to develop their own creative voices while reflecting critically upon the wider social context of our musical works." Fridays release also provided some insight into McKivers accomplishments as a musician, with their work aiming to integrate electronics and Western classical music into traditional Anishinaabe composition. Because of this, McKiver has received the Canada Council of the Arts 2020 Robert Fleming Prize, which is awarded annually to exceptionally talented young Canadian composers. As a collaborative violist, McKiver has performed alongside similarly talented musicians, including Polaris Prize winners Lido Pimienta, Tanya Tagaq and Jeremy Dutcher, as well as filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin. On top of that, McKiver, who originally hails from Sioux Lookout, Ont., holds a Master of Arts in Ethnomusicology from Memorial University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music from York University. They were also a participant at the Banff Centre of the Arts inaugural Indigenous Classical Music Gathering in 2019 and were featured in the 2020 BU Indigenous New Music Festival. "Melody is a rising star in Canadian music, and we are thrilled to have them join us at Brandon University," dean of music Greg Gatien said. "Melodys knowledge of traditional Indigenous and Western music, as well as current trends in new music, is going to be a fantastic resource for our students. I think theyre going to enjoy getting to know Melody and learning from the experiences that they have to share." McKiver will be in good company this fall, since BU also recently hired veteran musician Ken Gold to teach saxophone and contemporary popular music on a three-year appointment. The Brandon Sun As public health orders are set to relax in the province on Saturday, the hospitality industry is bracing itself for a tsunami of hungry patrons looking for meals at local restaurants. Advertisement Advertise With Us As public health orders are set to relax in the province on Saturday, the hospitality industry is bracing itself for a tsunami of hungry patrons looking for meals at local restaurants. Restaurants have been scrambling to fill the staffing voids created by an unstable work environment due to the pandemic and accentuated by government benefits, which in some cases, pays more than the employer or the same as but without the same effort. Miranda Stobbe, general manager of Lady of the Lake, has had staff vacancies for the last two months. Her second cook is leaving soon. Navigating the pandemic hasnt been easy. "They realize its hard work," she said. "They realized spending time at home has value and that government supports have been a blessing." That translates to a workforce not very motivated to come back, especially front-end servers who were barely making ends meet. Theyre making more on government incentives, she said. When it came time to re-open at the end of June, Stobbe contacted absent staff and asked them to come back. Their response was that they werent ready to come back and asked if they could wait until they got a couple more government cheques. As disappointing as it is, especially with an expanded patio and relaxed public health orders that will see bums in chairs, Stobbe may have to reduce the restaurant hours if she cant fill positions. "Even though the business is there, the staff is not there to support it." Asked if she would provide new hires incentives, Stobbes response was they would, "but were not seeing anybody apply." Rob Starkell, co-owner of West-Can Human Resources Solutions in Brandon, said its a labourers market right now. Employees are looking for stability in a post-pandemic, pre-fourth wave world. They want quality of life, balance, and supports almost immediately upon entering the workforce. This is in addition to a new age of consciousness where Generation Z and Millennials are expecting work to be meaningful and impactful right out of the gate. "They arent accepting the norms from past generations. They dont feel constricted by that kind of thinking," he said. While the hospitality industry generally tends to shy away from recruiters once they realize the cost of their service, Starkell recruits for a gamut of industries seeking general managers to sales staff. The pandemic has forced Stakells business to rethink its approach to traditional recruiting practises as he tweaks his social media presence and tells employers they need to sweeten the pot to have an edge over their competition to attract workers. During the pandemic, job seekers were reluctant to move into a new, challenging job because the risk outweighed the benefit of changing employers who may not be as financially stable, Starkell said. But, once things return to normal, industries will see pent-up job dissatisfaction and a great wave of resignations will occur, according to an article in the July 16 issue of Talent Canada, a Human Resources publication. On top of that, baby boomers, who were thinking of retiring, will likely throw in the towel sooner than later, Starkell pointed out. "Its going to be more of a challenge to fill those positions," he suggested. Starkell offers a bit of advice to employers seeking to fill vacant positions. "They need to be a little bit creative to attract new candidates to the role with slightly higher wages, benefits packages, health care, or a pension package," he said. "Dont be afraid to hire based on personality and drive versus experience." There are a lot of young people who lack experience but are keen to work. He said holding out for someone with more experience may hinder your chances of hiring. kkielley@brandonsun.com Quentin Derhak has just 60 days to raise $10,000 to help a little girl achieve her dream. Advertisement Advertise With Us Quentin Derhak has just 60 days to raise $10,000 to help a little girl achieve her dream. Titled Super Strength for Super Kids, the new fundraising event is taking place in Brandon on Oct. 3 at Anytime Fitness on Victoria Avenue. Its in support of The Dream Factory, a Manitoba-based charity that brings dreams to life for children in the community fighting life-threatening illnesses. Formally known as the Rainbow Society and with roots stretching back to 1983, The Dream Factory grants dreams for children across Manitoba including backyard makeovers, celebrity meet and greets, and travel around the world, when its safe to do so. Many of the children they support are from Brandon and the Westman area. This is the second time Derhaks stepped up to help raise funds for a child experiencing a life-threatening illness. Last year, Derhak was involved in the Deadlifts for Dreams fundraiser which was held virtually due to the pandemic. Derhak said it was a great event but it limited the number of people who could participate. This year, hes helping The Dream Factory in the strongman event to raise funds for a Brandon child with a life-threatening illness. Wynter is a Grade 4 student in Brandon. She has many loves, including video games, crafting, fashion, painting, making slime, animals, music, school, playing with her baby sister, being outdoors, swimming, baking, anime and her family and friends. She has already received a liver transplant but has a form of cancer called Post Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disease. She was at Sick Kids hospitalin Toronto for three months of chemotherapy and lived away from home for 11 more months. Her dream is to swim in the ocean, visit Niagara Falls and see the animals at the Toronto zoo. For Derhak, the decision to run a strongman event was because he wanted it more inclusive. "This way more people can get involved. With the strongman event, anyone can try it," he said. "Its open to whoever wants to come in. Even if you arent a strong man, say your strength is running, get on a treadmill. Get people to sponsor you and run. Bike, bench press, whatever your superpower is." "Because this is a superhero-themed event, were going to have actors there dressed up as superheroes. Well have events for children to do. It is whatever someones strength is." Anyone who goes to a gym and works out can join. "The way it works is you raise $250 to participate in the event. Its not a competition. Were not here for bragging rights. Someone isnt going to come out on top." Derhak is confident the goal will be met with participants and corporate sponsors. "COVID wasnt an issue when I did the first one," he said. "It is now. These kids are going to be robbed of their youth. If youre six or seven, youve lived 25 per cent of your life in lockdown. Plus being in a hospital being sick. Plus having surgeries. They need a break. They need something. Especially a kid whos gone through this kind of hell." To donate or sign up for the strong man event go to superkidsmb.ca or contact Derhak at 204-730-0039 for more information on how to participate or donate. kkielley@brandonsun.com MONTE LAKE, B.C. - An aggressive wildfire burning in the Central Okanagan region is forcing people in another 975 properties to leave their homes. A helicopter carrying a bucket flies past a property at Barnes Lake while battling the Tremont Creek wildfire near Ashcroft, B.C., on Thursday, July 15, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck MONTE LAKE, B.C. - An aggressive wildfire burning in the Central Okanagan region is forcing people in another 975 properties to leave their homes. The Regional District of Central Okanagan issued an evacuation order Friday night for the properties on the west side of Okanagan Lake north of Kelowna citing unpredictable winds affecting the White Rock Lake wildfire. "Residents from approximately 975 properties previously on Alert along Westside Road are now under Evacuation Order and must leave their homes and campsites immediately," says a release. The affected area runs south from Ewings Landing to the south end of La Casa Lakeside Resort. People who require help with food, lodging and emergency support services registration are being told to visit a reception centre in Kelowna. Meanwhile, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District issued an evacuation order Friday night for 98 properties due to a different wildfire burning near July Mountain southwest of Merritt. "Because of the potential danger to life and safety, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District has issued an evacuation order," a release said. "If you are in the described area, you must leave immediately." Earlier Friday, British Columbia Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth had harsh words for people who refuse to follow evacuation orders, after the community of Monte Lake was devastated by a raging wildfire. The White Rock Lake wildfire was estimated at about 450 square kilometres in size, and the BC Wildfire Service said it remained out of control. Farnworth said a small group of residents in the Monte Lake area refused to leave their homes and had to be rescued by firefighters with the BC Wildfire Service after they were surrounded by fire. "These brave firefighters very nearly paid with their lives," Farnworth told a news conference. "This experience was traumatic for all involved and should never have happened." While the province has some penalties it can issue for not following evacuation orders, including a $10,000 fine, Farnworth said it hasn't used them in the past "They are putting their lives in danger. They are putting the lives of firefighters in danger. They are hindering efforts to get the wildfires under control," he said. No casualties or missing people have been reported, Farnworth added. "While it is too early and dangerous to do any assessment, witnesses are reporting there have been structural losses in some areas." Monte Lake is a recreational community of about 2,600 people. There's an RV park, numerous recreational properties and the now-closed provincial park is nearby. Over Thursday night and through Friday morning, thousands of people from communities including Monte Creek, Falkland, Westwold and the Okanagan Indian Band were told to evacuate, making up 2,500 properties. Several thousand more were on evacuation alert, including parts of Kamloops, Farnworth said. He also said decisions "may need to be made" to move fire crews out of harm's way as the fire blazes out of control. Katrine Conroy, B.C. forests minister, said the fire season is one of the most challenging B.C. has ever experienced. "We know we're on the front lines of climate change history right now," Conroy said. "The conditions are so extreme. The landscape is so dry. And the heat and drought are extremely severe," she added. The fire, which has been burning for three weeks, jumped Highway 97, about 40 kilometres southeast of Kamloops, then swept through Monte Lake. Ken Gillis, chairman of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, said he was told damage is extensive in Monte Lake and through nearby Paxton Valley "I understand from BC Wildfire that this fire moved 18 kilometres in a matter of eight hours," said Gillis. "I've talked to a number of firefighters who said this year's fires are behaving in a manner that they have never seen before. They're just exceedingly aggressive and it's almost impossible to get ahead of them." Tracy Hughes with the Columbia Shuswap Regional District said homeowners may think they are helping by staying, but they make the loss of their property more likely by impeding the work of firefighters. "(Crews) cannot use water bombers, they can't use helicopters, if they know there are people in those areas," said Hughes. "So, for goodness' sakes people, get out. If you are on an evacuation order, your life is in jeopardy and you need to leave now." An official with the BC Wildfire Service said further growth of the fire was expected as winds gusting to 40 km/h were expected through Friday. It was just over one month ago that a wildfire raced through the village of Lytton, killing two people, destroying most of the community and causing an estimated $78 million in damage. On Friday, there were more than 300 wildfires burning in the province with more than 20 added in the last two days, the wildfire service said. The latest statistics from the Forests Ministry show just over 5,800 square kilometres have been charred in B.C. since the start of the wildfire season on April 1. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2021. (With files from CHNL) Theyre not vaccinated because theyre too young, and I dont know if someone else is carrying it in. "Theyre not vaccinated because theyre too young, and I dont know if someone else is carrying it in." Shatavia Dorsey, mother of a kindergartner and fifth-grader in the U.S. state of Georgia In his comments to media on Thursday, Education Minister Cliff Cullen had much to say about the changes coming to the new school year in September, but there was one message in particular that he said he wanted Manitoba parents to hear and understand. "Schools have been safe in the past, were in a better place, and schools should be safe into the future," Cullen said. Its a message that is meant to calm our fears and jitters for our children and their health as we steadily march toward the start of another school year. But for many worried parents, its one that has fallen on deaf ears, even as the province has surprisingly decided to end Manitobas mask mandate and instead move to "recommendations" for mask use and other operational suggestions instead. As of today, changes to the provinces Pandemic Response System move the entire province from a restrictive Code Orange level to a cautious Code Yellow, reflecting our low community transmission rate. After a year and a half of a stressful ride on the fluctuating restriction COVID-19 rollercoaster, youd think wed be happier about seeing the potential end of the pandemic the light at the end of the tunnel that shows were nearing the end of lockdowns and overfilling ICUs. We should be welcoming relaxed restrictions that prevented us from visiting our parents and grandparents, or meeting up with a group of friends in the dining area of the local pub or in our homes. Indeed, a solid number of citizens in our province are doing just that celebrating their "freedom" from the cloth wrapper around their faces. And to be fair to the government, there are some good reasons to join in with the revelry. Fully 80 per cent of eligible Manitobans those aged 12 and over have at least one dose of the vaccine, with more than 72 per cent of those having two doses. While thats not quite good enough for full herd immunity, its still getting closer to the numbers we need to see. But as a parent of elementary-school-aged children, both of whom are under 12, it seems that the province has tried to pin responsibility for the health and welfare of our students on the various school divisions and their superintendents rather than take a stand on keeping the mask mandate in place for the start of the school year. In his remarks on Thursday, Cullen said that the government would not stand in the way of school divisions deciding to bring in stronger rules of their own for Manitobas school population. The province seems to be following a path first trodden by several U.S. states, such as Georgia, which left it up to local schools to decide whether to require face coverings. How odd, considering that the Pallister Government wants to pass Bill 64 as quickly as possible, which will essentially eliminate school divisions across the province, along with their ability to make such decisions on the ground. So if the Brandon School Division decides that elementary school kids should continue to wear masks in the classroom this September to protect each other and their teachers, then you know who to thank or who to complain to, such as the case may be. The provinces chief public health officer, Dr. Brent Roussin, did note to reporters that were still a month away from the start of school, and that theres "plenty of time" for the province to revisit the relaxation of the mask mandate should infections begin rising again. But for some, like Manitoba Teachers Society vice president Nathan Martindale, that wasnt good enough. "Parents and teachers and students all need to feel safe during school," Martindale said. "The easiest way to do that is to make the mask-wearing mandatory instead of this wishy-washy recommendation." If only it were that simple. With the lifting of mandatory mask-wearing in our society starting today, there are no doubt parents who will take umbrage with any school division or government forcing their children to wear a mask in school, and thus circumventing parental authority. Others will blame them for not taking stronger measures to protect kids in their care. Perhaps thats why the school division also seems to be at a loss for what to do. In a letter sent to parents this week following Cullens announcement, Brandon School Division acting Supt. Mathew Gustafson said the division is "very aware of the range of perspectives from families regarding the appropriateness of measures," and that "some families will have different comfort levels and perspectives." It sounds an awful lot like our school division has a lot of planning on its hands to do before September rolls around. Its worth keeping in mind that this hot mess was not created by our trustees, nor school staff. They have been making the best of a bad situation for well more than a year, and now they have new hurdles to face, even as the Delta variant-driven fourth wave looms large on Canadas radar. I dont envy their responsibility. Matt Goezen, editor For our free coronavirus pandemic coverage, learn more here. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size When Karen Anderson stumbled upon a menopause support group on Facebook in June, she learnt for the first time that hormone therapy is typically the best way to treat symptoms of the natural transition that all women go through in their 40s or 50s. I was wondering why hadnt any doctors mentioned it to me? I was very pissed off. Its very disillusioning, Anderson says. Karen Anderson, 51, says she has felt dismissed by her GP over her symptoms. Credit:Joe Armao The mother and grandmother, from Pakenham on Melbournes south-eastern fringe, is perimenopausal dealing with severe joint pain, brain fog and night sweats. She also has fibromyalgia, a syndrome which causes widespread pain through her muscles, and adenomyosis, which results in heavy, excruciating menstrual bleeds both conditions that can affect women in midlife. Desperate for some relief, she worked up the courage to ask her GP about menopausal hormone therapy. But she was shut down. He didnt even want to have the discussion, Anderson says. Sue Loncaric, founder of Women Living Well After 50. Its, youre in the perimenopausal stage, live with it Doctors just fob you off, oh its your age, or, its a bit of anxiety, so your pain is heightened. Its not good enough. Advertisement Im only 51. Im only halfway through my life. Andersons exasperation is echoed by many midlife and older women around the country who are increasingly demanding to be listened to over their health concerns. Sue Loncaric, 63, is the Gold Coast-based founder of website Women Living Well After 50, and she says she has noticed a groundswell building around health issues that affect midlife women, in particular menopause, in the last two years. There has been a massive shift, Loncaric says. Women are making it happen. Theyre not being silent anymore. Theyre confident and informed and supporting each other. Once one woman speaks out, somebody else gets the courage and it builds up. Its been a long time coming. Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, have all spoken about their experiences with menopause. Credit:Getty Images Menopause, once a subject of shame, has been dragged out of the shadows by celebrities speaking about their experiences, from Michelle Obama to Oprah Winfrey and the royal familys Sophie, Countess of Wessex, or Gwyneth Paltrow, who declared three years ago that menopause needs a bit of a rebranding. Prominent no-nonsense US gynaecologist Dr Jennifer Gunter recently released a book, The Menopause Manifesto, while closer to home Dr Ginni Mansberg published The M Word last year. Australian businesses, including Future Super and ModiBodi, are starting to introduce menopause leave; while in Britain, menopause like puberty and pregnancy has been added to the school curriculum. There is growing political momentum around womens health more broadly. The federal government announced $354 million for womens health research in this years budget, while the National Womens Health Strategy 2020-2030 stipulates that gender-specific healthy ageing and menopause are among the priorities. Advertisement Janet Michelmore, acting chief executive and patron of Jean Hailes for Womens Health, says she could not be more thrilled with the building discourse about mature women. Michelmore believes this is partly down to the fact there are more women over 50 in influential positions in workplaces and the media. She also suspects there is more interest in womens health from women who used to cast themselves as past it, and that COVID-19 has put a focus on personal wellbeing. Older women are thinking Ive got a lot of living to do, I want to be well, I want to be fit, and I want to make sure I know how to maximise the last third or half of my life, Michelmore says. Gwyneth Paltrow wants a rebranding of menopause. Credit:Netflix She says that older women have watched their younger counterparts interrogate the medical system and advocate for conditions such as endometriosis and PCOS, and they are now doing their own lobbying. Older women havent been brought up with the same confidence or skills to do that, Michelmore says. Seeing others do it, they start to reflect on their own status and how it could be better for them. The Australia Talks National Survey 2021 found that one in three women feels their health concerns have been dismissed by their GP, which is double the number among men. There is, of course, a long history of womens health concerns being diminished by the medical system. Research shows that womens pain is taken less seriously and is treated with less medication than mens, and its also more likely to be discounted as rooted in emotion, and therefore not real. Studies examining patient data in emergency departments have found women wait longer than men despite describing the same symptoms. Advertisement While the experience of dismissal affects women of all ages, author and social commentator Jane Caro says it can be magnified for those over 50, who are also dealing with the sense of invisibility. We simply stop seeing women, Caro says. Because we value women still for their appearance and their reproductive abilities, once women reach menopause we think theyre past their use-by date. Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell Women. British cultural historian Elinor Cleghorn says the loss of fertility inflicts a loss of relevance. Loading We talk about women of childbearing age like they should be protected at all costs, in a really Handmaids Tale-y way, Cleghorn says, pointing to the recently scrapped World Heath Organisation draft advice that fertile women avoid drinking alcohol. What about women post-childbearing age who have their own complex health needs? ... I think thats what a lot of older women battle with, not just being invisible but also being seen as less valuable and worth caring for. Cleghorn charts how womens pain has been ignored and misdiagnosed throughout history in her new book, Unwell Women. Advertisement The best example of this is in the 19th century, when hysteria really came to prominence [as a diagnosis for women], Cleghorn says. Although science has moved exponentially over a century, it seems that these really crucial tenets of medicines relationship with women, especially womens pain, are still with us. Cleghorn says this was highlighted in the recent landmark Australian lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson over its faulty vaginal mesh devices, which were implanted to treat pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence, but left many mature women with chronic pain and unable to have sex. Shine Lawyers Rebecca Jancauskas, who established the class action, says more than 90 per cent of the 10,000 members are over 50, many of whom had harrowing stories of complications ignored by doctors for years. Older women are thinking Ive got a lot of living to do, I want to be well, I want to be fit, and I want to make sure I know how to maximise the last third or half of my life. Janet Michelmore, acting CEO of Jean Hailes for Womens Health Professor Cassandra Szoeke, director of the University of Melbournes Healthy Ageing Program and author of Secrets of Womens Healthy Ageing, has a clear message: When women say we feel we are being dismissed in our health concerns when we reach 50, I think the most important thing is not to dismiss that. A major issue, Szoeke says, is that less research is done on women than men. For example, while just under half of heart attacks are in women, females only represent about a quarter of participants in drug trials for the condition. Our knowledge base is less for women, we dont know as much about womens hearts, brains. Then they get to menopause and start experiencing sometimes devastating symptoms that impact their capacity to function, Szoeke says. There isnt a woman who doesnt go through menopause ... yet its had a minimal amount of research. Advertisement Harleen Singh first remembers wishing she could one day become prime minister when she was in grade two. Julia Gillard was in power and she remembers looking at her and thinking shes wonderful. I was really inspired by her but as I grew older I was faced with reality and how women are actually treated in politics; diminished, treated and valued solely on their appearances and not the good legislation and things theyve done, says Singh, 16. It infuriated me and that has turned into passion that has driven me. Harleen Singh was inspired by then-prime minister Julia Gillard to dream of becoming PM. Having seen poor treatment of women in Australian politics shes become an activist for change. Credit:Joe Armao Ms Singh was among 20 girls and young women from around the country who spoke to cross-party MPs on Friday about what needs to happen for their generation to feel safe to enter political life, and their dissatisfaction with the recommendations of the review of parliaments response to serious incidents, by the department of prime minister and cabinets deputy secretary Stephanie Foster. No, Dr Swan, they are not guinea pigs, Coatsworth responded. Rapid vaccination during an epidemic is part of epidemic control. And its what every other country has done with COVID-19. On Saturday, UNSW adjunct professor Bill Bowtell tweeted that NSWs COVID policy settings were closer to those in Florida than other Australian states or New Zealand, even though Florida has rejected lockdowns. Coatsworth replied: The Australian media cannot let this sort of hyperbole go unchallenged. The community should just ignore it. Former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Coatsworth says these comments - as well as infectious diseases expert Michelle Ananda-Rajahs remarks on Q+A in February that mass vaccination with AstraZeneca was a population-level experiment - are as bad as right-wing conspiracies about COVID-19 or vaccines. There is no difference between that and an anti-vaxxer saying youre conducting experiments without knowing the consequences. What is the difference? Its exactly the same language, Coatsworth tells The Sun-Herald. The problem with the pro-lockdown, zero-COVID view is although it seems like its a lot nicer and a lot more credible than anti-vaxxer [content], you could still end up in a pretty dark place if you try and push for COVID-zero against the Delta variant. Coatsworth does not advocate censorship in either case but says people who hold themselves up as experts need to be held to account firmly and publicly. Meanwhile, Swan stands by his remarks, saying NSWs approach would show whether the Doherty Institutes modelling for reopening based on vaccination levels would work. I can be criticised for calling that an experiment, Swan says. I wasnt sure that was the right word to use - but we dont know yet the extent to which it will work. At News Corp, which owns Sky News Australia, some high-profile commentators circled the wagons in defence of their colleagues. The Australians columnist Peta Credlin called YouTubes decision a serious infringement on liberty. Censorship wasnt necessarily wrong on every single occasion but it certainly shouldnt be [left to] the commercial or political judgment of a functionary in California against which theres no recourse, she wrote. The same newspapers investigations editor Sharri Markson said Skys suspension was the most extreme cancellation of free speech imaginable. But Chris Mitchell, a long-serving former editor-in-chief of The Australian, takes a somewhat different view. He recalls watching an Alan Jones interview with independent (and former Liberal) MP Craig Kelly in which they misrepresented the UKs COVID-19 data to assert the Delta strain was far less deadly than portrayed - without accounting for the UKs very high vaccination rate. I said to my wife this is going to cause trouble, Mitchell says. I follow the figures pretty closely. They misread the numbers quite badly, which is pretty dangerous. Former editor-in-chief of The Australian Chris Mitchell. Credit:Anthony Johnson Sky News issued a correction and removed the segment from its platforms. Jones was also slammed by 2GBs Ray Hadley and the ABCs Media Watch over the breathtaking broadcast. Mitchell says thats a fair cop: Jones got it wrong. But YouTubes move against Sky was surprising given the amount of mad right-wing conspiracy stuff that appears elsewhere on the platform, he says. Theres a lot of QAnon stuff on YouTube thats a lot harder to the right than anything Alan Jones has ever said. However, Mitchell doesnt think YouTubes decision is as serious as some commentators, including those inside News Corp, make out. Id say to all of them: this is not a huge deal, [its] seven days and a handful of videos. Neither does Mitchell see any reason for misinformation to be left online. I dont think theres a problem with people censoring incorrect facts, he says. At one level, free speech is an important value and all journalists should support free speech and free media. But that doesnt really include the freedom to spread untruths knowingly. The question then comes back to: who makes these calls? Should YouTube be the sole arbiter of what Australians can see on its platform, even when that content is produced by a large media company? Or is there a role for the government regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), to get involved? Chris Chapman, a former chair of ACMA and now president of the London-based International Institute of Communications, says these are big questions for lawmakers around the world, who need to consider whether it is satisfactory that a social media platform can make these editorial decisions and whether there is enough transparency around how they make their decisions. The same issues were at play in Facebooks decision to suspend Donald Trumps account, says Chapman, who argues there is a growing need for parliaments to reassess all legislation to test whether it is fit for purpose in what is now in reality a post-digital world, and rebuild from a first principles perspective. Executive director of the free market Institute of Public Affairs, John Roskam, has by his own declaration a pretty extremist attitude to free speech. But while he is no fan of YouTubes censorious decision, he says it is not a freedom of speech issue. Up to 4000 authorised supermarket and food distribution workers can roll up their sleeves for a vaccine on Sunday at Sydney Olympic Park, in a targeted push to inoculate the most mobile and at-risk people in the outbreak. NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Saturday announced the big day out for the food providers of Sydney, as the state reported another record 319 new local cases of COVID-19. Sydneysiders are entering their sixth week of lockdown measures. Credit:Kate Geraghty. Most new cases reside in south-west and western Sydney, while health authorities have increased concerns about high case numbers in the Canterbury-Bankstown area. Five more people have died, taking the death toll of the Delta outbreak to 27. Mr Hazzard said NSW was not going to beat the deadly virus strain without the community taking up every opportunity to get vaccinated. The states top homicide detective said he cannot discount that a fatal shooting on Friday was linked to gang violence involving the Alameddine organised crime network. Shady Kanj, 22, was shot dead shortly after 11pm in an alleged targeted shooting that also left a 25-year-old bystander in hospital, after he was grazed by a bullet. Shady Kanj who was shot and killed on Friday in Sydneys west. Homicide Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty on Saturday said investigators were closely considering the conflicts within and between organised crime networks as a possible motive for the shooting. We cant discount that. I can say that the 22-year-old male ... is known to police, but not well known. There are some links to the Alameddine organised crime network, however thats only one line of inquiry, he said. It will include suitable medical facilities for testing, resuscitation, and ambulance transfer and be able to cope with COVID-19 positive cases with mild symptoms. The federal government will pay for the construction on the Damascus Barracks at Pinkenba on the Defence Department land and the Queensland government will operate the quarantine facility. The next step will be getting the agreement with the Queensland government to proceed with this, a spokesman for Senator Birmingham said. That is what we are in the process of doing now. Senator Birminghams spokesman said there was no suggestion Queensland was delaying the process because the draft MOU had only been with Queensland for a week. This is a joint project where we effectively build it, as the Commonwealth, and the state government will run it for the duration of the pandemic, the spokesman said. We then take it back and use it as an evacuation centre for cyclones or bushfires or whatever. But we havent quite got agreement with them yet to proceed. Senator Birminghams spokesman said the centres staffing, except for healthcare, would most likely be subcontracted by the Queensland government. It might be a combination of both, but I see a situation where they get a company in to do the catering, get a security company in, and get a cleaning company in to do the cleaning, for example, he said. The concept design will proceed after MOU is signed, he said. Damascus Barracks is now used by the Australian Army, who plan to relocate some equipment. It was chosen because it is close to three tertiary hospitals in Brisbane, close to an international airport that receives regular scheduled international commercial passenger flights. The land is also Commonwealth-owned. Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles on said the Queensland government was working closely with federal authorities to get the quarantine centre operating as quickly as possible. Mr Miles said discussions had begun with Queensland Health and Queensland Police about shifting operations from hotel quarantine to the new Pinkenba quarantine centre. We will continue to talk to health and police in particular about how they can change what they currently do, take what they currently do in a hotel setting into this alternative setting, Mr Miles said on Friday. Loading But I dont imagine it would be an order of magnitude more than what it cost to do in hotel quarantine. Damascus Barracks was established in the 1940s on 25 hectares of land owned by the Defence Department near the Brisbane Airport. It is now a 29.5-hectare site. Only a portion of Damascus Barracks is required for the new Pinkenba quarantine centre, the Defence Department said. It was grey, drizzly and cold on the Flemington public housing estate on Saturday a day very similar to July 4 last year when a COVID-19 outbreak in the towers led to an instant hard lockdown. Then, police swarmed in their hundreds in what Ombudsman Deborah Glass later described as a theatre of policing that traumatised residents and breached their human rights. The estate was bathed with flashing blue lights as residents found themselves imprisoned in their homes without warning, in what remains the most severe coronavirus outbreak response implemented in Australia. A year after its residents were locked in their homes due to a COVID outbreak, the virus has returned to Flemingtons public housing estate - but the response by authorities this time has been markedly different. Credit:Luis Ascui On Friday, coronavirus came once again to the estate with the diagnosis of a COVID-19 case, followed by family members also testing positive. A group of young women sat on the stairs at the back of the tower on Saturday afternoon, trying to avoid attention from the officials and media surrounding the building. Are the police coming? they asked. Is it all happening again? West Australian blogger, author and former Dancing with the Stars contestant Constance Hall has spoken out to prove even a free spirited, barefoot and bra-less free-range mum like herself can be pro-vaccine. In a social media post that has attracted praise from many, including the father of a WA baby who lost his life to a vaccine-preventable disease, she called on those hesitant to have a COVID-19 vaccine to think about their responsibilities and other people. Constance Hall has taken people who wont get vaccinated to task, pointing out even barefoot freerange mums can be pro-vaccine. Credit:Instagram Do I want the COVID vaccine? Hell no, she writes. But life is full of things I dont want to do, its how I grow and learn as a person. Getting the vaccine and making it mandatory for our staff is a touchy subject and probably a hard one for us, says Joey Scandizzo, who owns 10 hairdressing salons and barber shops across Melbourne. Hairdressers are a microcosm of many Australian industries at the moment: weary of being forced to close repeatedly when their state goes into lockdown, unable to socially distance, largely keen on vaccines but wary of losing trained staff who are already rare if they mandate jabs. Scandizzo estimates a third of his staff are keen to be vaccinated or have already had a jab, a third are vehemently opposed because of a mix of legitimate medical or health reasons and conspiracy theories. A third are on the fence. I think its up to the chief health officer and the government [to decide on mandatory vaccinations], Scandizzo says. I think they need to make the call and then we can enforce it. Lea-Ann Suthern, who owns a hair salon in the inner Sydney suburb of Newtown, also wants to stay out of her employees health decision, even though she is vaccinated, is married to a paramedic and regards many of her staff as friends. I dont even think I can really suggest [vaccination] to staff because its none of my business what they do with their health, Suthern says. Suthern and Scandizzo put frankly the dilemma that confronts governments of both political persuasions, businesses and the unions. Lea-Ann Suthern sees her staff as friends as well as colleagues but regards their position on vaccines as none of her business. Credit:Rhett Wyman Each fundamentally supports vaccination but knows that some portion of their voter or membership base is opposed to vaccines for a variety of reasons, from outright conspiracy theories to exaggerated media commentary about the minimal risk of the AstraZeneca jab. Yet all have been wary of being the one to take on the doubters first, especially when vaccine supply is so tight. Consider aged care staff. Despite hundreds of deaths in Victorian aged care homes last year, many from coronavirus cases transmitted by workers, national cabinet only agreed to mandate vaccines for the sectors staff in late June this year. Prime Minister Scott Morrison had urged the move and eventually got agreement for a September 17 deadline but the state public health orders to make that a reality are still being finalised. Loading In a statement, the Department of Health said religious, personal or political exemptions were unlikely to be granted but flagged that exemptions may be given to people who have been unable to find a vaccine. In some cases, a temporary exemption may apply to a region where supply of a COVID-19 vaccine was delayed or incomplete, the statement says. Fifty-six per cent of aged care workers have been had at least their first vaccine dose so far, according to the governments COVID-19 Taskforce. The aged care example gives some weight to Labors argument that boils down to you cant mandate what you cant get, but with a million vaccine doses being delivered a week, that will not hold water for long. Last week, the food processor SPC became the first major firm to announce it would mandate vaccines for its staff. Global tech giants including Uber and Google have already told their US staff not to come into the office unless they are fully vaccinated and have signalled they will likely bring that policy to Australia in time. Mr Morrison said on Friday that the government would leave it up to individual businesses to decide whether to follow SPCs lead in a clever shifting of political risk but gave tacit approval to higher risk firms in coronavirus hotspots making vaccines mandatory under existing industrial law. Aside from transport and healthcare industries whose staff deal with COVID-positive people, Morrison said those most likely to be able to mandate jabs were those [whose workers] are in a position where they are ... public facing in their daily lives - retail, supermarkets, things of that nature. Christa Lenard, a partner at employment law firm Kingston Reid, which predominantly acts for companies, said she was thrilled that SPC had at last put itself forward to test the law. So far there have been two test cases against businesses that mandated the flu vaccine earlier in the pandemic, when public health officials were afraid of an overlapping coronavirus and flu season, one involving an aged care worker and one a childcare worker. Both lost, though the aged care worker is appealing the decision backed by a Sydney lawyer who has railed against mandatory vaccine tyranny. Loading No business has yet had a decision to mandate a coronavirus vaccine tested at court and it is not clear that there will be a union-backed challenge to SPCs decision. Liam OBrien, deputy secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, said unions supported vaccines but slammed what he said was a lack of consultation by SPC. Unions recognise that in some high-risk workplaces there may be a need to introduce a requirement for workers to be vaccinated, OBrien said. This should only be done following public health advice and in consultation with workers and their unions and not haphazardly by individual employers. The unions fear is that exemptions will be applied incorrectly, firms will be able to pry into workers health decisions, and the debate will be used as a political smokescreen to distract from vaccine supply woes. At issue are two tent poles of workplace law that could be used to mandate vaccines in the absence of public health orders. Work health and safety rules require all businesses to take all reasonable and practical steps to ensure their staff stay well at work. That could pull towards vaccination, but Safe Work Australia says it is unlikely to support a mandate. Employers are also allowed to issue reasonable and lawful directions to their staff. The Fair Work Ombudsman, which regulates Australias workplaces, is updating its advice on this point, with sources familiar with the work suggesting it will advise high-risk employers in COVID-19 hotspots they may have the power to mandate. Lenard says that the lawful requirement isnt hard to overcome. As long as people with a legitimate medical or religious exemption are given the chance to opt out there is nothing unlawful about requiring people to get vaccinated as a condition of coming to work. Reasonable is trickier. That is because determining what is reasonable requires weighing up the risk of infection, other steps that can be taken to mitigate it, such as the Biden package of masks, testing and restrictions, and employees interests. All that differs from job to job, place to place, and even within different roles in a business. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says employers have the right to mandate vaccination. Credit:James Brickwood On Friday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian threw her weight behind firms that chose to mandate vaccination. Workplaces have the right to mandate vaccination, Berejiklian said. If they decide they have a particular policy of who is allowed to work in their workplace under a pandemic during a lockdown, that is a matter for them. For businesses wanting to hire new staff or deciding which customers are allowed into their stores, advice from the regulators is that they are on much firmer ground about mandating vaccines for those people. Thats because potential hires and customers dont have the same workplace rights as employees. If someone doesnt like a rule saying they have to be vaccinated to get a job, the prospective employee can choose not to accept the position, says Lenard. Discrimination law would still apply, but a briefing by the Solicitor-General to national cabinet last week suggested its effect would likely be limited because it protected against mistreatment on the basis of characteristics such as gender and race. It would be unlikely that a person being vaccinated or unvaccinated would be related to whether they are of a particular gender or have a particular disability or are of a particular race or something like that, Morrison said of the briefing. So far it has been the larger firms that have been most enthusiastic about mandatory vaccinations. Alexi Boyd, the interim chief executive of the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia, says that is because they have more distance from their staff. Its easy for CEOs to hand down a letter saying our 6000 employers are expected to do this, this and this, Boyd said. Its harder when you spend more time with them than your family. Being in lockdown is no longer an aberration for many Australians, but the default state of affairs. This weekend more than 60 per cent of the country is locked down victims of the governments bungled and delayed vaccine rollout and the zero COVID mentality which has taken hold but is proving impossible to sustain. Just a month ago, state premiers and Scott Morrison agreed to use lockdowns only as a last resort as part of a new deal on the path back to normality. Weeks later, it is clear that was some kind of sick joke. Lockdowns are not only back on the table but pretty much the only tool in the box. Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen With the population fatigued and our leaders bereft of any other ideas, it might well be argued we are now burning down the village in order to save it. We are surely near the limit of what ordinary people can stand without widespread emotional breakdown and financial ruin and, at worst, outbreaks of civil disobedience. Its little surprise the government cant get people to follow the rules in Sydney - theyre over it. All of this might be slightly more bearable if there was light at the end of the tunnel. But there is not. Morrisons most recent plan which says life will get better once 70 per cent and then 80 per cent of adults are vaccinated is not really a plan to open up. It is a plan to stay closed; one that holds us hostage to anti-vaxxers and people who just dont care enough to get it done. Times are tough, and you have to take your kicks where you can find them. A prime source of amusement this week has been watching attempts to shoot down Opposition Leader Anthony Albaneses idea to pay $300 to people to get vaccinated. There are many grounds on which you could criticise the idea its too expensive and difficult to retro-fit. But instead the government has flat-out asserted it wont work that no one would ever respond to such a vulgar cash incentive. This contest is getting hotter ... Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese and Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Its enough to make you wonder if anyone in its ranks has met a person to whom $300 represents a goodly sum. (Its about the same amount as parliamentarians daily travel allowance for when they go to Canberra $291 per diem.) Prime Minister Scott Morrison even tried to manipulate the policy idea into something vaguely threatening in its un-Australian-ness. It was a vote of no-confidence in Australians, Morrison claimed, to suggest they wont get vaccinated unless you dole out the cash. People have to still go to work in those essential roles, like me - I had no choice to work from home because Im a customer-facing role at the bank, Samana says. She says the reason the virus has taken off in south-west Sydney, while it was quelled relatively quickly in the eastern suburbs, is simple. Samana lives in Ingleburn in the Campbelltown local government area, one of the hotspots for Sydneys burgeoning Delta outbreak, and works in a customer service role at a bank a few suburbs away. A few days later, on Samanas 37th birthday, she found out she had passed COVID-19 on to her daughter. Her son was diagnosed a few days later. Fortunately, she says her children are only mildly ill. Samana was so sick she was barely able to move out of bed for the next three days - except she had to, because she has four-year-old twins and her husband is away. Samanas first test came back negative. But that night, she descended into a spiral of symptoms - the nose, the throat, coughing, the fever, the chills - and another test the following day confirmed she was infected. Two weeks ago, Susan Samana received the phone call every Sydneysider is dreading - her boss had COVID-19, and she was a close contact. Health Minister Brad Hazzard has suggested some ethnic communities might have a greater cultural need for family get-togethers and says the government faces a challenge communicating to people who perhaps might have suffered at the hands of other governments. The government has also called out extended-family gatherings in the multicultural melting pot of south-west and western Sydney. Workplaces are a constant place where adults are taking the disease, passing it on to other workers and having it spread to other suburbs and we need to stop that, Berejiklian said at one of the daily COVID-19 press conferences early last week. Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said most transmission is occurring in workplaces and households. Samana is a typical example because she caught the disease at work and then passed it on to her household. Samana admits she feels a little bit angry she caught the virus when she was doing all the right things - wearing a mask, social distancing, washing her hands, getting groceries delivered, not visiting family, and only moving in a triangle between home, daycare and work. If you, for example, work at Woolworths, you have to go in and stack the shelves, you have no choice. We have to stay employed, we have to pay our bills. Another said: Why would anyone want to speak to a journalist from the newspaper ... you people only push one agenda and it aint the truth. Distrust in media is also high. When The Sun-Herald posted in Facebook groups looking for people to share their stories, many responses were sceptical. I got a call yesterday from a parent who was very upset with me because I called in the police, because as part of their culture and where theyre from, they dont have good relationships with police, Langdon says. Were trying to offer support but until they pick up the phone and have that conversation, they dont know that. Langdon says she has been phoning parents for welfare checks and to offer computers and internet dongles but if she cant reach parents on the phone, she is sometimes obliged to notify police. Renee Langdon, deputy principal at a primary school in the Campbelltown LGA, says she has noticed this wariness in her school community, where almost nine out of 10 families speak English as a foreign language. Police and ADF officers deliver groceries to people in isolation in the Fairfield LGA during Sydneys lockdown. Credit:Janie Barrett Saying we come from underprivileged countries and blaming us for spreading the virus is completely uncalled for, says Elsemary, who is originally from Egypt. I respect the government but sometimes they are overboard with their opinions like they treat us like we dont have brains of our own to use. Her point is echoed by Sahar Elsemary, 54, from Greenacre who says south-western Sydney is being blamed for the governments failure to lock down the Bondi cluster properly. Mariam Veiszadeh, an Afghan-Australian writer and lawyer, is encouraging everyone to get vaccinated. Credit:Wolter Peeters There is a perception out there that the outbreak in the east was treated very differently to the outbreak in the west, and that does not help at all with bringing the community on a journey as to why its important to get out there and get vaccinated, Veiszadeh says. Mariam Veiszadeh, an Afghan-Australian writer and lawyer with a large social media following, says using paternalistic language in the press conferences will backfire and undermine the community outreach. In the hotspot zones of south-west and western Sydney, there is a wide variety of lockdown experiences and differing opinions about how well everyone is complying with the restrictions and how well the government is communicating. Dinh, 43, needs to work to stay afloat but he is very worried about the virus and has only had one dose of the vaccine so far. He lives with his parents, who are both fully vaccinated, in nearby Yagoona and is not seeing any extended family. Anthony Dinh with his mother, Kim Thanh, in their restaurant, Banh Cuon in Bankstown. Credit:Janie Barrett Im a business and I dont have the right to tell people what to do, says Dinh. Any day I see a soldier or police, I always put my hand up and say thank you because we need them. Anthony Dinh, who owns Banh Cuon, a Vietnamese takeaway shop in Bankstown, says he is happy to see the police effort because too many people were not wearing a mask or congregating because they were bored. For example, several people reported a lot of people were not wearing masks in shops and shopping centres, particularly young men, older people, and Muslim women wearing hijabs. (Veiszadeh says it is possible this is because of the difficulty in taking a mask on and off under a tight hijab). Elsemary, for example, says the police are being harsh and treating the community like criminals, while some others welcome the enforcement effort because they are frustrated by people not following the rules. Views on the heavy police presence, now bolstered by soldiers from the Australian Defence Force, are divided. Mandy Kamel, 32, from Panania says she is not fearful of the COVID-19 situation in the Bankstown area after having lived with a daily threat to her life in war-torn Beirut. She is not fazed with the police and military presence in the area and is comfortable with the COVID-19 restrictions. It doesnt bother me much. People are supposed to follow the rules and stay at home, Kamel says. Mandy Kamel says she is not fazed by the police enforcement action for the COVID-19 lockdown. Credit:Wolter Peeters Tabrez Shakoor, 38, from Glenfield in the Campbelltown area, says his family comes from Fiji, where there have been several military coups in the past few decades. Shakoor says his parents have a high degree of trust in the NSW government and know they are trying to take care of people, but people in the broader community feel hard done by. The whole fact that people can come in here to work but we cant leave is just a massive kick in the guts, Shakoor says. Its disheartening and you lose a lot of trust. Essential work The Sun-Herald recently reported that workers in the most locked-down areas of Sydney have a high concentration of people working in face-to-face jobs including retail, construction, food services and accommodation. Vanessa, 32, who requested her last name be withheld, can work from home but is worried about her partner, a bus driver, and her father, a courier, catching COVID-19 at work. The family live in Wakeley near the Fairfield showground, on a property with one house for Vanessa and her partner and another for Vanessas parents and grandmother. Vanessa, who is 29 weeks pregnant, exercising with her mum Eva in the Fairfield area. Credit:Janie Barrett It is especially nerve-wracking because Vanessa is 29 weeks pregnant and not yet vaccinated - she has an appointment for her first jab next week. My partner started getting emails cancelling his shifts then all of a sudden his workplace had a COVID contact case so half the workforce went into isolation and hes been relied on really heavily since then, she says. Its a bit scary, knowing that hes out there every day, meeting people and walking past people, and you just dont know [where the virus is]. Elsemary lives with her husband and four children, aged 22, 21, 17 and 15. She is a manager at Taste Tours, a social enterprise that runs food tours in south-west and western Sydney. She is doing some work remotely but has lost income during lockdown. She is so scared about her son, the youngest child, working at Hungry Jacks throughout lockdown and too young to be eligible for any vaccine, but with so many of his siblings stood down from work, the family needs the money. We used to think it was only the old or the people with medical conditions that would be vulnerable to the virus but now its targeting young people as well, Elsemary says. Im always checking him to see if he is coughing and sneezing, if he is all right. Family gatherings While households are not meant to be intermingling during lockdown, NSW Health consistently reports that transmission is still occurring in extended-family get-togethers. For example, when at least 50 grieving family members gathered together in Pendle Hill in July, it directly resulted in more than 45 cases of COVID-19. Even a close relative like a parent or a sister who lives in a different household is at risk of getting the virus or giving you the virus, Berejiklian said at one of the daily press conferences last week. However, if people are socialising with their families on the sly, they are not admitting it to The Sun-Herald. Langdon grew up in the Camden area and has 24 family members nearby, including six siblings. We are freakishly close but we are not getting together, even though we really want to, Langdon says. Kamel, who works for the Australian Red Cross helping to reunite families separated by war or conflict, has two young children and a younger brother and sister who also live in Sydney. She says it is difficult not being able to share a meal with her brother and sister since the lockdown started. Manpreet Singh, 43, from Schofields in the Blacktown LGA, says he understands the drive for family get-togethers - its the culture - but it was important to follow the rules. Manpreet Singh with his family in lockdown in Schofields, Sydney. Credit:Janie Barrett I know you are an attached family, a big family, but think about if your loved one died from that situation, whats the reason you got together? he says. As an electrician, Singh has lost work but he says he is more concerned about the virus than lockdown, having lost his uncle to COVID-19 back in India. Shakoor lives alone and sees his girlfriend Natasha, which is allowed under the lockdown rules. He is also supporting his parents by dropping off groceries, medication and other essentials but says they are not social visits. Meanwhile, Lisa, who requested her last name be withheld, has moved in with her parents in Wakeley rather than stay living alone during a lockdown and face declining mental health. Vaccination With case numbers stubbornly high and rising despite the lockdown, Berejiklian is banking on vaccination as the way out. Her goal is 6 million jabs by the end of August. But Shakoor, a cabinet maker by trade whose bread and butter is installing kitchens, is frustrated that he is fully vaccinated, yet losing work to unvaccinated tradies from other parts of Sydney. He says many of his peers refuse to get vaccinated because they dont know whats in it and feel they are fit and would fare OK with the virus. I was speaking to one of my mates today, and he was against it a couple of weeks ago, but today saying that hes just going to go get it, he says. But my business partner doesnt want to get it so its a mixed bag. Figures from Operation COVID Shield revealed last week that only 14 per cent of people aged over 15 in south-west Sydney are fully vaccinated, compared with more than a quarter in North Sydney. Everyone interviewed by The Sun-Herald spoke about high levels of misinformation circulating in the community. Pharmacist Quinn On in Cabramatta has sounded the alarm over vaccine misinformation on Chinese-owned social media channel WeChat. Lisa, 30, is fully vaccinated because of a heart condition, as are her parents and grandmother, but she is concerned about the influence from vaccine-sceptical community leaders. The family lives opposite the Assyrian Orthodox Christian Good Shepherd Church where Bishop H.G. Mar Mari Emmanuel recently delivered a sermon railing against the lockdown as an absolute mass slavery that was treating humans like animals and raising doubts about the vaccine. Kamel says she is looking forward to getting her first Pfizer vaccination shot later this month. A Maronite Christian, she and her husband attend an Orthodox church in Punchbowl where most people she knows are happy to get vaccinated. Meanwhile, many people in the hotspot areas remain concerned about the safety and efficacy of AstraZeneca. For example, Elsemary says most people she knows are wary of AstraZeneca and she would not be happy for her children to take it. You hear about the deaths every now and then and [last week] it was a 34-year-old woman who died because of AstraZeneca, she says. Leidy Castro Meneses, 36, from Yagoona, says the anti-vaccine message is powerful because it has a grain of truth - as well as the rare clotting risks of AstraZeneca, it is factually correct that vaccines such as Pfizer dont have full FDA approval in the United States but are in the last phase of trials, testing it on the population. Castro Meneses says she and her husband were vaccinated early after someone shared a booking link on Facebook.We went to Liverpool hospital and got the Pfizer vaccine and it turned out later that this was illegal, that people shouldnt share their personal links, she says. I feel bad about it but I didnt realise - I just filled out the form and I didnt lie about my age or anything. Leidy Castro Meneses with her daughter, Sofia, in the lobby of their Yagoona apartment building. She is relieved to be vaccinated now that the virus is raging in her local area. Credit:Janie Barrett She is relieved to be vaccinated now that the virus is raging in her local area and also because her husband went back to their native Colombia for two months after his father died from COVID-19. Overall, she thinks the communication from the NSW government has been good. Honestly, I think that they have done everything right, she says. This is an unprecedented time, and people critique the premier and ask why we didnt go into lockdown earlier, but its difficult to predict. Meanwhile, Samana is booked in to have the Pfizer jab at the end of September. At the time of booking, there was no access to AstraZeneca for her age group and the decision to open it up more widely has come too late for her. Samana plans to keep that appointment in the hope that a double dose of immunity means she never has to live through COVID-19 again. You can get COVID again and if I have the vaccination, even if it gives me half the symptoms that Ive just gone through, I would be very thankful because it was so scary, she says. There were times I thought I would have to call an ambulance to pick me up and my two kids with me. With Anna Patty Stay across the most crucial developments related to the pandemic with the Coronavirus Update. Sign up to receive the weekly newsletter. Australians in general are a pretty tolerant lot about religion: live and let live. In the 2011 Census, where nearly 30 per cent did not identify with any religion, only 59,000 said they were atheists, a minuscule proportion. There were more Jedis (Star Wars). There are surely more atheists than that, but I believe many were put off by the strident tone of populist atheists such as Richard Dawkins. Australians dont like aggressive fundamentalists, whether religious or anti-religious. More people marked themselves as Jedi than as atheists in the 2011 census. Credit:Anita Jones Secular humanists often come across as similarly aggressive. They too define themselves through the lens of religion that is, in opposition to it. In my 12 years as religion editor of The Age, the campaign to stop children enjoying Christmas or Easter in schools, for example in the name of inclusivity was entirely promoted by secular humanists. Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and others told me they loved these celebrations of faith and just hoped that their own key festivals, such as Diwali and Eid, might also be noticed. That would be proper inclusion. And now the 2021 Census is upon us (on Tuesday), the secularists are campaigning again. Last month, an opinion article by Humanists Australia CEO Heidi Nicholl urged Australians to mark the no religion box in the Census. This, she wrote, was in the interests of reducing funds to faith-based schools, chaplaincy programs and the like. Nicholl seems to follow the common misconception that the nones are necessarily irreligious. But this is simply not true: there are diverse reasons why people mark no religion. An interesting new book, The Twenty-something Soul: Understanding the Religious and Secular Lives of American Young People, by Kathleen Garces-Foley and Tim Clydesdale, divides the nones into four categories. By far the largest is that of indifferent secularists, at 54 per cent - those who have no commitment to any religious or non-religious position, and may be open to religious belief. Philosophical secularists who would include most of the atheists are the smallest group at 12 per cent. The other two groups, both on 17 per cent, are unaffiliated believers (that is, religious but not identifying with any denomination) and spiritual eclectics. The Twenty-something Soul deals with the US, but there are surely parallels with Australia. In both nations the nones are rising with each Census, especially among the young. The real growth seems to be among those who identify as spiritual but not religious, and its anyones guess which Census box each of them might tick. The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has dismissed a petition of the promoters of IT firm Rolta India Ltd seeking one-time settlement and regain the control of the company facing insolvency proceedings. In an order dated August 6, 2021, the tribunal rejected the Section 12 A plea of the promoters, Rolta said in a regulatory filing on Saturday. "... Stock Exchanges are further informed that on August 06, 2021, (pronounced orally in open court) has dismissed the applications filed under Section 12A of the Code at the instance of ex-management seeking withdrawal of the captioned petition post initiation of Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP). "Further, in terms of the directions passed by the Hon'ble NCLT, CIRP is to be continued as per the provisions of the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code, 2016, for Rolta India as well as its subsidiaries viz., Rolta Defence Technology Systems Pvt Ltd and Rolta BI & Big Data Analytics Pvt Ltd ," it added. A copy of the order will be disseminated by the company upon receipt of a detailed signed copy thereof, the filing said. Under Section 12A of IBC, the tribunal can permit withdrawal of an ongoing insolvency process against a company subject to certain conditions. On May 13, 2021, had admitted a petition filed by one Dinesh Gupta, an employee of Rolta Ltd, who had worked as Group Manager between April 1, 2013 to June 14, 2019 and had directed to initiate insolvency proceedings. Gupta had claimed an amount due with interest of Rs 10.42 lakh as he was not paid salaries for January-June 2019 along with leave encashment and gratuity. had appointed Vandana Garg as as an Interim Resolution Professional to conduct the insolvency resolution process of Rolta India. "This Bench, on perusal of the documents filed by the petitioner, is of the view that the Corporate Debtor defaulted in paying the total outstanding dues to the petitioner. "Therefore, the petition under Section 8 & 9 of the Code is taken as complete, accordingly this Bench hereby admits this petition... " NCLT had said in its order on May 13, 2021. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) will invest close to $1.2 billion in development of a 1.3 Gw of hybrid (RE) project, which will provide round-the-clock (RTC) renewable power supply, a first for the country. The company won the project in May 2020 in a tender issued by central agency Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) by quoting a tariff of Rs 2.9 per unit. The company would set up the cumulative capacity at three locations Karnataka, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. The hybrid capacity would include 0.9 Gw wind power, 0.4 Gw solar power along with corresponding battery storage. The company is expecting that the plant load factor (PLF) or the operating ratio of the hybrid power unit would be to the tune of 80 per cent. The project will be designed to operate at an 80 per cent average annual PLF and will have a minimum capacity utilisation factor of 70 per cent monthly, despite being a project, said the company in a statement to the paper. Power from this hybrid project is likely to be sold to northern and eastern states. SECI officials did not confirm the states. The tender provides for 3 per cent tariff escalation annually for 15 years. The company said will supply the electricity in the first year at Rs 2.90 per unit and this tariff will increase by 3 per cent annually for the first 15 years. After which it will stabilise for the remaining 10 years of the 25-year contract. POWER POINTS Company to set up 1.3-Gw of hybrid capacity with 0.9 Gw wind power, 0.4 Gw solar with corresponding battery storage Project to come up in states Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan Company won the project in May 2020 by quoting the lowest tariff of Rs 2.9 per unit 4. 3% tariff escalation for next 15 years Industry calculations indicate that the average tariff over the life of the life of the project would come to around Rs 3.5-3.6 per unit. However, Sumant Sinha, CEO, told Business Standard last year that the rate would be lower than this. I would say the number (average tariff) is lower than what you are mentioning (Rs 3.6/unit). To provide that kind of firmness of power, you do have to consider certain issues that you have to take care of, he had said. Prayas Energy Group in one of its analysis papers on the RTC scheme said, with a minimum 80 per cent annual capacity utilisation factor (CUF) requirement, coupled with stiff penalties for non-compliance, this (Rs 2.9 per unit) is a very attractive price for the procurers. It said, Minimising the excess generation through different combinations of wind and solar such that their profiles have a high level of synergy will become very critical to reduce the project risk. Sinha said in a statement: With the signing of this PPA, ReNew Power and the Indian sector has taken a historic step towards addressing intermittency of renewable power generation. We are pleased to sign this agreement which allows us to provide a value-added product to the electricity grid and offers us a competitive advantage for all such future bids. ReNew has obtained requisite approvals to connect the project sites with the grid and has secured connectivity through the inter-state transmission system, said the company. In the view of a possible third wave of in the country, the BJP is a readying the world's largest volunteer health force and it aims to train 4 lakh people for it by August end, party's national general secretary Tarun Chugh said here in Saturday. The trained volunteers, of which 51,000 will be from Delhi alone, will help the needy with relief assistance in case the third wave strikes, he said at a Delhi BJP event. The kind of dedication and commitment the top party leadership and workers showed during the first and second wave of the pandemic has set an example in the world, Chugh said. "If there is a third wave, the BJP is even better prepared now, and its workers and health volunteers will be ready for public service in every village and town of the country," he claimed. Launching the health volunteer campaign at the Delhi BJP office, Chugh said the party will train over 4 lakh health volunteers across the country by August 31. "In Delhi alone there is a target to have 51,000 such volunteers," said Chugh, who is also the convener of the national health volunteers' campaign of the BJP. Fighting is like saving humanity and for it the party workers are ready to put their own lives at stake, he said. He said while the opposition seemed busy "raising doubts and complaining", the BJP leaders and workers went among people to provide respite to them in the earlier waves of the pandemic. "So far, under the health volunteers' campaign of the party, already 1.48 lakh people have got themselves registered as health volunteers, and in Delhi alone this number has crossed 3,000," Chugh said. Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said a team of volunteers would be deployed at every booth and added that while he prayed that there should not be a third wave of Covid, there was no harm in being ready for any eventuality. He released a helpline number for registering as a health volunteer and said it will also serve as a service number for seeking help in case of a third wave. (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.) Type address separated by commas Your Email: Covid-19 community transmission is substantial or high in most of the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its latest update. Most US states and jurisdictions are experiencing substantial or high levels of community transmission of Covid-19 driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, Xinhua news agency quoted the CDC as saying. Covid-19 cases, hospitalisations, and deaths continue to increase, especially in communities with lower vaccination coverage, it added. The current seven-day moving average of daily new cases (89,977) increased 33.7 per cent compared with the previous seven-day moving average (67,274). The current seven-day average of new hospital admissions for July 28-August 3 was 7,707, 40.0 per cent increase from the prior seven-day average. The current seven-day moving average of new deaths (377) increased 34.8 per cent compared with the previous seven-day moving average (280). Substantial transmission means at least 50 new cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days, while high transmission is more than 100 cases per 100,000 people over the last week, according to CDC'S four-tiered system that measures the level of community transmission. --IANS ksk/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) chief minister on Saturday that weekly markets in the national capital will be allowed to reopen from Monday stating that his government is concerned about the livelihoods of people. At the same time, he urged people to follow appropriate COVID guidelines once the markets open. "Weekly markets are being opened from Monday. These r poor people. Govt is quite concerned about their livelihoods. However, everyone's health and lives are also imp. I urge everyone to follow Covid appropriate behaviour after these mkts are opened." CM tweeted. The national capital was under a Covid-19 induced lockdown from April 19 to May 30, as the country battled a devastating second wave of the pandemic. recorded 72 new COIVD-19 cases and one death over the last 24 hours, according to the health department bulletin on Saturday, which said 22 people had recovered from the infection. The cumulative count of cases has gone up to 14,36,695 including 565 active cases according to the bulletin. (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 gave first priority to the poor in its strategy to combat the COVID-19 crisis, said Prime Minister on Saturday. While interacting with beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana in Madhya Pradesh, through video conferencing, the Prime Minister said: "Be it Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana or Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Rozgar Yojana, we thought about the food and employment of the poor from the first day itself." He noted that over 80 crore citizens have been provided free ration after the COVID-19 started in the country. "Not just wheat, rice or pulses but over 8 crore poor families were even provided free gas cylinders during the lockdown. Over 20 crore women received around Rs 30,000 crores directly in their Jan Dhan bank accounts," the Prime Minister stated. Terming heavy rain and floods in several districts of Madhya Pradesh as "unfortunate", PM Modi said, "Lives and livelihood of several people affected. The Government of India and the entire nation stands with Madhya Pradesh in these times of crisis." "Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his entire team are going to the spots and carrying out rescue and relief operations. Be it NDRF, Central forces, or Air Force, all facilities are being provided to the State government for help in this situation," he noted. He said that at a time when there is a worldwide crisis on livelihood, it is constantly being ensured that there is a minimum loss in India. "For this, many steps have been taken in the last year and are being taken continuously. Lakhs of crores of rupees have been provided to small, small, micro industries to continue their work," PM Modi said. The Prime Minister asserted that efforts are being made to give strength to the poor, empowerment in the true sense from the past several years. "I remember what used to be the condition of roads in MP, we used to hear about big scams from here. Today, cities in MP are creating new models for cleanliness and development. Today, roads are being built in every village of the country, new jobs are being created, farmers have access to markets, poor people are able to reach the hospital on time in case of illness," 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.) Johnson and Johnsons single-dose Covid vaccine has been given approval for emergency use in India, announced Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Twitter on Saturday. "Now India has 5 EUA vaccines. This will further boost our nation's collective fight against #COVID19," tweeted Mandaviya. The US pharma major had sought approval for its single shot vaccine from the Indian regulator earlier this week. "We are pleased to announce that on August 7, 2021, the Government of India issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 single-dose vaccine in India, to prevent Covid in individuals 18 years of age and older," said Johnson & Johnson India spokesperson. In April the company had indicated that it was in discussions with the Indian government about starting a bridging clinical study for the vaccine. India has now done away with the provision of trial for Covid-19 vaccines that are approved by foreign regulators like the USFDA or UK-MHRA, and thus the vaccine maker was asked to apply directly for approval. India expands its vaccine basket! Johnson and Johnsons single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is given approval for Emergency Use in India. Now India has 5 EUA vaccines. This will further boost our nation's collective fight against #COVID19 Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) August 7, 2021 The J&J spokesperson had earlier said the vaccine would come to India through its collaboration with Indian drug firm Biological E in Hyderabad, which will produce it. Biological E will be an important part of our global supply chain network, helping to supply our vaccine through the extensive collaborations and partnerships we have with governments, health authorities and organisations such as Gavi and the Covax Facility, the spokesperson said. Earlier, Mahima Datla, MD and CEO of Biological E, had told Business Standard that J&J was looking to produce 500-600 million doses at its plant but did not specify whether this is a per annum figure or the total doses specified in the contract. While exact details have not been revealed, the J&J vaccine is likely to be made in India under the Quad Vaccine Partnership, an alliance between India, the US, Japan and Australia. Biological E has not revealed its manufacturing or stock-piling plans, nor whether production will be scaled up from the initial quantity. J&J has said earlier its vaccine can remain stable at 2-8 degree Celsius for up to three months and the company will ship the vaccine using the same cold chain technologies it uses today to transport treatments for cancer, immunological disorders and other medicines. The vaccine Ad26.COV2.S developed by J&Js arm Janssen got an emergency use authorisation from the US Food and Drug Regulator (USFDA) in February this year based on data from the phase 3 Ensemble study. J&J conducted clinical trials on 43,783 participants across countries including the US. The USFDA noted that the vaccine was approximately 77 per cent effective in preventing severe/critical COVID-19 occurring at least 14 days after vaccination and 85 per cent effective in preventing severe/critical COVID-19 occurring at least 28 days after vaccination. The European Medical Agency (EMA) authorised the vaccine in March. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the national public health agency of the US, has said that the vaccine had high efficacy at preventing hospitalisation and death in people who did get sick. The CDC has also noted that the Janssen vaccine was 66.3 per cent effective in clinical trials at preventing laboratory confirmed Covid-19 illness in people who had no evidence of prior infection 2 weeks after receiving the vaccine. Early evidence suggests that the J&J/Janssen vaccine might provide protection against asymptomatic infection, which is when a person is infected by the virus that causes COVID-19 but does not get sick, the CDC has noted. Speaker on Saturday took an aerial survey of flood-hit areas here even as the Army was roped in to lead rescue operations after several people were trapped inside their houses due to the deluge, officials said. At least 140 people were rescued at various places in the Sangod area of the district and evacuated to safer places till 11 am on Saturday, Kota Collector Ujjawal Rathore said He said the situation in Sangod is under control now. Birla, who is an MP from Rajasthan's Bundi, took the aerial survey in a helicopter of the flood-affected areas in the morning, the officials said. The administration roped in the Army when the flood situation worsened on Friday night in Sangod town, they said. At least 140 people, including around 30 girls and staff of a girls residential school in Hingi village were rescued by Saturday late morning, the officials said. District Collector Rathore and Superintendent of Police, Kota (Rural), Sharad Choudhary rushed to the spot at midnight and monitored the rescue operation till Saturday morning. Rajasthan: Speaker and Kota-Bundi MP, inspects flood-affected areas in Sangod city in Kota district on an inflatable boat "The have caused heavy losses. The situation is dire. In Hadoti, the flood has damaged crops," he says pic.twitter.com/U4Y1lpl8a0 ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2021 Besides the Army, the SDRF, the NDRF and the district administration were helping in rescue efforts. The situation is now normal in Sangod as the water level has come down. However, an assessment of the damage of property, crops and houses is yet to be carried out, Congress MLA from Sangod Bharat Singh said. Singh questioned the presence of girls and staff in the residential school when the classes were off. He alleged that the principal of the school fled on noticing the rising water level on Friday evening. I am of the opinion that action should be initiated against the headmaster of the school, he said. The has decided to train 2,000 OBC students for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) exams and 1,000 for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams, state Disaster Management Minister Vijay Wadettiwar said on Saturday. Speaking to reporters in Aurangabad, the minister said talks are also underway with aviation companies to impart pilot training to 25 students each year. The state government has sanctioned funds to the tune of Rs 150 crore for Mahajyoti (Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Research and Training Institute), of which Rs 40 crore have been disbursed, he said. "Under Mahajyoti, we are going to train 2,000 OBC students for the MPSC exam and 1,000 for exams," Wadettiwar said. Similarly, a project will also be undertaken to train 25 persons as commercial pilots, of which 33 per cent will be from the VJNT class and 67 per cent from the OBC category, he said. Talking about the appointment of MPSC board members, Wadettiwar said that other communities should also be given preference while appointing members, and the issue will be taken up with the chief minister. The state government is planning to set up a separate commission for gathering data needed in court for political reservation of OBCs, he said. The minister further criticised the Union Cabinet for clearing a constitution amendment bill that seeks to give states the power to make their own OBC lists. "The bill presented in the Parliament is incomplete. The Central government has pushed its responsibility on states regarding reservation. Without Constitutional amendment, reservation beyond 50 per cent is not possible," he 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.) Protesting the Centre's move to place the "anti-people" Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in Parliament, West Bengal Chief Minister on Saturday shot a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to refrain from proceeding with the legislation. She requested the PM "to ensure that a broad-based and transparent dialogue on the subject is opened up at the earliest". "I write this letter to re-lodge my protest against the Union Government's fresh move to place the much-criticised Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020, in Parliament. It was proposed to be moved last year, but many of us had underlined the anti-people aspects of the draft legislation, and at least I had detailed out all the salient pitfalls of the Bill in a letter to you on June 12, 2020," she wrote. Banerjee had written to Modi on June 12 last year, expressing outrage over the draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020, which, she, said, was an attempt by the Centre to "destroy" the country's federal structure. She claimed that the bill aims to make the entire state electricity grid an appendage of the Grid. "I am stunned to hear that the Bill is coming back without any consideration for our reservations, and in fact with some graver anti-people features this time," she added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Odisha on Saturday reported 1,096 new COVID-19 infections, pushing the tally to 9,85,827, while the toll climbed to 6,366 with 64 more fatalities, a health department official said. Of the 1,096 new cases, 637 were recorded in quarantine centres, and the rest detected during contact tracing, the official said. Khurda district, of which state capital Bhubaneswar is a part, registered 389 cases, Cuttack at 92 and Balasore at 77. Boudh and Nabarangpur districts did not report any new case. Khurda also logged 27 fresh deaths, followed by Cuttack at 17. Four fatalities each were recorded in Balasore and Keonjhar, three in Mayurbhanj, and one each in Angul, Bhadrak, Boudh, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Kendrapara, Nayagarh and Puri. According to the health department, the list of fatalities does not reflect deaths that have occurred on a particular day. It gives details of past deaths for which the audit process has been duly completed and the cause identified as COVID-19. As many as 9,66,928 people, including 1,558 on Friday, have recovered from the highly infectious disease. Odisha currently has 12,480 active cases. The positivity rate stands at 5.97 while the test positivity rate at 1.64 per cent. Over 1.64 crore sample tests have been conducted so far, including 66,770 on Friday. The state has thus far inoculated as many as 1,76,70,656 people with COVID-19 vaccines, of which 41,10,214 have received both the doses. Meanwhile, the Odisha government has successfully set up the much-needed Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) facility at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, bringing relief to critically ill COVID-19 patients, who were earlier airlifted to Kolkata, Hyderabad or Chennai. The facility will be operational from August 15, said CBK Mohanty, the chief of Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET). Nine ECMO machines have been installed at the facility, and adequate employees appointed to handle the supportive treatment, he added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US on Saturday asked its citizens to leave war-torn as the intensified its attacks in recent days. "The US urges its citizens to leave immediately using available commercial flight options. Given the security conditions and reduced staffing, the Embassy's ability to assist US citizens in is extremely limited even within Kabul," the US Embassy in Kabul said in a statement. Earlier at a media briefing on Friday, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said that the US is "closely tracking" and is "concerned about" retaliatory killings of civilians in Afghanistan. "If the claim to want international legitimacy, these actions are not going to get them the legitimacy they seek. They do not have to stay on this trajectory. They could choose to devote the same energy to the peace process as they are to their military campaign," Afghanistan's TOLO News quoted Psaki as saying. Since the foreign troops started leaving Afghanistan, the had been extensively fighting with the Afghan government in an attempt to gain control of key areas. (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.) Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's target of USD 400 billion in exports this year, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) called it 'attainable', given the current global situation of post-pandemic economic recovery and rising competitiveness of Indian goods. "The strategy for exports along with taking all players on board would yield notable outcomes with the comprehensive policy announcements and will help India take a winning leap forward as a USD 5 trillion economy in the near future," said in a statement. Chandrajit Banerjee, the Director-General of said, "The PM has set an aspirational, but very much attainable target of USD 400 billion in exports for the year. At the current juncture when global value chains are in flux, the multifold strategies to promote exports coupled with a whole-of-government approach make this a moment for India to seize. The draft National Logistic Policy, boost for project exports and enhancing export insurance cover offer significant encouragement to catalyse exports to new peaks." "PM's address today speaks volumes of the Government's commitment towards Atmanirbhar Bharat mission for economic growth, a vision based on net exports and making India competitive. The Government's focus on new and existing markets and products and simplification of procedures will greatly enhance the competitiveness of Indian exports. The industry would work with the Government on the Districts as Export Hubs initiative and level with the state and district authorities for capacity building of potential exporters," Banerjee added. Lauding the Central government for its efforts to foster globally competitive firms, the Director-General said, "Over the recent few years, the Government of India has been at the forefront in creating a conducive regulatory environment that fosters globally competitive firms. Several reform initiatives have been introduced in the domain of trade and investment which have been the key to enhance the export potential of the Indian economy. The Government has been very proactive during the lockdown period and has extended all possible help and support to the industry as a whole and exporters in particular. Industry concerns were resolved on an almost real-time basis." He also affirmed CII's initiatives to promote Green and Responsible Exports through its Green Product (GreenPro) Certification and Responsible Export Organisation Certification Schemes, which are in sync with the Central government's strategy. (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.) Apex trade promotion body on Saturday said it will handhold startups, artisans and farmers to facilitate their entry into the field of exports and engage with Indian diaspora to boost the country's outbound shipments. The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) also said support of the government will help in achieving USD 400 billion exports target during the current fiscal. "Exporters will handhold startups, artisans and farmers to enter into the field of exports to have a mutually beneficial relationship," President A Sakthivel said. The Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) said it has set up an ambitious target of raising exports of the sector to USD 44 billion in 2021-22. Colin Shah, chairman, GJEPC, said the sector will work to play a positive role in achieving the USD 400 billion target. "There is an increasing recovery firming up at several export destinations including the US and Europe. We have a tremendous local network, and it is a great phase to extract potential for the benefit of our economy," Shah said. He said the council has appealed to the government to bring in policy reforms that would make the sector competitive on the global front. "We have requested them to further the ease of doing business, provide adequate financial support through banks, rationalisation of taxation and SEZ policies to make this sector a hub for FDI and manufacturing outsourcing by the world. This support will help bring India at par with our competitors such as China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Turkey," 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.) A bipartisan group of influential senators on Friday urged the Biden Administration to accelerate the process of issuing visas to students, a move likely to benefit thousands of Indians who want to join their classes this Fall. In India, for instance in Delhi, only emergency visas are currently being issued by the US Embassy, as a result of which a large number of Indian students are uncertain about their academic future for the next session beginning this Fall. There are over 100,000 Indian students in the US and they contribute significantly to the American economy. We write to express our concerns regarding the slow pace of processing student visas as we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, two dozen senators wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Tony Blinken. In order to welcome students and scholars in the Fall, as competitor countries are doing, we urge the State Department to provide predictable and consistent consular services, maximise alternatives to in-person interviews by providing waivers and virtual interviews, extend eligibility waivers, authorise staff overtime and increase hiring, and initiate meaningful engagement with outside stakeholders and agencies, they said. We are at a critical point in the academic calendar when students and scholars must make appointments and plan their travel to the United States, they added. The senators further said while some US consulates are reopening, most are still operating at lower capacity levels and there remains limited access to visa appointments. Prospective students cannot be certain about whether their visas will be processed in time for them to travel to the to begin their studies, the senators wrote. While we appreciate that a National Interest Exception for international students has been created, the processing of these visas in a timely way continues to be a challenge. International students coming to the provide significant and essential value to the higher education system and our economy, they stressed. Data from the Association of International Educators shows that more than one million international students at US colleges and universities during the 2018-2019 academic year contributed USD 41 billion to the country's economy. Furthermore, bringing international students to the enriches the educational experience of domestic students that would be more difficult to achieve through online formats. There are also practical barriers to online learning by international students while physically outside the United States such as not all countries have reliable electricity or internet access and time zone differences require some students to appear online for classes in the middle of the night, the senators said. There are also countries that limit access to certain information or websites while the US also bars the sharing of certain information with other countries, they 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.) BJP president JP Nadda, who arrived here Saturday on a two-day visit, attacked the Opposition in Uttar Pradesh saying people with "narrow mindset" should not be elected to power. Nadda's visit comes at a time Uttar Pradesh prepares for the next year's assembly polls in which the ruling BJP will be pitted against the Samajwadi Party, the BSP, the Congress and other regional fronts. Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah had also visited the state recently. Addressing a meeting of the newly-elected chairpersons of zila panchayats and block panchayats on the first day of his visit, Nadda praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the vaccination drive. "On April 20, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modiji constituted a task force and he gave the country two vaccines (against coronavirus) in nine months," he said. "It is a separate matter (that the Opposition said) we will not get vaccinated. This is a vaccine of the BJP. Now, you have been vaccinated with the BJP vaccine. This tells the mindset of the leaders. Those who have a narrow mindset, how will they lead UP? This is something to think upon," he said, without naming any leader or party. "We have to understand that they are doing with such a narrow mindset. They are working to mislead (people). They have damaged the country by saying 'do you think that we are guinea pig'. Today, when I meet them, and ask whether they have taken the vaccine, they say 'yes'." Just as the vaccine was being rolled out in the country in January, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had called it the "vaccine of the BJP" and said he would not take the shot. "How can I trust the vaccine, which will be used for vaccination by the BJP? We cannot get vaccinated by the BJP''s vaccine," Akhilesh Yadav had said. Nadda also said the world sought India''s vaccines and jabs were provided to various countries under Vaccine Maitri. "Today, there is no shortage of vaccines, and by December, the industrialists of India will prepare 135 crore (doses of) vaccines," Nadda said. Nadda also urged the elected members of the panchayats to ensure that everyone in their respective areas get fully vaccinated against COVID-19. "The public has sent you after electing. You are not the leader of the public, you are custodian of the faith of the public, and it is your responsibility that you treasure this faith."he told the elected panchayat heads. He also attacked the Opposition for their response during the pandemic. "As the COVID-19 pandemic came, all the parties went into quarantine and isolation. They were visible only on Twitter. They used to hold press conferences via video-conferencing. First, they questioned the imposition of the lockdown, and then they asked why the lockdown was lifted," Nadda said. Referring to the PM Gareeb Kalyan Ann Yojana, he said over 80 crore people of the country get two square meals a day because of the scheme, which, according to him, has earned praise from the United Secretary General and the WHO Director General. "Almost 100 year ago, when there was a pandemic, more people died of starvation than the disease. Over 80 crore people of the country are getting two square meals a day because of the PM Gareeb Kalyan Ann Yojana," he said. "In the US, Brazil and Italy, it was only the government which fought the coronavirus. In India, Modiji prepared the country to fight the virus through ''taali bajaao'', ''thaali bajaao'' and ''diyaa jalaao''," Nadda said. The BJP chief also said winning even a small election is very difficult, and involves a lot of hard work and urged the elected panchayat chairpersons to become the ''pratham sevak'' in their respective districts and blocks. Nadda said once Uttar Pradesh was known for riots, and was counted among the 'BIMARU' states. "But, today it is the number two in terms of ease of doing business. The per capita income of UP has doubled." In the panchayat elections held in UP, the BJP won 67 zila panchayat chairpersons post in 75 districts of the state. It won the chairperson's post in 648 out of 825 block panchayats. The BJP chief also listed the achievements of the Modi government. "(Ram Manohar) Lohia had in the 1960s said in Parliament that the Indian women had to finish her 'dincharya' (daily nature's call) on the streets before the sunrise. This problem was resolved by Prime Minister Modi, and toilets were given to 11 crore women," Nadda said, and asked the audience to ensure no household is left without a toilet. "We have to also keep in mind what is the agenda? Do we accept an agenda or do we set an agenda? The leader must understand the problems of the public, accordingly set an agenda, and move forward," he said. BJP's general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh, Uttar Pradesh in-charge Radha Mohan Singh, deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma and state BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh were present during the occasion. (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.) Suspense over any possibility of an alliance between the and Raj Thackeray-led MNS deepened on Saturday with senior leaders and Maharashtra unit president Chandrakant Patil evading a direct reply. While Patil is in New Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior leaders, Leader of Opposition Fadnavis cryptically said the saffron party will have only one engine to contest the 2024 general elections. The railway engine is the poll symbol of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). Speaking to reporters in Pune, Fadnavis said, Patil has already clarified his position and the party's stand regarding a possible pre-poll alliance with the MNS. However, the is going to have only one engine ahead of the 2024 (general) polls. Fadnavis, a former chief minister, did not elaborate whether he meant joining hands with the MNS or going solo in the general polls. Responding to a query on speculations that Patil might be replaced as state chief, Fadnavis said, The party is doing fine under the leadership of Patil in the state and all leaders are with him. There are no talks of changing leadership in the state at the moment. After meeting the MNS chief at the latter's residence in Mumbai on Friday, Patil said the alliance was not on the cards at the moment. The meeting, however, triggered speculation about a possible tie-up as elections to the Mumbai civic body are due next year. "Raj told me that he does not hold any grudge against the non-Marathi people living in Mumbai. We still have some political differences and there is no proposal to join hands ahead of the polls at this moment," Patil had said. On Saturday, Patil told reporters in Delhi, I am here to apprise senior party leaders about the meeting with Raj Thackeray. Any decision will be taken by these leaders. Senior leaders will have to consider the interest as well". Before Patil, Fadnavis and former Mumbai unit BJP president Ashish Shelar had separately held meetings with senior BJP leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah. When asked about these meetings, Patil said, It is common in the party that leaders pay a visit to Delhi separately. There is nothing to read too much into it. Patil is accompanied by other leaders from Maharashtra including Ram Shinde, Jaykumar Rawal, Shrikant Bharatiya and Sanjay Kute. The BJP has maintained that it was not allergic to any party as far as forging a pre-poll alliance is concerned but with a condition that their political stands should match. Some leaders in the BJP are of the view that the MNS is not untouchable provided it mellows down its anti-migrant stand. The Shiv Sena has been in power in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for over three decades. In the 2017 Mumbai civic polls, the BJP contested separately and won 82 of the total 227 seats. The MNS had won seven seats but six of its corporators later joined the Shiv Sena. The Sena won 97 seats and Congress 31. Speaking to the media in Pune recently, Raj Thackeray, who took a strident anti-North Indian line after leaving the Shiv Sena over 15 years ago, had said he was not going to change his political stand for electoral benefits. (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.) As they bitterly fought over the popular Fortnite game on Play Store, considered buying 'some or all' of its developer Epic Games, the media reported. According to newly unsealed court filings seen by The Verge, allegedly offered a "special deal" to launch Fortnite back on Android Store. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney tweeted on Friday that this was "unbeknownst to us at the time, and because of the court's protective order we're just finding out now about Google's consideration of buying Epic to shut down our efforts to compete with Play". "Whether this would have been a negotiation to buy Epic or some sort of hostile takeover attempt is unclear. Here Google also talks about the 'frankly abysmal' sideloading experience they created, all while touting Android publicly as an 'open platform,'" Sweeney further posted. Epic claimed that Google was threatened by its plans to sidestep Google's official Play Store commission by distributing Fortnite through other channels. In an unredacted segment, Epic said: "Google has gone so far as to share its monopoly profits with business partners to secure their agreement to fence out competition, has developed a series of internal projects to address the "contagion" it perceived from efforts by Epic and others to offer consumers and developers competitive alternatives, and has even contemplated buying some or all of Epic to squelch this threat." The Fortnite developer last month renewed its fight against the app store restrictions, filing a new complaint against Google in its anti-trust lawsuit. The company last year sued Google over the removal of Fortnite game from Play Store. Epic plans to launch Fortnite on the Samsung Galaxy Store. "Google was determined not to let this happen," so it offered Epic a "special deal" to launch on Google Play. "When Epic rejected the deal, Google allegedly took other anti-competitive action, but the details of that action aren't available," according to reports. Epic is also involved in a legal battle with Apple. Apple's main trial with Epic finished in May, with both sides now awaiting a decision from Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers on the matter. The much-reported trial between Apple and Epic Games began on May 5, as the companies got involved in a legal battle over the use of an in-game payment system. The Fortnite game was removed from App Store in August last year after the company allegedly violated rules by adding an in-game payment system aimed at depriving Apple of its commission on in-app purchases from App Store. --IANS na/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chino, CA (91710) Today Mostly clear. Low 67F. W winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear. Low 67F. W winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. A woman told police that she had loaned her vehicle to her son and that upon speaking with him, he told her the vehicle was parked at Buffalo Wild Wings,120 Market St. She told police she had checked all around that location and did not find it. She said she also called in to Hamilton County Dispatch to see if her vehicle had been towed. She said she had spoken with her son, but he informed her he was unsure where her vehicle was if it was not at Buffalo Wild Wings. Police informed her what to do if she found her vehicle. She was also asked about prosecution and was adamant about pressing charges. She informed police that if her son was observed with the vehicle that she would still press charges. Police entered the vehicle into NCIC. The next day the woman called in and said she was driving around downtown when she located her vehicle at the intersection of E. 8th Street and Georgia Avenue. She said she believes her son had misplaced it on a night out with friends. Officers removed the vehicle as stolen from NCIC and the woman proceeded to take her vehicle home. * * * A man on Shannon Avenue told police there was an intoxicated man kicking on his door demanding to let him in. The drunk man left before police arrived and could not be located. * * * Police were called by Eastgate Security to 5600 Brainerd Road in regards to two individuals panhandling on the property. Police found the couple sitting in the shade near a bus stop. Police did not observe or see any signs that they were panhandling and asked them to stay off the property per Eastgate Security. Neither showed any extradition warrants. * * * Police responded to property damage at Public Storage, 2212 Polymer Dr. An employee told police that a woman hit the keypad with a U-haul truck on accident. She said the cost to fix the damage would be between $1,500-$3,000. She said she just needed a damaged property report. * * * A man and woman were in a verbal argument on N. Chamberlain Avenue. Police spoke with the couple and they both agreed to go separate ways, which they did before police left the scene. * * * A woman on Oakland Avenue told police that her ex-boyfriend keeps coming to her house, knocking on the door. She said she wants him to stop coming over to her house. The ex-boyfriend was not on scene when police arrived. * * * A man on Ellyn Lane told police that he and his girlfriend had been arguing. He said that while they were fussing, she went inside his home and somehow broke the glass door. Police spoke with the girlfriend and she said that they were arguing and she was going inside to get her stuff. She said she unintentionally closed the door too hard behind her and it shattered the glass. The man did not want police to enter his residence or even respond to the residence initially. He told police that he just wanted her to leave. The girlfriend got her belongings and left. * * * A woman on Williams Street told police that her cell phone (a One Plus Nord N100 worth $180) was stolen from her at the homeless camp behind 2500 Market. She said she tracked the phone to the Williams Street address. Police checked the area where Google said the phone was located, but were unable to find it. The woman said she will call back in if she gets any further information. * * * An employee at Drake's Chattanooga, 7338 McCutcheon Road, told police that a man who was dinning at the restaurant started to get loud. The employee said he told the man to calm down or he would have to leave. He said the man got in his face and started to curse at him; that is when he called 9-1-1. He said the man then left the scene. * * * A man on Silverdale Road told police that his neighbors were playing loud music and he asked them to stop, but they did not. Police spoke with his neighbors and they said that they would keep it down. The man said this was an ongoing issue. * * * The manager at Petco, 2288 Gunbarrel Road, told police that a pistol was located in the women's restroom. She said the gun was put in the money safe of the business until someone claimed the gun, but no one ever showed up, so she called police. Before police were able take the pistol to Property, the owner of the gun called to get her gun back. * * * A woman told police someone stole her temp tag (GA) from her vehicle while she was at work at Volkswagen, 8001 Volkswagen Dr. * * * A man on Shannon Avenue told police there was an intoxicated man kicking on his door demanding to let him in. The drunk man left before police arrived and could not be located. Benjamin Reichel, 55, has been sentenced to serve 54 months in prison, followed by three years supervised release, by Judge Curtis L. Collier. In November 2020, as part of a negotiated plea agreement, Reichel pleaded guilty to felony mail fraud charges. According to court records, Reichel operated a Chattanooga-area business known as Loss Recovery Specialists. LRS held itself out to be a public claims adjuster licensed by the state of Tennessee to negotiate with insurance companies on behalf of homeowners and others who had suffered property damage. Prosecutors said when homeowners reached out to Reichel for help, Reichel fraudulently diverted his clients funds for his own personal gain. The United States argued at sentencing that, under Reichels scheme, rather than using the funds to repair his clients homes, he used the money to pay for, among other things, a babysitter, massages, the lease on an Audi, personal vacations, and a swimming pool, impacting a number of innocent victims. Reichel will be required to make restitution of over $850,000 to his victims. The charges resulted from an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Cleveland Police Department, and other local law enforcement agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle J. Wilson represented the United States. A woman on Waterhaven Drive told police her husband was intoxicated and they were in a verbal disorder. She said she no longer needed police assistance because he had gone to sleep and was no longer causing an issue. * * * A woman on Conner Street said a man there wouldn't let her get her stuff to leave. Police persuaded him to release her things while the woman's relative picked her up. She then left. * * * Police were called to Obey Street where an owner on the street said there was a minivan blocking the road that leads in and out of their residence. The van was abandoned and the driver side window was rolled down. There was a phone in the passenger seat that was plugged in and charging. The owner did show up at her vehicle. She had run out of fuel. The van was not towed. * * * A man on Canal Street was causing a disorder after leaving a pile of his belongings in front of the resident's apartment beneath his. The officer politely told the man to remove his belongings. He followed suit and there was no issue. * * * An officer responded to a shoplifter at the Walmart at 2020 Gunbarrel Road where an employee said a man skipped scanning items at self-checkout. The total amount stolen was $8. Walmart decided to not cite the man for the theft and allowed him to pay for the items. * * * Two women were having a verbal argument on Kimbro Street. One woman had the other woman's sister's car keys. She said she was allowed to have the keys. The officer spoke with the sister over the phone and she said the woman was not supposed to have the keys anymore. The keys were returned to the other woman. * * * Police checked on an alarm at a building at 5230 153 Hwy. They found the building unsecured. The store was cleared and no intruders were located. A woman arrived on scene to secure the building. * * * Motel staff at 2361 Shallowford Village Dr. said a man was refusing to leave. The staff said they wanted the man banned from the property. Officers spoke with the man at the back of the building and told him he was banned from the property and could be arrested if he comes back. Officers saw the man walk off the property. * * * A security guard at 800 McCallie Ave. called police because there was a man walking around the back of the building. He saw him on security cameras and could not see his face; however the suspect was shining a light on the building's electrical breaker box. The security guard feared the trespassing suspect would attempt to cut power to the facility. The man fled the location prior to the officer's arrival and the officer wasn't able to find him. * * * Police responded to a suspicious vehicle call at Riverfront Parkway in a gated private parking lot where the building was under construction. Upon arrival police spoke with two men and asked them why they were there, with no response. Both were negative for local or NCIC. Both were trespassed from the property. * * * An anonymous caller said there were two people trying to get into a parked car on Carson Avenue, however they were unable to gain entry. The caller said the two men were on bicycles last seen traveling south on North Hickory Street. Police checked the area but were unable to locate them. * * * Miscellaneous ammo was found lying buried in the dirt at 3210 Broad St. where the Lookout Suites had been demolished. Ammo was collected and turned into property. * * * While at 1386 Market St. checking on a business alarm, an officer spoke with a man sitting on the front steps of the Chattanooga Choo Choo, 1400 Market St. Knowing this business was currently closed and observing the front door was open, the officer asked the man what his business was being there. He said someone he knew dropped him off and left with his vehicle. He said he let the individual borrow his car, however was unsure when the individual would return with it. He did not give any information on who his friend was. The officer spoke with security inside the Chattanooga Choo Choo and assured the man wasn't inside the establishment. Police told the man to relocate because of the business alarms. * * * Police were called to 30 Birmingham Hwy. where a man told them anther man had tried to enter his hotel room. The man confronted him who said he had booked the room but potentially had the wrong key. Police spoke with staff inside of the hotel who informed police that a clerical error had taken place resulting in the room to show as available. All parties involved were able to resolve the issue with little to no police intervention. * * * A man on 6th Avenue Court said a bullet went through his window. Upon further investigation there was one small circular hole in the window that is consistent with a bullet. Police searched the area but was unable to locate any shell casings. * * * A woman on Greendale Way said her ex-boyfriend came over to her apartment unannounced. She told him to leave and he did not. They had a short verbal argument and then he left. She said that he has an outstanding warrant for his arrest so he left before police arrived. He didn't do anything to her, she just wanted him to leave. * * * While investigating a large littering/dump site under the Chickamauga Creek Bridge on Brainerd Road, an officer spoke with a man who said he was not responsible for the dump site, but the officer attempted to speak with him about the whereabouts of another homeless man who was responsible. The man was immediately confrontational and refused to provide information. He was warned about the littering and was instructed to leave the area within a reasonable amount of time. A three-year-old boy died in a tragic boating incident at Tellico Lake on Friday. TWRA Officers along with the Monroe County Sheriffs Office, the local fire department and Monroe county EMS responded to a call just before midnight on Tellico Lake regarding CPR in progress for a child who had fallen from a boat. The child was transported to Sweetwater Hospital where he later died. Two adults from Madisonville and two juveniles were traveling from Sequoyah Landing Marina to Razor Landing where they were camping. When preparing their boat for anchoring, one of the adults realized the three-year-old was missing. The adults immediately started calling and looking for the child. Others in the area heard the calls and came to help. The child was found unresponsive in five feet of water. CPR was administered and the child was transported. An autopsy will be performed by the Knoxville Forensic Center. The child was not wearing a lifejacket and the incident remains under investigation. There have been 15 boating-related fatalities in Tennessee this year. Is the vaccine working? If it is, why are cases continually growing? Stop blaming the un-vaccinated and start blaming the so-called leadership. Or maybe blame the ever-changing CDC guidelines which include: wearing two masks, getting a vaccine we havent studied fully, and even masking our kids at home. Its disgusting to watch the amount of control and fear the government is actively shoving down our throats. We have allowed our liberties to be threatened by our government along with the many emerging woke companies. The same companies that block or silence our constitutional rights as Americans who are an indirect arm of the government. This all was very apparent when our former president was ousted from social media and silenced of his first amendment by big tech. There is no such thing as free speech anymore. We are all controlled and filtered out by algorithms and public opinion. You either go with the trending ideologies or you will be silenced. This is more than problematic when you value your first amendment. Our government has become so unorganized that they rely on private companies to push their agenda for them. Some companies are requiring vaccination with the government's encouragement. So instead of the government violating citizens fourth amendment right, private employers are. And when I say a violation of search and seizure I mean it wholeheartedly. If you are coerced by job loss or discrimination because you dont want a needle injected into your body, your rights are being infringed on. In recent years we were concerned with protecting our fourth amendment against the police searching our person or property unreasonably. Now we are being forced to comply with searches and seizures of our bodies. Swab your nostril, get tested, take the vaccine. We are now being forced to choose between our rights and providing for our families. And the government is cultivating it through our employers and now at the state level. Tyson foods recently mandated its workers to be vaccinated by November. Governor Gavin Newsom of California recently went a step further by requiring all healthcare workers (2.2 million workers) to get the vaccine. What happened to my body my choice? Our constitutional rights are eroding due to fear and control. A new so-called doomsday variant is our future normal. We the people must stand up for our principles. We must stand up to tyrannical government actors, the companies that are harnessing entirely too much power, and the shadowed government were seeing more of each day. There is no doubt the American spirit is filled above the brim with fight, but we must adapt to the fight. Its not the same fight of our forefathers. Jeff Irvin Jr. * * * Based on literally every single credible source I have found - the answer to your question, Mr. Irvin, is YES - the vaccines work. In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, etc. - the vaccines work very well. In regards to the CDC, there is no question about it - mistakes have been made. I think - but I'm not sure - but I think part of the problem with predicting how a virus like COVID will behave depends on how we follow or ignore directions from some of the greatest medical and scientific minds on the planet. What I find truly disgusting is the misinformation and outright lies being spread on the internet, by so-called journalists, many of our elected officials, Trump worshippers and The Donald himself. If I have a choice to follow the lead of the current Mayor of Cuckoo-ville/Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jim Jordan, Tucker Carlson, Rand Paul, Matt Gaetz, Donald J. Trump, etc or a qualified credible doctor from any city in any state - I'm going with the doctor 100 percent of the time. The bottom line for me, Mr. Irvin - the credible sources I mentioned above, among many others, say masks and vaccines help. There is no ambiguity to their statements. We know what needs to happen. And I do understand the vaccines are not fully approved by the FDA. I also understand how that can be an issue. So wear a mask. Are we that spoiled and entitled that we can't wear a mask? I honestly don't get it. You mentioned free speech. Our freedoms come with personal responsibility. We can't yell, FIRE, in a crowded theater. We're trying to stop a virus and we know how to do it. Don't we have a responsibility as a human being and as an American to try and help? We are the greatest and proudest country on the planet. We should be taking the lead on every troublesome issue confronting the planet - and yet we can't wear a mask. I don't understand it and I doubt I ever will. George Parker Anna Newland Coulter, 82, beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, died in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on July 31, 2021, with loved ones by her side. Anna was born to William C. and Helen Newland II in Raleigh, NC in January 1939. The family moved to Charlotte in 1940. Anna worked at Duke Power Company for 27 years. She met her husband of 33 years, the late Joe Coulter at Duke. Anna and Joe's door was always open to anyone who needed a friend, a meal, or a place to recuperate. Anna's favorite pastime was baking her famous cakes, cookies and pies. She also loved feeding her "critters" who recognized her voice and would eat out of her hand. Anna became Nana after her precious grandchildren joined the family. She scratched backs, told the best stories, and sang them to sleep, making memories for a lifetime. She loved Christmas so much that she left her mantle decorated all year. There were always too many presents to fit under the tree, or in the room. When Nana and her sister needed help, they moved to Lookout Mountain, near Jan and her husband, Kym. Today Anna is singing praises to Jesus who gave Himself for her. We will miss her every day until we, too, see His face. Anna was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Bill and Lawrence, sister Lib, and husband, Joe. Survivors include her daughter, Jan Ellis (Kym) Weaver; granddaughters, Courtney (Austin) Jett, Anna (Stephen) Swanson, Lindsay (Colin) Stayton; great-grandchildren, Georgia, Clara, Charlotte, Lula, Oliver, Gideon and Julian; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Family will receive visitors at 10 a.m. followed by a memorial service at 11 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 16, at Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church, Lookout Mountain, Tn. Visit www.heritagebattlefield.com to share condolences with the family. Donations can be sent to Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church, 316 N. Bragg Ave., Lookout Mountain, Tn. 37350 or Choices Chattanooga, 951 Eastgate Loop, Suite 1000, Chattanooga, Tn. 37411. Food Network personality Valerie Bertinellis Barbecue Chicken is not the star of this particular recipe. The former Hot in Cleveland star says all kudos go to the spicy sauce that accompanies it. Heres the secret sauce that makes this mouthwatering classic recipe sing. Food Network star Valerie Bertinelli | Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for NYCWFF Bertinelli says her Barbecue Chicken recipe is the best Writing on her self-named website, the former One Day at a Time actor proclaimed her grilled chicken and its accompanying sauce the best of its kind. For me, this is a summer-only staple, and the reason is the BBQ sauce: Its irresistible, Bertinelli wrote. I always make extra portions for dipping. Another reason this barbecue chicken is a warm-weather dish? Afterwards, everyone can jump in the pool and rinse off the sticky remnants of that finger lickin deliciousness. I made a version of this on my showalong with baked beans and a lemon-basil granita, for what turned out to be a backyard feast. As far as Im concerned, this is the best barbecue chicken Ive had. Suddenly Im wishing I made it more often. Keep in mind, the secret to this is the sauce. Its all about the sauce. What youll need for Bertinellis Barbecue Chicken recipe Bertinelli notes in her recipe instructions (you can find her full recipe here) that for reference, this is Kentucky masterpiece-style BBQ, clove-forward and aromatic and on the sweet side, thanks to the chemistry that happens between the apple cider vinegar, molasses, ketchup, chipotle peppers, cloves, and other seasonings. To make the Valeries Home Cooking hosts recipe, youll need vegetable oil, an onion, garlic cloves, ketchup, water, apple cider vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, canned chipotle peppers, ground allspice, ground cloves, chicken leg quarters, and salt and pepper. Youll also need a blender and, of course, your grill. How to make Bertinellis Barbecue Chicken with Spicy BBQ Sauce Before anything else, Bertinelli suggests making the recipe-defining sauce first. The oil is heated in a saucepan and to it are added the onion, garlic, ketchup, water, vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, peppers, salt, allspice, and cloves and brought to a boil. Once youre done taking in the sauces heavenly aroma, and the sauce has simmered and thickened over medium heat for about 15 minutes, its carefully transferred to a blender and processed. To be extra safe, Bertinelli notes to remove the center piece of the blender lid (to allow steam to escape) and cover with a clean towel while blending. Refrigerate until youre ready to use the sauce. The chicken parts are seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked on a medium heat, lightly oiled grill for about 10 minutes. The grill temperature is reduced to low and the meat covered until the chickens internal temperature reads 175 degrees F, or for about 40 minutes. Heres where the sauce makes its return appearance. Bertinelli reminds cooks to set aside about a cup of the sauce for serving. You might want to make a little extra just for dipping. Once youve set aside your portion for the dining table, start basting the chicken every five minutes. Again, for safetys sake, Bertinelli notes that to prevent cross-contamination, dont baste in the last five minutes of cooking the meat. Enjoy this summertime classic, sticky fingers and all! RELATED: Valerie Bertinelli Had a Shot at This Friends Role But Refused to Audition: 1 of the Truly Stupid Choices of My Career Stories abound about casting decisions for The Lord of the Rings films, including who would play Gandalf, how many actors auditioned for Frodo, and the Aragorn role. For the latter, Viggo Mortensen immortalized the sword-wielding heir of Isildur on-screen. But before him, director Peter Jackson brought Stuart Townsend on board, a young Irish actor with a few credits under his belt. When they axed Townsend from the film, the move shocked the remaining cast members. The Lord of the Rings cast Dominic Monaghan, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Liv Tyler, Elijah Wood, and Orlando Bloom | Kevin Mazur/WireImage/Getty Images Stuart Townsend cast as first Aragorn in Lord of the Rings No one involved with the production for Lord of the Rings denied the camaraderie on set among the cast and crew. For Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom, Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, and Viggo Mortensen, the fellowship was real. When Stuart Townsend was part of the circle, he too felt like part of the family. People liked him. Peter Jackson advocated to cast him, but New Line Cinema insisted on a screen test, so he traveled to New Zealand. According to Ian Nathans book, Anything You Can Imagine: Peter Jackson and the Making of Middle-earth, none of the other actors arrived yet, so they hired locals for his test. Townsend filmed three scenes as Strider/Aragorn in costume with grey flecks on his hair. Though the studio had misgivings about Towsend, Jackson forged ahead with production. But, per Nathan, They were the only scenes he would ever perform as Aragorn. Stuart Townsend attends the premiere party for ABCs Betrayal in 2013 | Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images Townsend allegedly had issues before filming When the other actors arrived in New Zealand, pre-production kicked into gear. Townsend allegedly skipped out on his training sessions including safety and sword-fighting, which was essential to Aragorns character. However, Townsend got on really well with his co-stars and he loved the J.R.R. Tolkien novels. His issues supposedly stemmed from insecurity. He thought he was too young to play Aragorn and doubted himself. But on the other hand, he came off as self-assured about the project and confident that he could do anything with any problems. When Ian McKellan arrived on set, there was a big celebration dinner, but Townsend acted sour to the point where the veteran actor chided him. You do want to be in this film, dont you? McKellan said to him. That was a turning point for Jackson, who felt Townsends nerves caused him to think hed be fine once filming started with little rehearsal or training. He let one of the producers know that Townsend wouldnt work out, and the actor was let go a week before shooting Aragorns scenes. Lord of the Rings cast shaken by Townsends firing Jackson had to inform the cast about Townsends departure, and he took responsibility for hiring him despite the studios concerns. Nathan wrote that Wood, Monaghan, and Boyd were most affected by the news, as they considered Townsend a friend. They all spent months together during pre-production. Nathan wrote that it felt like a tremor hit production, and the cast was left shaken by the change. They worried if theyd get the ax next. Wood told Nathan, The responsibility suddenly felt that much greater. For a while, Townsend had nothing kind to say in interviews about the experience, but he remained friends with several of the actors, including Bloom. He eventually softened his outlook. Aragorn has spoken! The LOTR actor, Viggo Mortensen, shares his thoughts on Amazon's upcoming Lord of the Rings TV series. https://t.co/u5TLCHfg2e pic.twitter.com/1pY2bK70At GameSpot (@GameSpot) February 3, 2021 And Mortensen played Strider/Aragorn in all three films, which can be streamed on HBO Max. RELATED: Lord of the Rings: Gandalfs Famous Line Was Different In the Book When most moviegoers think of Steven Spielberg, they probably think of the warm and fuzzy sentiment of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Or perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is the majesty and ultimate terror of Jurassic Park. But for the most part, Spielberg movies arent known for intense, visceral violence and even gore. Thats what the director delivers in Saving Private Ryan. And heres why he took that approach. Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan | CBS via Getty Images Saving Private Ryan isnt the first Steven Spielberg movie about World War II War movies are nothing new now. And they certainly werent when Spielberg teamed up with Tom Hanks and an ensemble supporting cast for Saving Private Ryan. The film follows a group of soldiers on a rescue mission to bring the titular James Ryan (Matt Damon) home safely. And while the movie was both a blockbuster hit and a critical smash, its not the first time Spielberg ventured into the complicated storytelling of World War II. In fact, five years earlier, the director won both Best Director and Best Picture Academy Awards for Schindlers List. That movie tells a very different story amidst the conflict of World War II. Spielbergs dissection of the real-life horrors of the Holocaust caught the attention of the entire industry. So to that end, perhaps it makes perfect sense that the filmmaker would earn similar praise when he returned to tell another World War II story. RELATED: Steven Spielberg Admits Indiana Jones 4 Wasnt the Best Thing to Come from Making the Movie Why the director decided to play up the violence in the Tom Hanks movie One of the most-talked-about elements of Saving Private Ryan is its opening sequence. The film opens with the Normandy invasion, and Spielberg doesnt shy away from the carnage that took place. The movie, in fact, presents a startling, upsetting portrait of what war is really like. And as Spielberg told Total Film in 2004, that jarring contrast between movie battles and real-life battles is exactly the point of Saving Private Ryan. World War II is the most important event of the last 100 years. We either won it and maintained our freedom or we lost it and lost everything. My father fought in Burma and was always saying, Nobody ever makes a movie about my war except as an excuse to do action and adventure. [Saving Private Ryan] is graphic because its what really happened. Its a very, very honest recreation of the landing on June 6, 1944. I could have made Saving Private Ryan a very safe picture; I could have done all the violence off-camera, and I could have had people dying in slo-mo, like in the movies we go and see every summer. But my intention was to re-sensitize the audience. After so many movies creating false expectations, Spielbergs Saving Private Ryan is reverent to the spirit behind the war without sacrificing the horrors inherent to the experience of so many soldiers. No wonder Hanks compared visiting Omaha Beach to being in a holy place. RELATED: Steven Spielberg Later Directed the Filmmaker Who Beat Him at the Oscars Steven Spielberg set a new standard for modern war movies Even with Spielberg behind it and Hanks in front of the camera, few likely expected a hard-R war movie to be as big as Saving Private Ryan was. On a $70 million production budget, the movie earned a staggering $482 million. Its loss for the Best Picture Oscar to Shakespeare in Love is among the academys most famous snubs. While some people might still accuse Spielberg of holding back, the fact is that Saving Private Ryan has aged remarkably well. The movie finds the humanity in its characters without diluting their experience. And over the past couple of decades, its status as one of Spielbergs very best films has only been further cemented. JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers quickly became one of the most well-known couples of The Bachelorette franchise. Fans werent sure how they felt about Rodgers when Fletcher first said yes to his proposal, but over time, people grew to love the connection the couple had. Fletcher and Rodgers have taken their relationship slowly, but the pandemic has caused them to reschedule their wedding once, then cancel it altogether the second time. Have the two finally picked a new wedding date? The Bachelorette stars JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers | Steven Ferdman/Getty Images The Bachelorette stars JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers have taken their time building their relationship When Rodgers proposed to Fletcher at the end of her Bachelorette season back in 2016, she quickly said yes. However, the two recognized that, while they wanted to be together, they werent quite ready to walk down the aisle. There was a lot of work involved in getting to know each other, Rodgers once said in an interview with E! of his relationship with Fletcher post-Bachelorette. The two actually came close to breaking up, but when they were between breaking up or staying together, they chose to fight for their relationship. Fletcher revealed in the same interview that the couples relationship was bad in its first year. Though they wanted to plan a wedding, they ultimately wanted to avoid the stress of wedding planning until they felt they were in a strong enough place to handle it. RELATED:The Bachelorette: Jordan Rodgers Secret Deal With Producers for Time Alone With JoJo Fletcher JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers canceled their May 2021 wedding and they havent rescheduled Once Fletcher and Rodgers felt they were in a good place, the couple decided to start the wedding plans. Rodgers re-proposed to his future wife, and the two set a date. The two initially planned the wedding for June 2020. However, due to obvious circumstances regarding the pandemic, they canceled their initial nuptials. Still, prior to the cancelation, the couple did provide some details on what their special day would be like. The two revealed to E! that they plan to get married at an outdoor venue in California. They also gave a few hints about who would be invited. Becca Tilley and Chris Harrison of The Bachelorette franchise were certainly on the invite list. Despite the excitement surrounding their special day, the couple canceled their June 2020 wedding and rescheduled it for May 2021. However, by the time the date rolled around, two had to cancel again because of a guest capacity limit at the venue. As of now, the two have not rescheduled, but they are planning for sometime in 2022. #ad Where are my fellow Virgos?! New year, new me. Im learning a lot about what your zodiac sign says about you. Even your perfect car. Check it out for yourself with @AutoTrader_com #BestNewCars #zodiac quiz https://t.co/tIfdtdj6Vy pic.twitter.com/0CgCSxGbwf Jordan Rodgers (@JRodgers11) February 23, 2021 The Bachelorette couple is aiming for 2022 Though Fletcher and Rodgers have not set an official new date, they have announced that theyre looking to nail down a day in 2022. The fall is not an option for us, Fletcher said in an interview with Access. [Its] probably gonna be next year I know its going to be everything I want it to be. While Fletcher didnt love the thought of planning it for a year from now, she said the fall isnt an option because of Rodgers schedule. Still, shes keeping her head high that the big day will turn out exactly as she and her future husband had always imagined. Voddie Baucham, Owen Strachan urge Church to combat 'morally bankrupt,' 'woke' ideologies Baucham responds to accusations of plagiarism, mischaracterizing CRT Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment GRAPEVINE, Texas As morally bankrupt and woke doctrines like critical race theory continue to permeate the Church, the Body of Christ must have the courage, knowledge and willingness necessary to combat ideas that are wholly incompatible with the Gospel, theologians Voddie Baucham and Owen Strachan have said. What were seeing is the practical collapse of evangelical confession of the sufficiency of Scripture. People are trying to make Christianity compatible with other systems. Its just another attempt by our satanic enemy to have Christians marry their Christianity with godlessness, Strachan, author of Christianity and Wokeness: How the Social Justice Movement is Hijacking the Gospel and the Way to Stop It, told The Christian Post. Over the last decade, according to the theologian, the Church has become determined to show the world that we're acceptable or palatable, that we're not the fundamentalist mouth breathers you've heard about. Instead, progressive churches are trying to put forth the idea that we're thoughtful, we have manners as a people, we want to just be friends with you and tell you about Jesus but basically, were a lot like you. The Body of Christ simply cannot marry worldly ideologies with Christianity, Strachan said, but its an instinct that is very prevalent today." There is an antithesis between Christianity and every system. There is a fundamental gap, Strachan, who is also a research professor of theology at Grace Bible Theological Seminary, stressed. When Jesus comes into the world, in His incarnation, He is not of the world. He is God of God; He's come down to be salt and light. He's the way, the truth and the life. Baucham, author of the national bestseller Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism Looming Catastrophe, specifically weighed in on the rising popularity of critical race theory and its implications for the Church. CRT, which is tied to Marxist critical theory, criticizes the U.S. and Western nations as being oppressive and promoting institutional systemic racism or white supremacy. It teaches that systemic racism is ingrained in every aspect of American life. Many opponents have noted that the ideology uses Marxist tactics of class struggle to divide people among race, gender and ethnicity. Critical theory, which first arose in academic journals three decades ago, is now being taught at public schools, government agencies and business training programs. Baucham, who serves as Dean of Theology at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia, pointed out that the social justice movement has morphed into its own religious movement, complete with its own cosmology, canon, liturgy and even its own law. Because the movement co-opts biblical terms like justice and the sin of racism, he said, its very attractive to Christians. The religious overtones cannot be missed, he said. Strachan agreed that through CRT, Satan picked a weak point in the Church, because he's attaching an evil ideology that tells white people that they are oppressors and white supremacist by nature to being against racism. That's really the move that this whole system executes, he explained. And the Church is doctrinally weak in our time, and America does have real racist sins in its past. And we always have to fight against partiality, including today. He continued: What has happened in many corners of the Church is basically this: A lot of people are terrified of being called a racist. So if an ideology arises that says, I'm against racism, we're for equity, we're for justice, the Church doesn't really think that critically about it and just goes, Oh, I'm against racism too. We must be basically on the same ground. And what we're trying, laboring hard to expose is that these are not the same systems. The way CRT divides the world up between oppressors and the people whom they oppress, Baucham explained, is a particularly sinister false dichotomy, because the Bible says that There's none righteous, no, not even one,' he said. But when that is our foundation, thats the lens through which we look at everything, he said. Strachan agreed that the paradigm of oppressor versus oppressed has caused hundreds of millions of deaths over the years, adding: Marx set humanity at odds against one another, in a special, uniquely destructive way. Thus, the idea that CRT can be aligned with Christianity or that Christians can learn something from the worldview, Baucham contended, is inherently unbiblical despite having sprinklings of truth. He pointed out that some of the most destructive and damaging systems and ideologies in history are grouped around something that a lot of us would say is true. CRT and the liberation theology it promotes, he said, are no different. "CRT and intersectionality all say that racism is bad. Well, that's true. It's something that we recognize as a true statement. But what is around that true statement is what defines the system. Just because somebody happens to say something true doesn't mean the system holds up," he said. Christianity owns all truth, Baucham posited. All truth is God's truth. Systems borrow from Christianity. CRT says some true things, but CRT doesn't own that. We have the truth. As Christians, we know what the Bible teaches about ethnicity, about human identity, about unity, about how in the cross we become one new man, whatever our background. Baucham highlighted the destruction and division CRT has caused in families, churches, schools and denominations such as the Southern Baptist Convention. He hit back on the idea promoted in some evangelical circles that Christians can learn from CRT. To say that we learn those things from CRT implies that as Christians, we don't have them until CRT presents them to us. And that is absolutely not the case, he emphasized. Imagine saying, for example, that we can learn from atheism or Hinduism. It would just be completely unacceptable. But for some reason, on this issue, they want to compromise in ways that would never ever be accepted otherwise. We have the answers the world is looking for. CRT is not a tool of analysis. CRT is a tool of division. It's a tool that the Church should reject entirely. Baucham acknowledged that his beliefs surrounding CRT dont exactly make him popular in many circles, with some dubbing him an extremist. Recently, he was forced to addressclaims he plagiarized portions of his book and attributed false quotations. There's not a lot, really anything else out there in the Christian publishing world, from this perspective, he told CP. Christian publishers are not publishing books that are anti CRT, anti-wokeness, anti-social justice. It's just not there. Somebody needed to step into that space. At its core, Baucham said, the obsession with CRT is morally bankrupt. He pointed out the hypocrisy of individuals concerned with systemic racism and oppression failing to address abortion, human trafficking and slavery. The emperor has no clothes, he stated. These same individuals will not stand up on the issue of abortion. Ironically, mentioned in critical social justice is access to abortion. Never mind that black and brown babies are being slaughtered in abortion mills. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. He added: There are 40 million slaves in the world today. There are more slaves in the world today than at the height of American slavery. Where are the people talking about their oppression? So instead of talking about the people who are in slavery today, we're talking about the ancestors of slaves today who happened to live in the center of the universe and in the most powerful republic in the history of the world. When you really scratch beneath the surface, this stuff is morally bankrupt. If people are truly concerned about injustice and economic disparity, Strachan said, they would look at big government systems that remove individual responsibility, collapse the role of the free market, encourage people to look for government assistance, fail to nurture the role of fathers in the family and encourage people to abort children if they're unwanted. If you want to look at a system that is actually harming people, look at leftism, he argued. Its very successful in robbing people of human flourishing. Pastors, Baucham said, have a responsibility to discuss provocative and seemingly political issues like CRT from the pulpit. He pointed out that Gospel teaching on issues like marriage and sexuality are divisive, yet theyre still addressed by pastors. Pastors are being naive, he declared. What happens when we politicize religion and Christianity? Because that's what the critical social justice movement does. It politicizes Christianity, so Christianity is seen as one of those oppressive hegemonic powers. Are you going to tell me that once this issue becomes more of a part of our political discourse, that you'll stop talking about Christianity because you don't want to talk about an issue that's political? That's absolutely ridiculous. If its wrong, for example, for us to get involved with these political issues, why do you praise (William) Wilberforce? You know, why do you praise (John) Newton? Why do you praise people who stood up against and led to the abolition of slavery? Because that was a political issue. Ive got zero patience for pastors who refuse to talk about political issues," he continued. Strachan pointed out that Matthew 28:30 instructs pastors and Church leaders to teach Christians to observe all things," adding: Not some of the things, not just the stuff about Jesus that gets your soul saved. All, all things. To combat the false doctrines permeating the Church, Baucham said that Christians must first acknowledge that we are in a war a spiritual war. We need to understand what these ideologies are, and we need to go to war with them, and then take every thought captive to obey Christ, he advised. We go to war with those arguments and speculations and we destroy them. Then, we take every thought captive to obey Christ, using Scripture as our guide to do so. Pastors have a responsibility to teach people to think biblically, Baucham said. CRT and similar ideologies are "not something new," and "our generation is not the first generation to face this attempt at syncretism or to face this kind of encroachment into the truth of the Gospel," he said. "This is just the latest iteration of it. And discipleship is not something that we sort of finish with," he said. It's not like the adversary comes with some new lie or new falsehood. The next generation will face something else that does the same thing. And the beauty of it is that no matter what that next thing is, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ will withstand it and will prevail. Strachan charged that Christians must realize that theres ethically a gap between Christianity and every system: That's our starting point, not how similar Christianity and Christ is to the world, but how different this is from Heaven, he said. Then, Christians must remember that their job isnt "fundamentally to be liked, affirmed and applauded, he said. Whether it's your local church or it's your community or the world, your job is to be faithful to God, he concluded. The holiness of God has been largely eclipsed. Fundamentally, our concern is not that the world watching us; our concern should be that God is watching us, a terrifying and Holy God who sees and knows every thought, every intention, every action and every word. We will give an account for every word. We need the fear of God and the holiness of God looming before us. U.S. Preacher Fined for Calling Homosexuality a Sin Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment LONDON The Christian Institute has voiced concern after a street preacher was handed a fine of more than $1,500 for saying homosexuality was a sin. U.S. evangelist Shawn Holes, 47, was preaching in Glasgow, Scotland, on March 18 when he was arrested and detained overnight in a police cell. Police later charged him with breaching the peace and told him to pay the fine on the grounds that his remarks were "homophobic" and had been "aggravated by religious prejudice." Holes was touring the U.K. as part of a group of evangelists from the U.S. He was taking questions from the public when a gay couple in the crowd asked him about his views on homosexuality. He allegedly told them that homosexuals "deserve the wrath of God" and would go to hell. Holes said the incident had "felt like a set-up" by gay rights campaigners and that he had only admitted the charge because he wanted to return to the U.S. to see his family and father, who is staying in a hospice. The case has concerned even gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who branded the fine "disproportionate." "Shawn Holes is obviously homophobic and should not be insulting people with his anti-gay tirades," the activist said. "He should be challenged and people should protest against his intolerance. However, in a democratic, free society it is wrong to prosecute him. Criminalization is not appropriate. The price of freedom of speech is that we sometimes have to put up with opinions that are objectionable and offensive." The Christian Institute helped pay for Holes' lawyer, Tony Kelly, who had advised him to challenge the charge. Kelly said: "This case raises important issues about the interface between the criminal law in Scotland, freedom of speech and religious freedom." Christian Institute director Colin Hart said: "The fine in this case was totally disproportionate. The police should have never arrested Mr Holes at all. "We believe that had he fought the charge it would have been proved that he did nothing wrong. We are disappointed that Mr Holes pleaded guilty." Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church, argued that Holes should not have been charged because he was expressing a religious conviction. US street preacher arrested in London says speaking truth is now a hate crime Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment After facing arrest and detention for preaching that homosexuality is a sin, an American evangelist is warning that things are getting very bad in the United Kingdom and other Western countries, suggesting that the situation has deteriorated to the point where they are becoming communist. Ryan Schiavo, who describes himself as an evangelist and missionary, was arrested in London on July 22 for preaching that homosexuality is a sin. While Schiavo is an American, he spends a considerable amount of time in London and frequently ministers to British youth and others gathered in the public square. In an interview with The Christian Post, Schiavo recounted the events leading up to his arrest and warned about its implications for free speech and freedom of religion in the U.K. and Western civilization as a whole. I was preaching the Gospel on the streets as I frequently do, but it was about a 30-minute message, and in the course of a long message I can touch on many topics that I believe are pertinent, he said. At one point, I talked about the issue of homosexuality and transgenderism. I said that homosexuality is a sin; I talk about how its destructive, and the damage the transgender agenda is doing to children right now in the schools because its being pushed on children at a very young age here. Schiavo told CP that one of the things he said while preaching was that the churches that have rainbow flags on them were not real churches. His message drew the ire of one young woman, whom he believed was a lesbian. According to Schiavo, she was very upset at what I had said, and so she called the police and the police came. As documented in a video of his arrest, Schiavo was detained for purportedly violating Section 4A of the Public Order Act, which bans people from causing intentional harassment, alarm, or distress. The law declares that a person is guilty of an offense if, with intent to cause a person harassment, alarm, or distress, he (a) uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behavior, or disorderly behavior, or (b) displays any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting. As Metropolitan Police officers moved in to arrest him, Schiavo declared, It is an honor to suffer for Jesus Christ. He predicted that God is going to judge this country so severely because of its embrace of LGBT ideology. This is because I am a Christian! he exclaimed. Thats why this is happening. Schiavo told CP that when he was taken to jail, he was "put in a cell for 10 hours and given a mental health evaluation by the National Health Service before being released in the middle of the night. He lamented that situations like his egregious detention were becoming all too common. Describing the mental health evaluation to CP, Schiavo maintained that he was asked personal questions about my family and about my work and how I was doing physically. Schiavo cited the fact that he had to undergo a mental health evaluation as evidence that things are getting very bad in the U.K. regarding freedom of speech and religious expression. All these institutions are working together with each other; theyre anti-Christ, he added. Its time for the church to wake up and to be prepared for persecution. Freedom of speech and expression are very much under attack in the Western world, and Im concerned that many of these Western countries are becoming communist. Elaborating on his mental health evaluation, Schiavo recounted that he did talk about the issue of homosexuality and transgenderism with the man who was questioning him. I said to him, Would you call a banana a carrot? And the point I was making was this is what we do with people now. We call men women and women men. I didnt say that to him. I just said, Would you call a banana a carrot? And he looked at me and he said, If somebody was offended, I would. And I looked at him and I said, I should be the one asking you the questions. Schiavo contended that his mental health evaluation, which lasted for 30 minutes, was an effort to convince me not to talk about homosexuality in public anymore. He told CP that he (the mental health evaluator) wanted me to affirm him and just say, OK, and agree, and I never did. The evangelist attributed his hostile treatment by the police to the fact that British law enforcement officials are so trained to hear homosexuality or Islam because those are the two most protected demographics in Britain right now. He stressed that in the U.K., you cannot speak against homosexuality or transgenderism and you cant speak against Islam. So if they hear those words, their antennas are up because they go through all of this pro-LGBT training in their schooling, ... at every other level of society people do here, its being pushed on them, he continued. And so when they hear that word, theyre immediately thinking hate crime, hate crime. Although he wasn't formally charged with a crime, Schiavos arrest puts him in the national police records for three years. He's now working with the U.K.-based Christian Legal Centre to get this overturned. I did not commit a crime, Schiavo insisted. It is not a crime in the U.K. to say homosexuality is a sin in public or to say that churches with rainbow flags on them are not churches. This is protected speech. In a separate interview with CP, Linda Thacker, who attends church with Schiavo when he's in the U.K. and videotaped the arrest, explained why she decided to document his interaction with law enforcement officials on camera: I didnt like the security guards attitude toward Ryan. He seemed very hostile. We wanted to make sure that there was no kind of false accusation, she said. Thacker characterized Schiavos arrest as a bit of a wake-up call for me, expressing concern that the right to have free speech and to express how we feel personally about anyone elses lifestyle will put you in the position of being called a domestic terrorist or some kind of hater. Like Schiavo, Thacker fears that the U.K. is heading toward a communist state. Before his arrest, Thacker said there had been confrontations between Schiavo, his supporters and LGBT individuals that weren't captured on camera. The lesbian was very threatening and kicked his drink down the road. [She] also tried to tear my husbands Bible out of his hands, which she didnt manage to do, but she got a leaflet out of his Bible and flung it into the street. While Schiavo did face hostility following his comments about homosexuality, he also received support, including from an atheist, who was featured in Thackers video. Schiavo told CP that while the man said that he disagreed with 99% of what I said, he nonetheless argued to the police that This man has not done anything warranting an arrest, hes just exercising his freedom of speech. In spite of the mans impassioned defense of Schiavo, the street evangelist lamented that the police never even took a statement from him. Instead, Schiavo said, the police only took one formal statement on the street and it was from this young girl [who] was upset with what I said. From the beginning, they werent interested in getting to the truth. It was just this one girls testimony that they listened to. Thacker seconded Schiavos accusation that police had conducted a one-sided investigation: All they were interested in doing was arresting him on the grounds of this lesbian that said that she had been distressed by what was said. Schiavo is not the only street evangelist to face legal consequences for sharing Christian teachings about marriage and homosexuality with the British public. As CP previously reported, British Pastor John Sherwood was arrested by police in April for emphasizing the biblical definition of marriage as he preached from a step ladder in the Northwest London town of Uxbridge. Police Arrest US Street Preacher in Scotland for Calling Homosexuality a Sin Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Scottish police arrested Tony Milano, a U.S. preacher and former Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff, for breach of the peace and for using "homophobic" language in the condemnation of sin. "It is indicative of the suppression of the freedom to speak and live out the words of Jesus Christ in public and present the teachings of the Bible," Andrea Minichiello Williams, chief executive of the British organization Christian Concern's Christian Legal Centre, said about the arrest Wednesday night. Milano's colleague, Pastor Josh Williamson of the Craigie Reformed Baptist Church in Perth, pointed out, "Tony wasn't focusing just on homosexual practice it was about all sin." Milano, the second street preacher to address lunchtime shoppers on Wednesday, was preaching about sin in general. He then turned to mention sexual sin, including adultery, promiscuity, and homosexuality. As Milano started preaching about sin, a woman reportedly yelled at him, shouting that her son was gay. Williamson said she tried to smash the camera he was using to film Milano's preaching. The woman threatened she would get the preachers arrested, and proceeded to call the police. The police arrived as the street preachers were packing up, and the woman kept shouting at Milano. "The female officer saw we had a camera and lunged for it," Williamson recalled. "Then the male policeman grabbed it and threw it in the police van." According to Williamson, the male officer interviewed the woman and her friend, and then immediately arrested Milano, without questioning him or explaining the reason for his arrest. "I asked why he was being arrested and was told it was for a breach of the peace and for using homophobic language," Williamson reported. Williams noted that the incident "adds to the number of arrests of Christian street evangelists for preaching from the Bible," and warned that it was a sign of the suppression of religious freedom. Milano was arrested for a similar "crime" in London last July. "The officers that detained me specifically said the concern was the use of 'homophobic hate speech,'" the retired deputy sheriff told Christian radio talk show host Frank Sontag during a segment on KKLA. Christian Concern helped him avoid paying a fine and receive a "caution" after he was detained. "I was expositing 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, where the apostle Paul admonishes the Thessalonians to abstain from all forms of sexual immorality," the street preacher explained. "I began to preach from that text by describing different kinds of sexual immorality, from addiction to romance novels to pornography, fornication, sex outside of marriage, lust of the heart, lust of the mind, lust of the eyes and homosexuality." While spending seven hours in jail, he said police interrogated him about his faith in Jesus Christ. "I was asked if I believe homosexuality is a sin," Milano recounted. "I was asked what portion of the Bible I was reading. I was asked that if a homosexual was hungry and walked up to me, would I give them something to eat." Milano explained he began street evangelism eight years ago when he realized "that I love myself more than I love lost people." He admitted that "I was more concerned about me than where they would spend eternity I was more concerned about what they thought of me instead of what they think of Christ." "There's nothing more loving we will do for another human being than explain to them that God's wrath abides upon them and that same God that will send them to hell is also the only that can save them from self through faith in Jesus Christ," Milano declared. Church petitions Supreme Court after denial of ministers' parsonage tax exemption Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Religious liberty legal organizations petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court this week to reverse a Virginia courts decision denying a parsonage exemption to unordained college ministers based on the citys interpretation of Presbyterian doctrine. The City of Fredericksburg denied a tax exemption for New Life in Christ Churchs parsonage housing for its college ministers, a married couple who serve students at the University of Mary Washington through hosting Bible studies and worship. Parsonages are homes provided by a church for pastors or ministers. They are subject to the church's tax exemption status. City officials deemed, however, that the couple does not quality as ministers even though they act in the capacity of ministers since they are not officially ordained, based on the citys interpretation of the Presbyterian Book of Church Order. The University of Mary Washington is a public university located about an hour's drive outside of Washington, D.C. and has around 4,400 undergraduate students. Religious liberty legal firms First Liberty Institute, Christian Legal Society and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLC filed the petition to the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday on behalf of New Life in Christ Church. The petition comes after the Virginia Supreme Court refused to review the citys decision to deny the tax exemption for the parsonage. Attorneys for New Life in Christ Church argue that the Supreme Court should review the judgment of the city's circuit court, calling the court's ruling in favor of the city an erroneous application of federal law. For over 150 years, the Court has confirmed that civil authorities may not second-guess religious organizations on questions of discipline, or of faith, or ecclesiastical rule, custom, or law, the petition reads. It is a foundational premise of our constitutional system that religious organizations enjoy power to decide for themselves, free from state interference, matters of church government as well as those of faith and doctrine." Jeremy Dys, special counsel for litigation and communications at First Liberty Institute, told The Christian Post in an interview that the New Life in Christ Church is being denied the freedoms that come with being a church. On top of that, and I think this should scare most Americans even more, you have a city and a court unilaterally deciding on their own, evaluating religious doctrine and coming to the conclusion that these are in fact not ministers according to the Presbyterian tradition, Dys said. Well, thats just ludicrous that you would have government officials examine whether or not a church is following their own doctrine or questioning whether or not this church will call ministers." Dys reiterated that state and elected officials should not determine what constitutes a minister since this infringes on the constitutional rights of a religious institution to decide. The state of Virginia and its elected officials have no business determining who is and who is not a minister for religious reasons, Dys said. If they can say these college ministers are not necessarily ministerial, then what is the limiting principle from saying any minister or rabbi or iman or other religious leader merits the protections that are offered to ministers or religious leaders in this country? Thats the type of independence [in the] Constitution ... that the religious ministries get to determine who are their religious leaders who will teach their doctrine, he continued. Dys said the churches should ultimately decide what constitutes a minister, not elected officials. Government officials have no right to substitute their theology for that of the church, Kelly Shackelford, CEO and chief counsel for First Liberty Institute, said in a statement. New Life in Christ Church considers its college campus ministers actions to be essential functions of the ministry of the church, and the city should abide by that decision." Shackelford said the citys interpretation of church doctrine on what constitutes a minister requires the government to unnecessarily violate the Constitution's First Amendment by delving into issues of faith and doctrine. Kim Colby, director of the Christian Legal Societys Center for Law and Religious Freedom, said in the petition that New Life in Christ Church simply seeks the respect that the Constitution guarantees. In the Supreme Court appeal, the lawyers argued that the nation's high court has long "recognized" that "the Religion Clauses protect the right of churches and other religious institutions to decide matters of faith and doctrine without government intrusion. They cited the 2020 Supreme Court case of Our Lady of Guadalupe Sch. v. Morrissey-Berru, where the court held 7-2 that a ministerial exception prevents civil courts from adjudicating discrimination claims brought by former employees against the religious schools. The appeal also cites the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. v. Mary Elizabeth Blue Hull Meml Presbyterian Church, a 1969 ruling stating that civil courts can't interpret church doctrine to decide church property disputes. "While 'there are neutral principles of law, developed for use in all [civil] disputes, which can be applied without' running afoul of the Religion Clauses, 'First Amendment values are plainly jeopardized when church [civil] litigation is made to turn on the resolution by civil courts of controversies over religious doctrine and practice,'" the petition states. Tom Werner | Getty Images While Silicon Valley is the historic center of technological innovation, were now seeing the development of innovation hubs around the world. These hubs create a vibrant ecosystem for startup founders and an environment that encourages collaboration and information sharing among entrepreneurs, corporations and venture capital investors. The resulting surge in innovation does a great deal to boost a regions economy and encourage the next generation of creative entrepreneurs. Silicon Valley named because of the silicon-based processors and transistors originally manufactured in the area started this innovation trend. Its still home to countless startups, major corporations, investors, and universities as well as startup incubators and accelerators. According to Pitchbook, the U.S. raised over $156 billion in venture capital during 2020. While I expect Silicon Valley to remain a strong center of startup innovation, the Covid-19 pandemic not to mention the traffic and high living expenses in the Bay Area has driven more people to relocate across the country and the world. Twenty months into the pandemic, the latest wave of the face-mask culture war is in full swing. Parents are protesting in school board meetings from Virginia Beach to Stafford County, Va., demanding their children be allowed to attend school maskless. In Congress, Republicans are revolting, defiant after the Capitol Hill physician again required masks on the floor. MASK WARS: Houston mask mandate might violate Texas governor's order It's just a snapshot of the political climate state and local officials must contend with as the delta variant drives coronavirus caseloads and they consider whether to reimpose restrictions. Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser reinstated an indoor mask mandate last week for everyone, vaccinated or not. But Virginia and Maryland governors Ralph Northam, D, and Larry Hogan, R, did not follow. Hogan has left decisions to local officials, who have already started to put mask mandates back in place as cases surge. Neil Sehgal, a health policy and management professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, said he believed the precipitous rise in new cases in the region made indoor mask mandates imperative as an extra layer of protection alongside vaccination. The seven-day average of new daily cases is up between 62 and 69% in D.C., Virginia and Maryland compared to last week -- back to levels not seen since April and May. But the reality, Sehgal said, is that widespread political resistance to masks is likely a factor in officials' decisions to avoid new mandates, particularly in Virginia, where the ongoing gubernatorial campaign only intensifies the culture wars. "The political resistance is palpable," he said. "You have a group of people who never agreed with things like masking, because unfortunately masks became very political very early. And that challenge, combined with the notion that we are in late-stage pandemic, makes it really difficult for a state, local or national leader to do what scientifically is the right thing to do." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week issued new masking guidelines after the latest research showed the delta variant caused more severe illness and could still be spread by vaccinated people who have breakthrough infections. It recommended all vaccinated or unvaccinated people in areas with substantial or high spread -- constituting all 0f D.C., the majority of Virginia counties and cities and more than half of Maryland counties -- wear masks indoors. Hogan and Northam on Thursday both reiterated that they were not considering reimposing statewide mask mandates, instead emphasizing the importance of getting vaccinated -- the tool that public health officials still urge as the most effective protection and fastest route to end the pandemic. "Mask mandates or shutdowns will not be able to eradicate the threat of the virus or this delta variant," Hogan said, noting the state is at "very low" levels of hospitalizations. Some Republicans have applauded Northam's decision to avoid a state mandate -- while alleging the decision was political. State Sen. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg, for example, told WSET that Northam "doesn't want to hurt Terry McAuliffe's campaign chances by issuing another mask mandate," referring to the Democratic candidate for governor. David Ramadan, a former Republican state delegate who now teaches at George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government, said it's now "election silly season -- where politicians relate every move to some political conspiracy." He pointed out Northam is a doctor first and argued his decision aligns with the CDC's guidance focusing on county-level transmission. Although Northam isn't the one running, GOP gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin has frequently campaigned against Northam's previous pandemic restrictions, arguing they were "arbitrary" and hurt businesses. After Northam noted on Thursday that state legislation requires schools to follow current CDC guidance -- which recommends everyone over the age of 2 wear masks inside school buildings -- Youngkin on Twitter accused Northam of "overreaching and implementing a mask mandate. RELATED: Texas Covid-19 wave is climbing more steeply than past waves "We have to respect parents' decisions about their own children. If parents, teachers, & children want to wear a mask then they can -- but there should NOT be a schoolwide mask mandate," the candidate tweeted. A spokesman for McAuliffe said the candidate supports following CDC guidance on masks. Andrew Pennock, a public policy professor at the University of Virginia, said Northam's political quandary is more about compliance than the election. Democrats in Northern Virginia, where vaccination rates are higher than they are in redder parts of the states, likely don't need to be convinced to be more cautious, Pennock said. But places where mask mandates would be most beneficial -- in less vaccinated areas -- are also the most likely to buck them, he said. That leaves the governor with a challenging array of risk levels and attitudes to balance, he said. "He has to save not his political capital, but his ability to persuade," Pennock said. "He can only move people marginally. If he tries to move them too far, they won't move at all. But if he tries to move them a little bit, he can move them a little bit." In a statement, a spokeswoman for Northam, Alena Yarmosky, said Northam is "focused first and foremost on the health of Virginians," stressing that masks help stop the spread but that vaccination is "the only way to put this pandemic behind us once and for all." An aide in the governor's office added that given transmission rates can vary drastically by community and change daily, "any mandate would be confusing and difficult to enforce." "Instead, the Governor is making it as clear and simple as possible: Get vaccinated," the aide added. Cameron Webb, a doctor who is now a member of the White House covid-19 task force after losing a campaign for Congress against Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., said the localized approach allows officials to be "nimble" in tailoring restrictions to match conditions on the ground. But the fact that there are no masks required in the 116 counties and cities in Virginia that the CDC has labeled as having "substantial" or "high" transmission is concerning, Webb said. "I still take care of covid patients in the hospital," said Webb, who practices at the University of Virginia Medical Center. "Overwhelmingly, the hospitalized patients, the sickest patients who have covid, weren't vaccinated and oftentimes weren't adhering to those public health practices that can keep them safer. Or as I say, they let their guard down. And this is not a moment to have your guard down." Without statewide mask mandates and few county-level rules, school boards have largely become the target of anti-maskers' ire as they continue to consider whether to impose mandates in time for the fall school year in both Maryland and Virginia. Maryland state education officials "strongly recommended" masks for unvaccinated students in the fall. Northam's administration went a step further, urging elementary schools to require both vaccinated and unvaccinated students and staff to wear masks -- since children under 12 aren't yet eligible for vaccines -- while urging the same for unvaccinated people in middle or high schools. Northam's mere recommendation had some Republican lawmakers up in arms. In a tweet labeled "misleading" by Twitter, Good linked to a story about Virginia's new mask guidance, argued masks made no significant difference in stopping the spread of covid-19, and then urged Virginia school boards: "JUST SAY NO!" Anti-mask parents in Virginia Beach drew national headlines while protesting at a school board meeting where masks rules were up for discussion, calling masks "child abuse" and berating board members as "monsters" or "hypocrites" for debating masks guidelines while maskless. In D.C., the only locality in the region with a full mandate in place, Bowser had to respond to similar accusations of hypocrisy over the weekend after being photographed maskless at a table during an indoor wedding reception just after her new mask order went into effect. Bowser's mask order includes an exception for eating and drinking, which spokespeople said she was doing at the table, although The Washington Post's Fact Checker gave Bowser four Pinocchios after a video emerged of the mayor failing to put on a mask when the meal was over. MORE COVID: Here's what we know about the delta plus variant Sehgal applauded D.C.'s decision to return to indoor masking requirements early despite the ongoing political tension and hoped more officials would follow suit. Nine states plus Puerto Rico have reinstated mask orders, mostly for unvaccinated people, with Louisiana becoming the latest on Monday due to the spike in new cases tied to the delta variant. "If we wait, if we wait long enough for cases to climb, then we're going to have to mandate masks," he said. If officials do it now, he said, "we prevent a lot of illness and potentially death." The need to improve the states infrastructure and the problems posed by the states unfunded pension obligations were debate by the three candidates running for state Senate in a forum organized by the League of Women Voters chapters of Greenwich, Stamford and New Canaan. Republican Ryan Fazio, Democrat Alexis Gevanter and petition candidate John Blankley are seeking to fill the empty seat in the 36th Senate District in the special election Aug. 17. The three candidates put forth their views on transportation, the environment, infrastructure and more at the event held Friday night at Greenwich Town Hall and broadcast via Zoom. The seat in the 36th District, representing all of Greenwich and part of New Canaan and Stamford, opened when Alex Kasser unexpectedly resigned in late June. The term runs through the end of 2022. All three candidates are from Greenwich. Fazio spoke out about traffic congestion and noise on the highways, calling it one of the most important issues he has heard about from voters. From Exit 2 to Exit 9 during the daytime, its almost consistently a parking lot, and thats totally unacceptable, he said. Ive lived in this district almost my entire life, and it seems like traffic only gets worse and worse in one direction. I think actually marginal improvements to traffic flow with the state Department of Transportation studying bottlenecks ... would substantially alleviate a lot of the traffic. He also called for more investment in Metro-North Railroad, saying the Democratic-run legislature has not prioritized the train system. Gevanter said congestion and safety on state roads must be addressed, and pointed to a possible windfall from a federal infrastructure bill. She said she would work to bring those funds to the district to improve the Stamford Transportation Center and Interstate 95, citing her wonderful relationship with Connecticuts all-Democrat congressional delegation. This impacts not only our quality of life but also our health and our environment, Gevanter said of transportation issues. Improvements would be good for our economy because it attracts businesses to Connecticut and creates good, high-paying jobs, which also brings new residents to Connecticut. Blankley advocated for getting trucks off the highways and onto barges to ease congestion. An investment in ports would help the environment and move freight more efficiently, he said. My plan will remove trucks from the roads, it will relieve congestion, it will reduce pollution, it will create jobs and finally it will attract new business to our state, Blankley said. When asked about water shortages and power outages, he suggested looking at solar and wind power, listing New London and Groton as potential locations for wind stations. He pointed to his experience in looking at new energy sources while working for a major international corporation and developing what became the largest solar power company in Europe. Unfortunately when it comes to the cost of electricity in the state, we have one of the highest costs in the country, Blankley said. Part of that is because we rely on natural gas, and the price of natural gas fluctuates in terms of electricity generation. Blankley said he supports Gov. Ned Lamonts efforts to get the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to encourage utilities to be more proactive when it comes to storm readiness to possibly prevent or limit power outages. Gevanter pivoted her answer toward the larger issue of climate change, which she called an existential crisis for our planet. Every Connecticut resident and business is incurring the cost of it because of ongoing inaction in our government, she said. That includes rising health care costs, soaring childhood asthma rates, flood damage to our homes, flood insurance going through the roof, unreliable global supply chains, soaring electricity bills. This is an absolute nightmare. Gevanter advocated for exploring the Transportation Climate Initiative, which is made up of 13 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, to develop clean energy and reduce carbon emissions. She said it would allow for a regional approach to levy fees on oil companies and fund climate change action. However, Fazio said that would be a new gas tax on Connecticut drivers and the middle class. Gevanter said the annual cost to the average driver in the state would be about $32.80 and said it was not a gas tax. But Fazio said it would cause gas prices to rise 5 cents to 26 cents a gallon. And when it came to the high cost of electricity, Fazio said it was because of infrastructure issues. He blamed the Democratic legislature for allowing Eversource Energy to increase its monopoly into power generation. Just a couple of years ago the Democratic state legislature voted a new power contract that was 50 percent owned by Eversource into law, the cost of which outside of New London was three times as high as the average electricity generation cost in the state, Fazio said. We need an all-of-the-above energy approach in order to reduce costs, improve reliability of the electricity grid and make it easier to do business here, to live here and to afford to be in Connecticut. We need an open and competitive bidding system for all electricity contracts. We need to prevent consolidation of our utilities and provide more competition. As a petition candidate, Blankley said he was not beholden to either partys ideology and said he could take good points from his opponents. He said he agreed with Gevanter on TCI, calling climate change an existential matter we are dealing with. One small step is what TCI is, and I say lets take it, Blankley said. Unfunded pension liability for state workers has been debated for years and at Fridays forum Gevanter said it was a problem caused by 40 years of mismanagement by both parties. But she said the state is on the right path to recovery due to a bipartisan, no-tax increase budget passed by the legislature and the new volatility cap that Gevanter said allows for any budget surpluses to be used to pay down pension debt and add to the rainy day fund. Fazio noted that the volatility cap was developed by Republicans and agreed to by Democrats when there was an even 18-18 split in the state Senate. Those numbers are needed to make positive reforms to address unfunded pension liabilities and debt, he said. Alexis is correct that this is a consequence of 40 years of mismanagement in our state government, Fazio said. What she doesnt mention is 36 of those 40 years have had the Democrats in complete control of the state legislature. This is a consequence entirely of the failed leadership of the party in power in Connecticut. Blankley and Gevanter criticized Fazio for not suggesting a solution when he answered. Blankley said Fazios reply was all politics, and Gevanter told Fazio your rhetoric doesnt match (the) reality of the bipartisan budget. Fazio said the balanced budget was only due to the federal stimulus money. If elected, Blankley said he would advocate to remedy the unfunded liabilities by increasing economic growth through investing in infrastructure and gaining a higher rate of return on the states $40 billion in assets by investing significantly more in private investments. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com Click here to read the full article. Like a serial murderer in a horror movie, the Texas voter suppression bill will not die. The states Republican lawmakers will hold a third special session of the legislature in the hopes of passing a law that would severely restrict voting in the state, along with a slate of other conservative priorities. Meanwhile, many Texas Democrats remain in the nations capital after fleeing the state to prevent the House from reaching quorum, the minimum number of members who need to be present in order to vote on legislation, a last-resort effort to block the voting bill. Gov. Greg Abbott this week announced the new special session of the legislature scheduled to begin Saturday at noon. The governor laid out the legislative priorities of the session with a 17-item agenda, much of which reads like a conservative wishlist. On the list is the election bill, which would make it limit voting hours and locations and restrict vote-by-mail. It would also introduce criminal penalties for election officials who do not allow partisan poll watchers access to watch ballots being counted and make it easier for a judge to overturn an election. Other priorities on Abbotts agenda include bills that would ban transgender children from participating in sports, prevent critical race theory from being taught in Texas classrooms, create legal recourse for people kicked off of social media platforms, and implement bail reform that Democrats say would disproportionately affect black and Latino arrestees and lead to more overcrowding of jails in the state. Abbott also listed a bill relating to legislative quorum requirements, hinting Republicans may be searching for a way to proceed with votes without Democrats by changing the rules of the legislature around quorum. I will continue to call special session after special session to reform our broken bail system, uphold election integrity, and pass other important items that Texans demand and deserve, Abbott said in a statement accompanying the agenda. Thus far the more than 50 Democrats who flew to D.C. in July, where they have been advocating for a federal law to shore up voting rights, have not announced their next move. As long as they remain outside of Texas, they are not within state law enforcements jurisdiction to force them to return. Were discussing whats next, State Rep. Chris Turner, the Democratic leader in the House, told the Texas Tribune. What is certain is that our caucus is unified in continuing to fight against these anti-voter bills and all these other unnecessary red meat issues that are simply designed to help [Abbott] in his next primary election. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) Two Boston men were shot to death early Saturday outside a Rhode Island nightclub, police said. Providence police were called to the Fuego Lounge around 2 a.m. and found one man dead and a second in critical condition. Police said the second man died at Rhode Island Hospital less than an hour later. BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Commercial truck drivers trying to cross the border into Canada from New York and elsewhere in the United States endured massive delays on Friday, after a labor dispute between customs workers and the Canadian government escalated. In Buffalo, trucks attempting to use the Peace Bridge crossing waited as long as three hours, with the line of vehicles extending back into the city's downtown areas. Delays were also extensive at crossings in Detroit and in Sumas, Washington. Former United Nations Ambassador Kelly Craft lavished praise on former President Donald Trump, waded into culture politics and took a swipe at Kentucky's Democratic governor for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in a speech Friday night that could preview a run for governor in 2023. Craft, a longtime GOP activist, was keynote speaker at a Republican dinner in Marshall County on the eve of the Fancy Farm picnic the state's premiere political event. It gave her a prime opportunity to make an impression on the GOP faithful who gathered for the festivities in western Kentucky. Though the governor's election is two years away, considerable jockeying is well under way among Republicans lining up for a possible chance to try to unseat Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. Craft is among several prominent Republicans seen as weighing a possible run. State Auditor Mike Harmon already announced he's in the race, and state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles is seen as another potential GOP gubernatorial candidate. Other Republicans could jump into the campaign, given the GOP's growing dominance across the Bluegrass State. In her speech, Craft touted her role as a diplomat and thanked Trump, who nominated her for her stint as the U.S. envoy to the United Nations. She previously served as U.S. ambassador to Canada. President Trump gave me, a lifelong Kentuckian, the opportunity of a lifetime, allowing me to demonstrate to the world the Bluegrass values that guide you and me every day, she said, according to a transcript of her remarks. I am grateful to Donald Trump. Trump easily carried Kentucky in his run for the White House in 2016 and his failed reelection campaign in 2020, and continues to hold sway among Kentucky Republicans. Whatever may or will be said about him, for four years he brought America, the United States, our country back to being the real business of American public life, Craft said of Trump. He reasserted the vital element of our national destiny: that America's values are what made America. Following the script from the Trump political playbook, Craft touted American exceptionalism and plunged into the culture wars, referring to critical race theory as destructive and something that does not belong in our schools. And today in our schools and universities, in some of our largest corporations and communications empires, all focus on America's faults, Craft said. To them, the one country in the world that is the first choice of immigrants of every nation, creed and color is systemically racist. The woke brigade despises America and America's history and America's heroes, she said, adding: Here in Kentucky, we don't accept any of that. She took a swipe at Beshear, without mentioning him by name, for the virus-related restrictions he ordered to combat the spread of COVID-19. She said that under the cover of this pandemic he was shrinking our freedoms and assuming a greater and greater control over how we live. Beshear lifted pandemic-related restrictions on businesses and gatherings in June. Kentucky has had fewer COVID-19 cases and deaths than some of its neighboring states, which took a less aggressive approach, and Beshear has said his tactics saved lives. The governor says Kentuckys economy has rebounded and is now surging. If Craft enters the Kentucky gubernatorial race, she would have the advantage of being able to tap into her family's wealth to bankroll her campaign. She didn't tip her hand about her political intentions but said her diplomatic experience prepared her for whatever is next. I don't have any regrets about jumping into the real arena, she said. Sitting behind the placard that reads UNITED STATES, protecting America's taxpayers, Kentucky's taxpayers, demanding transparency and accountability. It will make me stronger for my future that I did. And while traveling the globe as a diplomat, she said she realized again that you may leave Kentucky for a little while, but Kentucky never leaves you. BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) Hungary's government on Friday ordered booksellers to place children's books that depict homosexuality in closed packaging," the latest move in an escalating campaign that rights groups have decried as an assault on the LGBT community. The order also forbids the public display of products that depict or promote gender deviating from sex at birth, and bans the sale of all books or media content that depict homosexuality or gender change within 200 meters (650 feet) of a school or church. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) A federal judge reinstated an Arkansas attorneys contract with the state Friday after the state canceled it when he criticized a lawmakers support for banning gender-confirming treatments for transgender youths. Chief U.S. District Judge D.P. Marshall Jr. issued the preliminary injunction in Little Rock that restored Casey Copelands contract with the state's Administrative Office of the Courts. Marshall issued the order verbally after hearing arguments between the state and the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, which is litigating the case. Copeland emailed his criticism to Republican state Rep. Charlene Fite, who sponsored the ban enacted earlier this year. A federal judge blocked enforcement of the ban before it took effect July 28 after the ACLU challenged it in court. However, the state canceled Copelands contract after Fite forwarded Copelands message to Administrative Office of the Courts Director Marty Sullivan. In a statement, Copeland said he was relieved at his reinstatement "so I can get back to work protecting the rights, well-being, and opportunities of Arkansas foster children, said Casey Copeland. A citizens right to political speech is essential to our democracy and no one should be afraid of speaking their mind to their elected representative on issues that impact their friends, family, and state. Said Holly Dickson, executive director of the ACLU of Arkansas: State legislators may not like hearing from constituents who are unhappy with their actions, but they cant use the power of the state to retaliate against people because they disagree with them on a certain issue. In an email, a spokeswoman for Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said, The Attorney General is disappointed in the decision and is reviewing the order with our client to determine the next step. LONGS, S.C. (AP) A man has been arrested in North Carolina on charges that he committed a murder in South Carolina that authorities didn't previously disclose. The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reports 18-year-old Jaylon Hemingway was arrested Thursday in Tabor City, North Carolina. He's charged with murder in the June 17 killing of 26-year-old Chaquan Bellamy in Longs, South Carolina. Horry County police tweeted on June 17 that there was a shooting, but didn't provide details. The Horry County coroner didnt publicly identify the victim until Thursday after questions from The Sun News. The coroner's office typically issues news releases for homicide victims. Horry County Coroner Robert Edge initially said records showed nobody was killed on June 17. Edge later said that a further review showed Bellamy died from a single gunshot wound to the head. Might have been one that slipped through the cracks, Edge said Friday. Its a slip-up is all I can tell you. Officers found Bellamy lying in a driveway next to a still-running Jeep Latitude. All information relating to the victim was redacted from the police report. Additionally, parts of the narrative were redacted. An incident cant be classified as murder until theres evidence that the death occurred with malice aforethought," Horry County Police Department spokesperson Mikayla Moskov told the newspaper "A shooting that has just occurred is simply a shooting. MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexico City and a half-dozen of the countrys 32 states are now on red alert as COVID-19 infections rose to their highest level ever. As of Friday, Mexico had over 144,000 active coronavirus cases nationwide, 4.6% more than the previous peak during the countrys surge in January. The country has seen 243,733 test-confirmed deaths, but the country does little testing and studies of death certificates indicate the real toll is nearly 370,000. Nearly a quarter of the country is now on the highest level of alert, which requires some non-essential businesses to close and forces others to serve fewer customers at a time. The federal Health Department said the capital is red on a color-coded alert system for the pandemic, but Mexico City officials claimed they were still on orange level, which allows wider business activity. We do not believe we should close economic activities, but rather accelerate the pace of vaccination," Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said. The alert colors are determined by case loads, hospital bed availability and the rate of change in those and other factors, and there have been discrepancies between state and federal ratings before. The states of Nuevo Leon, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima and Guerrero are also on red alert. Hospitals across Mexico are now at 51% of capacity. But while cases numbers have exploded, hospitalizations and deaths are lower than during the surge in January, which pushed some hospitals to their limits. Mexico has never had a European-style strict lockdown, nor has it required face masks, or testing or vaccinations for visitors. Mexico has vaccinated 48 million people, or about 38% of the total population, with at least one dose. COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) Former state Sen. Ed Emery, who was running for an open congressional seat in central Missouri, has died. He was 71. Gov. Mike Parson announced Emery's death Saturday in a tweet and said Emery leaves an enduring legacy in public service. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) With low demand for COVID-19 vaccinations in Alabama, the state saw more than 65,000 doses wasted because health providers couldnt find people to take them before they expired, a state official said. All in all, we've counted 65,511 doses that have gone out of date, State Health Officer Scott Harris told reporters this week. Sixty-five thousand doses have been wasted. That's extremely unfortunate when we have such a low vaccination rate and of course, there are so many people in the world that still don't have access to vaccine. The doses that expired represent less than 1.5% of the more than 5 million coronavirus vaccines doses that Alabama has received. Still, Harris said it is tragic to lose the potentially life-saving allotments. Alabama is one of the least vaccinated states in the country. The state ranks last - at 34% - for the percentage of people fully vaccinated. In Alabama, 44% of people have received at least one dose of vaccine, a figure that ranks the state fifth from last. Dr. Sarah Nafziger, vice president of clinical support services at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said the states high case number is related to its low vaccination rate. I would encourage you to go get your COVID vaccine as soon as possible, she said. Health officials have been hearted by a recent uptick in the number of vaccinations being given out each day. Beginning on July 22, the number of daily vaccinations rose to more than 10,000 on most days for the first time since May. The state delivered 16,639 doses on July 30, compared to 7,144 on June 30. Coronavirus developments across New England: CONNECTICUT Connecticut has become the the latest state to mandate that workers in nursing homes be vaccinated against COVID-19. Gov. Ned Lamont on Friday directed an executive order that requires all employees of long-term care facilities to receive at least the first dose of a vaccine by Sept. 7. In a statement, he said it would absolutely irresponsible for staffers not to be vaccinated, given the vulnerability of the people in their care. According to Lamonts release, more than half of all nursing homes in Connecticut have a staff vaccination rate lower than 75%. Connecticut joins at least five other states that have issued similar mandates. ___ MASSACHUSETTS Cyclists from 47 states and 11 countries are hoping to raise $52 million to fund cancer research and patient care as the annual Pan-Mass Challenge returns after a year off due to the pandemic. The two-day 192-mile charity ride is expected to include 4,600 bicyclists across Massachusetts plus another 1,500 participants outside the weekend event. Riders are facing a different experience than in years past, executive director Billy Starr told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Volunteers will be masked, there will be no mass gatherings and the finish lines will be configured for outdoor lunches and a quick hook-up with your ride out of town, he said. We have planned since September for a health scenario that has turned out to be pretty spot-on, Starr said. A month ago, people were saying, Why arent you opening up wider, wider? and no one is saying that anymore. ___ MAINE More than 71,000 people have tested positive for the virus in Maine, including 165 cases announced Saturday. One new death was announced, bringing the total to 901. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Maine has risen over the past two weeks from 60 new cases a day on July 22 to 110 new cases a day on Thursday. ___ NEW HAMPSHIRE With COVID-19 cases on the rise, both Dartmouth College and the University of New Hampshire are implementing new mask requirements. Dartmouth now requires masks be worn indoors in nearly all circumstances. Exceptions include private, non-shared spaces, such as a dorm room or office. The University of New Hampshire is requiring masks in classrooms, labs and offices where people are close for than a few minutes, crowded spaces and events and elevators. Neither institution is requiring mask use outdoors. Dartmouth is requiring students and staff to get vaccinated. State law prohibits UNH from requiring vaccines. Unvaccinated students will be tested more frequently than vaccinated staff and students. ___ RHODE ISLAND Gov. Dan McKees administration is considering a COVID-19 vaccination requirement for state workers, according to state officials. No specific mandate has been proposed, but state officials recently informed union representatives that a vaccine mandate is under consideration, a spokesperson for the Department of Administration told the Providence Journal. They are discussing it, Robert Dulski said Thursday. They had a conversation with union leadership. There are many options on the table and no negotiations at this time. McKee was initially resistant to the idea of a vaccine mandate for state workers. ___ VERMONT The Vermont Department of Health is investigating an outbreak of COVID-19 at a Waterbury Parks and Recreation day camp. Officials said 13 campers, most of whom are under the age of 12 and therefore unvaccinated, have tested positive. None have become severely ill. Nearly 130 children attend the camp, and contact tracing is in progress. Anyone who has had contact with someone associated with the camp is being asked to monitor themselves and their children for symptoms and to get tested. Testing was being offered at the Waterbury EMS station Saturday and Sunday. Meanwhile, the mayor of Burlington is working on a plan to require city staff to be either fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to regular testing. Mayor Miro Weinberger said Friday he has met twice with union leaders and presented them with a draft policy he intends to finalize soon. It will require staff to be vaccinated by the end of September or undergo to regular testing. Weinberger also is recommending the wearing of masks in public indoor spaces regardless of ones vaccination status until Chittenden County returns to a moderate risk of transmission. ___ Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic. DECATUR, Ga. (AP) A suburban Atlanta teacher has been arrested after school police said he tried to set fire to a school and fired a gun there. Antonio Bailey, a 23-year-old Snellville resident, was arrested Friday on first degree arson, second degree criminal property damage and possessing a gun while committing a felony, DeKalb County jail records show. WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) Hundreds of people met Saturday outside a Delaware hospital to protest ChristianaCare's decision to require employees to get COVID-19 vaccines or be dismissed. More than 300 gathered at Christiana Hospital to protest the mandate, saying there isn't enough information on vaccines, they doubt their effectiveness and their right to choose is being infringed upon, The News Journal of Wilmington reported. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has maintained COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. Vaccines are created after years and years of research, and that is not the case with this one," said Victoria Malin, a nurse at Christiana Hospital and a demonstrator. ChristianaCare, the state's largest health care system and largest private employer, keep defending their policy decision. All employees must receive the first dose of the vaccine by Sept. 21, or the health system with terminate workers who don't unless given an exemption. The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and approved. They are not experimental," the hospital said in a news release Saturday. We know more about the safety of these vaccines than weve ever known about a vaccine so soon after it has become available. The hospital estimated in late June that about 70% of its employees had received at least one dose. Other hospitals in Delaware and elsewhere have announced employee vaccine requirements, including Nemours Childrens Health System on Friday. Like other states, Delaware has seen a recent increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations due to the spread of the highly contagious delta variant. Delaware's seven-day average of 165 new daily cases as of Friday is nearly three times the seven-day average two weeks ago, according to state health data. CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) Katie Helms stepped onto East 8th Street minutes before 11 a.m. as the nearby church bells continued their slow toll. Helms, a bagpiper from Knoxville, had by her estimations played at dozens of funerals but she was hoping for a bit of spiritual anointing that morning as she inhaled to blow out the opening notes of Its a Long Way to Tipperary. Two rows of Knights of Columbus men, totaling 23, moved in half steps behind Helms to flank the white Cadillac hearse. Sweat from the rippling July heat soaked the hair visible between their black berets and navy suit coats. A different group of men gathered at the back of the hearse made a last-minute adjustment leave the cart behind, the casket would be carried. Nearby, a woman standing in denim overalls in the shade of their apartments entryway remarked, Ive been to a lot of Catholic funerals, but nothing like this. Last Saturday morning, the procession of around a hundred people shuffled the two blocks west into the sanctuary of the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, where Bishop Richard Stika of the Diocese of Knoxville looked over the casket. My brother in Christ, Father Patrick Ryan, welcome home, Stika said. The special mass marked another step in the yearslong effort to see if Ryan, a Catholic priest in Chattanooga in the late 19th century, will qualify for sainthood, one of the most venerated positions in the church. Ryan died on Sept. 28, 1878, at age 33 while serving the sick in Chattanooga during an outbreak of yellow fever. During the outbreak, 366 people died from the disease and around 80% of the citys population left. The priest chose to stay. Ryan was first buried in a church building that later became the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. His remains were moved to Mt. Olivet Cemetery in 1886, when the cemetery opened. In 2019, the diocese got permission from the Hamilton County Health Department to remove Ryans remains. That exhumation occurred last week, 135 years after he was buried, and his body was returned to the Basilica as his process for sainthood continues. There is no greater gift than to give ones life for ones friend, Stika told the crowd. Father Ryan did indeed give his life for his friends. Friends that were not Catholic. Friends that were Catholic. Friends that he did not know. But when the rest of the city abandoned so many, Father Ryan stayed knowing that at some point that mosquito bite that traveled from the Louisiana area, following the rivers, would eventually take his life as well. Stika said Ryans legacy provides an example of how to live in dangerous and uncertain times, not unlike the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The priest cared for others, Stika said, emphasizing that getting the COVID-19 vaccine can protect communities and end the pandemic. Ryans casket was placed in a special area at the front of the church near the altar. Dirt from his burial site at Mt. Olivet was sprinkled on the casket and people who have prayed to Ryan to intercede on their behalf dropped flowers there. The process of sainthood requires proof the candidate existed and is not a local legend. Ryan has been declared a servant of God, one of the first steps in the process of canonization that requires the possible saint to be responsible for at least two miracles. In September, the bishop visited the basilica as the diocese announced a special committee to investigate Ryans life for any reason why the priest would not be eligible for sainthood. The Rev. J. David Carter said the inquiry continues to interview people who prayed to Ryan to intercede for them. None of them right now are candidates for an official miracle that would go through the scrutiny that the church requires to declare him blessed or saintly but we are of course still open to this possibility and praying that Father Patrick Ryan might show that he has that closeness to God and that he might intercede on behalf of whomever might invoke his name, Carter said after the service. The inquiry hopes to end its work and send its findings to Rome near the end of the year, Carter said. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) The union representing San Francisco sheriff's deputies said Friday a number of its officers will quit or retire early if they are forced to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Under a mandate issued last month, city employees who work in the jails or other high-risk settings are required to be vaccinated by Sept. 15 or risk losing their jobs. The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs Association said on its Facebook page Friday that about 160 of 600 sheriff employees are rejecting the vaccine due to religious or other beliefs, and would rather wear masks or test weekly. If deputy sheriffs are forced to vaccinate a percentage of them will retire early or seek employment elsewhere, the statement said. The union said the staffing level at the sheriff's office is already low, and that the loss of more deputies will affect public safety. It is asking the city to follow state guidelines, which offer employees the option of testing regularly. City officials denounced the union's position, coming days after seven Bay Area counties reinstated indoor masking requirements to stem transmission of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. There is also an undue and unacceptable health and safety risk that is imposed upon the city, our employees and the public we serve, by those who are not vaccinated against COVID-19, the citys Department of Human Resources said in a statement. Vaccines are safe, effective and readily available to our employees. About 16% of sheriff's deputies, 17% of police and 9.5% of fire department employees were not vaccinated as of Friday, according to city data obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle. Meanwhile, the average unvaccinated rate across all city departments is 7.7%. Nancy Crowley, a spokesperson for the sheriffs department, said officials are working with the human resources department to obtain full compliance by the deadline. HAMMOND, La. (AP) Halfway through his first day of being clean, Patrick McMenemy of Hammond asked God to take him because he did not know how to live. A 10-year struggle with addiction had left him at rock bottom, fearing no one wanted him after having burned bridges. Nearly six years later, McMenemy has remained sober, having discussed a passion for cooking, and is now inspiring others to do the same with his new found TikTok fame. He shares daily cooking videos to over half a million followers on his TikTok channel, SouthernVibin, and over 81,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, SouthernVibin Cooks. The kitchen/cooking has saved my life, and I now get to inspire millions of people by cooking, he said. McMenemy became addicted to pain pills and went down a long dark road of addiction for about 10 years. He kept trying to get cleaned and continued to struggle with it. He remembers being told to find a hobby when he got clean, but he did not know who he was, nonetheless, what hobby he enjoyed. At the time, he did not even know how to make a sandwich. The only thing he knew was getting high. He started trying different recipes in the kitchen and really got into cooking. It gave me something every day to look forward to: trying different recipes every single day where I wake up in the morning and couldnt wait till dinner time to create the next recipe, he said. During the pandemic, McMenemy started posting videos to TikTok because he was bored and had extra time. At first, he posted a few videos of his dog as he was just trying to stay busy. Then, he posted a video of him cooking. He returned to the social media app after being away for a couple weeks to discover over a million people had viewed his latest video. Since then, he has posted over a hundred videos of himself cooking Southern dishes, including boiling crawfish. Now, he posts cooking videos almost every day and goes live on the platform, talking to the audience about overcoming his addiction and telling his story of how cooking and being in the kitchen helped save his life. He said that since his videos have taken off on TikTok, he has been able to inspire so many people struggling with addiction, as well as others who have never experienced that, by sharing what he has overcome. He receives a lot of messages from people asking him about what he did to get clean, and he tries to help them in their recovery. People also send messages telling him how long they have been sober and sharing how watching him live talking about his addiction has inspired them to seek help. McMenemy recalls a point in his life when he could not go 30 minutes without a fix. Soon he will be six years sober from both drugs and alcohol on Aug. 26. No good story ends with addiction, he said, adding that it ends in death or the penitentiary, unless getting sober. He stressed that when going through addiction, a person does not care about family members and will steal and hurt anybody. ...We dont realize that the very next time could be the very last time, he said. It could be the last snuff in the nose, last needle in the arm, last drink in the mouth, he said. McMenemy tries to keep it raw when talking with his followers about addiction. Addiction is so serious; I feel like its not talked about as much as it should be, he said. It should be talked about at every kitchen table every night and talked about with kids because its that serious. Its in the schools. He encourages people getting sober to take it one day at a time, one minute at a time. He stresses that despite what was done in the past, the struggle with demons, the not knowing who oneself is and the living with regret over the things done and people hurt, this does not define who someone is. RESOURCES Resources are available in Tangipahoa Parish for individuals suffering from addiction and substance abuse problems who wish to seek help. Richard Kramer, executive director of Rosenblum Mental Health Center, said the first step is calling whichever clinic is local. Florida Parishes Human Services Authority, which provides recovery-based and person centered behavioral health and developmental disabilities services to residents, has clinics across all five of the Florida Parishes. See fphsa.org. A positive result of the pandemic is virtual support groups, like AA meetings, are much more widespread and much more accessible for people all over the world. Whereas in the past, there might only be one such group in a community, now someone can find hundreds of groups and the one that works best for them to participate in as they would in person to find the support they need, he said. People are creatures of habit and while there are physical parts of addiction, there are also parts of addiction relating to habits and the routines, Kramer said. If routines and habits were all associated with behaviors youre trying to stop doing, replace those with habits or routines so you are not left with a hole in your day and drawn back into what youre comfortable doing because thats been your habits, he said. One suggestion that is recommended is trying to accomplish something, whether that is going to work or cleaning the garage. Plan to have that one thing that someone knows they are going to get done today instead of just floating through the day without any direction at all, he said. WOOD RIVER Brooklyn Police Officer Brian Pierce Jr., 24, headed home to southern Illinois on Friday with a send off by police officers and first responders from across the region. Pierce was struck and killed by a vehicle fleeing police on the McKinley Bridge early Wednesday morning, according to the Illinois State Police. A suspect has not been arrested in his death; the vehicle that struck Pierce was later found, abandoned, in Missouri. Canadas economy recovers 94,000 jobs in July Statistics Canada finds immigrant participation in the labour market is approaching 2019 levels. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Canadas economy was a little closer to pre-pandemic levels last month. Statistics Canadas Labour Force Survey for July examined Canadas labour market conditions during the week of July 11 to 17. During this week, public health restrictions across Canada were significantly reduced due to low case counts and high rates of vaccination. Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration Canada added 94,000 jobs in July, putting employment 1.3 per cent under February 2020 levels. Gains were concentrated in full-time work, especially in the private sector in service industries. Unemployment fell to 7.5 per cent, matching the rate in March. Employment increased in the provinces of Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Employment rate for very recent immigrants continues to climb Statistics Canada refers to immigrants who have landed within the past five years as very recent immigrants. The numbers in this group have taken a hit since the border closed in March 2020. The employment rate for very recent immigrants has been on an upward trend throughout the pandemic, because their numbers are falling faster than their employment rate. In other words, they are not necessarily getting employed more often than they were in pre-pandemic times. In July, the employment rate for very recent immigrants was up to 69.1 per cent, up one percentage point from June. Among immigrants who have been in Canada for more than five years, employment was 58.1 per cent in July, down a fraction of a percentage point compared to June. The number of very recent immigrants who were participating in the labour force ballooned from more than 612,000 in 2016 to 751,000 in 2019. Growth stalled in 2020 as a result of travel restrictions, and other coronavirus-related measures. Number of very recent immigrants in Canadas labour force Source: Statistics Canada However, this year, the number of very recent immigrants participating in the labour force has returned to 2019 levels, making up almost 4 per cent of the total labour force between January and July. Immigration in Canada is oftentimes discussed as a strategy to address Canadas demographic challenges. Canada has an aging population, and a low birthrate. These elements combined mean that the labour force is shrinking, and there is not enough natural growth to make up for the losses. Without immigration, and other strategies to support labour market gaps, Canadas economy will not remain as internationally competitive in the long run. Travel restrictions did start to ease at the end of June, when the border reopened to approved permanent residents. That month, Canada welcomed 35,700 new permanent residents, more than any month during the pandemic. The number of new immigrants admitted in July is not yet released. As travel restrictions ease further, Statistics Canada says its Labour Force Survey will monitor whether the number of new immigrants participating in Canadas labour market will continue to grow. Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options. Wilkes-Barre, PA (18701) Today Thunderstorms likely, especially this evening. A few storms may be severe. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely, especially this evening. A few storms may be severe. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7) Two years after announcing their engagement, actress Angel Locsin and film producer Neil Arce are now married. The two shared they had tied the knot on their YouTube channel with a recent vlog. The video was mainly about the couple preparing to move to a new place together but it concluded with a surprising message. "Oh by the way...since filming this vlog, we decided not to wait and just do it. We got married!!!" the text at the end of the video said. The vlog included photos of their civil wedding. Locsin and Arce also posted photos on Instagram expressing their happiness. The couple first confirmed their relationship in February 2018, then announced their engagement more than a year later. Columbia, MO (65201) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable. Well, Kaoru Kuroki (b. 1965) had none of that. What she did have, though, was intelligence, charm, and a pair of magnificently hairy armpits, and she used those to completely transform Japanese culture. In a place as famous for its smut as Japan, proclaiming someone the countrys most influential porn star takes a lot of balls, and they better be somewhere balls usually dont go into. To have a shot at the title, youd need to have done X-rated acts they dont even have a name for, but all of which has been preemptively finger-wagged by the UN. 4 Kaoru Kuroki Revolutionized The Way Japanese Porn Is Made You may recognize the name Kaoru Kuroki, as Misato Morita plays her on the Japanese semi-biographical comedy-drama The Naked Director (it's on Netflix) about the life of controversial porn director Toru Muranishi. Muranishi is often given credit for creating the blue(ball)print for the interview-style porn format where the videos open with prolonged interviews with the female performers introducing themselves. This style is still very popular in Japanese porn because, even if youre not into it, you can just click ahead and watch the actress go from being fully-clothed to not at all, just like a novelty pen. But hey, if getting to know a little bit more about the person getting naked for you helps you orgasm, then great. Everybody wins. Muranishi did come up with this idea, plus a few others. Still, you can invent the most innovative porn-shooting techniques in history but if all youre filming is an empty chair, only like 20-30 people max will crank it vigorously to said furniture. You also need a star to get people to watch your movies. Kuroki was that star. Toru Muranishi first hired the 21-year-old university student in 1986 for the movie SM-poi no Suki, which became a surprise hit. There are a few reasons for that. Continue Reading Below Advertisement The first one was Kuroki herself. She didnt look and sound like any other porn star out there. In the opening interview, she was very prim and proper, she spoke honorific Japanese, and she had a kind of high-class charm to her. That wasnt an act, as Kuroki reportedly came from a very well-off family. So why did she do porn? Some say its because she wanted to make some money without her familys help, though Kuroki later claimed it was because she looked at porn as a form of art, and as a student of Italian fine art at Yokohama National University, she wanted to explore this form of art deeper. Deeper. DEEPER. On-chan/Wiki Commons Weirdly, you won't find a single commemorative plaque dedicated to Kuroki anywhere in YNU. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Also, in many of her movies, the way Kuroki has sex looks very different than most porn because she always tried to get an orgasm for herself out of each shoot. She considered that winning. Its why her pornos were popular with women, and why more than just men noticed that Kuroki was not shaving her armpits. Initially, it was a gimmick to help her stand out but it eventually became part of her feminist philosophy of celebrating the female body in its natural form, and it got people talking until it may have helped change Japanese law. Japanese porn is famous for its censorship (thanks, America) but until 1990, the country didnt just censor genitals. It also pixelated pubic hair. The law was eventually relaxed in 1991 to allow the depiction of crotches in art and smut thanks to the work of pioneering photographers like Kishin Shinoyama, but Kaoru Kuroki in her au naturel form was very much part of the pub(l)ic conversation about the connection between body hair and sex. She would go on to be part of many more conversations over the next few years. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Here's a fact from the new One Cracked Fact newsletter. Want to read more like this, straight from your email inbox, without ads, and before anyone gets to read it on the site? Get it here! SIGN ME UP Criminals have received some mind-bogglingly long sentences over the years, with a few of them sentenced to hundreds of lifetimes in prison. Usually, it's because they killed a whole lot of people. The single longest sentence we've been able to track down, however, belonged to someone who killed no one. Her crime was purely about money. If you're guessing that the criminal we're talking about received 835 years in prison (because you read the title above), good guess, but no, it was longer than thatwe'll get to the guy sentenced to 835 years in a second. First, we want to tell you about Thai fraudster Chamoy Thipyaso, who was sentenced to ... wait for it ... 141,078 years in prison. Thipayaso was convicted in Thailand in 1989 for a decades-long pyramid scheme, which defrauded millions from 16,000 people. If you have trouble tallying how even that many individual counts can add up to 141,078 years, maybe we should mention that some of her victims were members of the Thai royal family, so she was bound to be sentenced to the longest time possible. Still, this was just a symbolic sentence. A separate law said no one in Thailand could be imprisoned for more than 20 years for fraud, so Thipayaso was a free woman after less than eight years. Run down past Thipayaso on the list of history's longest sentences, and you hit a bunch of those murderers we talked about. Then you hit Mr. 835 years, the con man Sholam Weiss, convicted in 1999. Like Chamoy Thipayaso, he put together a massive fraud scheme, this one robbing some 35,000 people of $420 million. These people were all customers of a life insurance company Weiss looted and destroyed, and while dozens of other criminals had a hand in the scam, Weiss made off with about half the money all by himself. Continue Reading Below Advertisement His was the biggest federal sentence ever handed down in the US, and the biggest in the US for any white collar crime. An 835-year sentence seemed bizarre, no matter how much money he'd stolen. Bernie Madoff, for comparison, got only 150 years, despite stealing 20 times what Weiss stole. Or maybe more than 20 timesinvestment numbers are tricky to add up, because a lot of that money is just imaginary. So a lot of people pushed for Weiss' sentence to be commuted. And so it was, on January 19 of this year, by outgoing president Donald Trump. The commutation was also controversial, since Weiss was hardly a model prisoner. He went on the run after his trial and had to be picked up in Austria years later. So, claimed angry people, 835 years was a lot, but maybe 18 years in prison was too little. Maybe he could have got 19 years, at least? Or 19 and a half? For more criminal tales, see also: 5 Horrifying Ways People Were Wrongfully Accused Of Crimes 5 Insane Prison Escapes You Won't Believe Actually Worked 5 Things You Didn't Know About Smuggling Drugs into Prison Follow Ryan Menezes on Twitter for more stuff no one should see. Top image: Lexjuris/Wiki Commons WATKINSVILLE, Ga. (AP) A Georgia jailer was arrested on charges of having sexual contact with a prisoner, and two other workers were fired, authorities said Friday. Blake Edward Patat, 30, of Comer was charged with sexual assault involving someone in his custody, according to a statement from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He worked as a jailer for the Oconee County Sheriff's Office at the time of the incident on July 25. STORRS A small group of roughly 2 percent of University of Connecticut students has requested non-medical exemptions from the schools vaccine requirement. Connecticut Public Media reported this week that more than 800 UConn students have asked for exemptions to the schools COVID-19 vaccine mandate this fall. The school enrolled almost 33,000 students last year, including about 19,000 undergraduates, on its main campus in Storrs. The deadline to request an exemption was officially July 15. At least 771 of those requests were for non-medical reasons, such as religious or philosophical beliefs, or hesitancy about the vaccine. As of late July, 504 of those appeals have been granted, and Stephanie Reitz, a UConn spokesperson, confirmed that as of Friday, none had been denied. More than 50 medical exemption requests, with signed statements from physicians, were received and approved by the universitys Student Health and Wellness department. The requests for exemptions were made public in court documents after a group of students and parents sued the universitys board of trustees last month in U.S. District Court. UConn has asked to have the lawsuit dismissed, saying those students have received waivers or did not apply for them. A large majority of UConn students have already been vaccinated. As of Wednesday, 92 percent of Storrs residential students reported they were partially or fully vaccinated, according to university vaccine data. Although the university hadnt set a specific minimum, having a vaccination rate higher than 90 percent gives us confidence in a healthy opening, said Reitz. Students indicated last spring in strong numbers that they intended to get the vaccine when it became available to them, so while we arent surprised by the high figures, were pleased and grateful. The COVID-19 dashboard is updated weekly and, starting Aug. 11, will include off-campus and regional campus students. Reitz said UConn received additional confirmations of vaccination statuses in the past week, so the universitys next update will see that number rise, though she did not know by how much. However, its still important to emphasize that the Delta variant and other possible variants do cause real concern, said Reitz, so UConn intends to open with other safety measures also in place, including indoor masking. The university also has rooms set aside for isolation and medical quarantine where any students who do contract COVID can safely and comfortably receive treatment away from others, she said. Students who return to campus unvaccinated will need to comply with additional preventive measures, including pre-arrival and arrival COVID-19 testing, weekly surveillance testing, close-contact quarantine and masking requirements, according to school officials. In the case of an on-campus outbreak, unvaccinated students may be excluded from campus until the outbreak is declared over, Reitz said. The UConn board of trustees unanimously passed the student vaccine mandate in June. There are many things that we can do to safely and successfully open in the fall, interim president Andrew Agwunobi, the CEO of UConn Health, said at the time. But perhaps the single most important step that we can take towards ensuring the safe and successful opening in the fall is vaccinating as many students as possible. Agwunobi said part of his rationale for the vaccine mandate was to lessen the impact of a possible fall surge in COVID-19 cases. Those concerns materialized with the rise of the more contagious Delta variant: On Thursday, the state reported a daily positivity rate of 2.72 percent for new COVID-19 tests. UConn is one of many Connecticut colleges and universities to require the COVID-19 vaccine ahead of this fall term. The list includes Fairfield University, University of Bridgeport, University of New Haven, University of Hartford, Quinnipiac University, Trinity College, Wesleyan University and Yale University. The Connecticut state college system has also mandated the shot. Sacred Heart University was among the few holdouts. Two weeks ago, the school reversed course and decided to make the vaccine mandatory, citing concerns about the delta variant. Move-in day, meanwhile, is quickly approaching. First-year UConn students at Storrs will move into the dorms on Aug. 27. Students who are not fully vaccinated before the start of the semester can do so on arrival, university officials said. Over the last year it's been difficult to spend quality time with friends and family. So when my friend Neev and I could finally get a date in the diary, we jumped at the chance. We wanted to catch up, reconnect and just have fun like we used to. And, as we both love clothes and fashion, we decided to spend the day shopping, chatting and lunching in the open air at Bicester Village in Oxfordshire. Located just over an hour from where we both live in west London, spending time here really is like strolling through a very pretty, beautifully manicured village. And with its white clapboard boutiques housing luxury labels like Missoni, Balmain and Carolina Herrera, you could almost be shopping in The Hamptons. Bicester Village has over 160 boutiques housing the world's most coveted luxury labels Not to mention the high-end high street names like The Kooples, Ba&sh, Lululemon and Reiss, or homeware brands including The White Company, Emma Bridgewater and Le Creuset, which all have a home at Bicester too. Neev and I both had a few specific occasions in mind to shop for and with over 160 boutiques to browse, we knew we'd find something perfect for all of them at Bicester Village. We even took along Neev's gorgeous five-year old daughter Genevieve, who loved the outdoor play area and doing a little bit of shopping herself... Here's how we got on... Ibiza calling... Like everyone, we've been dreaming of a holiday abroad for what feels like forever. And this summer we've booked a couple of nights in one of our favourite places in the world; Ibiza. As a DJ and presenter, Neev is a regular on the island and I've been lucky enough to tag along on a couple of occasions, to see her play and to soak up that unique Ibizan vibe. While we're still waiting to see if we'll actually be able to get to The White Isle, we couldn't resist shopping for some pieces to pack in our very underused suitcases. For me, Ibiza is all about a luxe take on Bohemia - fringing, long flowing gowns, beach hair and tapping into those legendary ley lines. My Bohemian dream in Etro at Bicester Village Neev took home these incredible strappy sandals from Etro, reduced to just 215! With jetsetter Talitha Getty as my muse, we made Etro our first stop. This label is loved for its elegant grown-up take on the Boho style I was looking for. And while I could have tried on almost everything in the boutique, it was a full length printed maxi dress that really did it for me. And Neev also found THE most fabulous heels. This pair of wrap around, sky high sandals were an absolute must. We both fell hard for the beaded tassels and when we discovered there was an extra 50 per cent off, it was a no-brainer. With lazy days at a beach club on the horizon, a visit to the Missoni boutique was essential And where better to pick out some looks for a languorous day at an Ibizan beach club than Missoni? This Italian powerhouse is renowned for its signature crochet-knit designs which really lend themselves to luxury resortwear. I opted for a fine knit halterneck dress, ideal for throwing on over a bikini, while Neev gave her swimwear collection an upgrade with a fabulous pink one-piece, complete with plunging neckline and belted waist. Ibiza here we come (fingers crossed!) A holiday at home Genevieve loved the Peppa Pig printed boots at Hunter Hunter is the ultimate brand for all things 'UK staycation' With some restrictions still in place, many of us are opting to stay in the UK this summer. In fact, Neev and her family are going 'glamping' in a week's time so I suggested we pop into the Hunter boutique, because as we all know, the British weather is not to be trusted. Wellies are, of course, Hunter's most famous product, but this homegrown heritage brand is perfect for kitting out the kids with rain-proof essentials. After all, they won't want the fun to end just because of a few showers... Genevieve loved the Peppa Pig print boots (perfect for splashing in puddles) and this adorable pink waterproof vinyl poncho, will come in very handy when the heavens inevitably open this summer. Around the corner we stopped into the Bonpoint boutique, where Neev found a lovely edit of the sweetest children's clothes for Genevieve and her younger sister Vivienne. The straw hat was certainly a favourite, but mostly we just wondered if the extremely pretty dresses, tops and skirts would ever be available in grown up sizes! Genevieve found lots to smile about at the lovely Bonpoint boutique Fluffy slippers from The White Company are a must whatever the time of year And I picked up my own staycation treat; a pair of fluffy slippers from The White Company. Not only will they be great for any chilly August evenings, but they'll keep my toes toasty all the way into next season. THE birthday dress This embellished mini is classic Balmain and guaranteed to turn heads Like most of us Neev had to celebrate her birthday in lockdown. And while Zoom calls with family and friends are fun, they don't compare to getting together IRL, at an actual party. So this year, determined to make up for it, we were on a mission to find THE perfect party dress - and that's why Balmain was a must-stop. This ultra-glam label is the go-to for A-list stars looking for something sophisticated, sexy and truly special. And the Bicester Village boutique did not disappoint. Neev tried this rather fabulous sparkly mini (above). Not only does it make the most of her incredible pins, but the heavy embellishment will ensure she turns heads whether she's on the dance floor or behind the DJ decks. Gina's Swarovski crystal-encrusted shoes are the perfect way to complete any party look There were almost too many styles to choose from at Gina And a party dress needs party shoes, so we took a quick detour to Gina. Renowned for its Swarovski crystal-encrusted designs, Gina makes shoes that really make a statement. We just had trouble deciding which to get... Take a well-earned break... Whether you have a specific shopping list in mind or just want to spend a few hours browsing some seriously gorgeous fashion, it's easy to make a day of it thanks to the brilliant selection of restaurants and cafes at Bicester Village. Take a break from the shopping to grab a flat white from London Grade Coffee or a delicate eclair that's almost too pretty to eat (almost) at Maitre Choux. And when it comes to lunch, there are some wonderful options no matter what you're in the mood for. The lovely outdoor terrace at Cafe Wolseley Enjoy a cocktail and a truly memorable meal at Cafe Wolseley. This all-day cafe-restaurant is inspired by the iconic London flagship, The Wolseley, and its gorgeous outdoor terrace will provide a serene spot to look through all those shopping bags. Love dim sum? Then head to Shan Shui. In an interior inspired by 1920s Shanghai you'll find a selection of Chinese culinary wonders, along with popular South-East Asian favourites. Indulge in the best of Asian cuisine at Shan Shui Enjoy brunch, lunch or dinner at Soho House & Co's Farmshop Restaurant & Cafe For something more casual we recommend Soho House & Co's Farmshop Restaurant & Cafe. Brunch classics like avocado on toast can be found alongside seasonal salads and tempting mains like spare ribs and spit roast chicken. Or enjoy a wood-oven pizza and an Italian beer at Pizza Terrace x Farmshop. Click HERE to find out more about all the dining options at Bicester Village this summer. Why not spend the evening? Not only can you enjoy breakfast, lunch and on-the-go treats while you shop at Bicester Village, now you can really make a whole day of it (and the most of the summer evenings) with a night at the outdoor cinema. Running until 21st August, you can watch classic movies like Top Gun and Notting Hill, as well as more recent favourites like Rocketman under the stars. And with the Shop, Dine and Cinema package you can enjoy a three course meal at Cafe Wolseley, farmshop restaurant & cafe or Shan Shui, alongside reserved parking, your cinema ticket and a 10 per cent saving on the Village price* with a VIP pass all for just 30. To book your visit, simply email summerevents@bicestervillage.com and a member of the Summer Events Bookings Team will contact you to arrange your visit. The home update Le Creuset is just one of the many homeware brands available at Bicester Village Kitting out your home with luxuriously soft towels is a breeze at The White Company One of the many fantastic things about a day at Bicester Village is you can shop for the home as well as your wardrobe. Whether you're looking for dinnerware, high end tech, leather goods or a gift for someone you love, you'll be able to find it. We made a beeline for Le Creuset where Neev picked up some of the brand's iconic cookware, before nipping into Emma Bridgewater, where I found the perfect hand-painted present for my mum. And thanks to a helping hand from Genevieve, Neev was able to stock up on luxuriously soft towels at The White Company. Looking ahead... French label Ba&sh is a go-to for extremely pretty day dresses ideal for work and play This frilled print mini is the perfect transitional piece As much as we don't want to admit that autumn is on the way, we do love shopping for a new season wardrobe. So we couldn't help stopping at some of our favourite high-end high street labels with an autumn update in mind. French brand Ba&sh is brilliant for dresses and separates to bridge the gap between seasons. I found midis and minis that can be styled for day and night, making them perfect for going straight from my desk to dinner. And we found plenty of easy-to-wear blouses and tops at The Kooples. So, that's the new season nailed! Bicester Village: The details of a day out to delight in... With a unique collection of luxury labels, unbelievable savings and a relaxed, safe and beautiful setting, Bicester Village is the ultimate shopping destination. And this summer, as well as over 160 boutiques from your favourite designers, there are exciting pop-ups to discover too. Easily accessible by car and public transport, Bicester Village even has its own train station and is only 46 minutes from London's Marylebone and just 14 minutes from Oxford. Open every day of the week from 9am, you can enjoy a whole day of shopping and dining. And with hands free shopping available, it means you won't need to carry your bags around with you! Plus, if you'd like a bit of expert help, why not take advantage of the personal shopping service? With a stylish edit curated by one of Bicester's experts just for you, you'll save time and energy by booking an appointment. It's the perfect solution for organising your back to work wardrobe. And you can even enjoy a Virtual Shopping Service from the comfort of your own home with your purchases then delivered straight to your door. So click HERE to discover more about Bicester Village and to plan your visit now. *T&Cs apply. Click HERE to view. A cosmetic doctor revealed the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to having lip filler as he warned of the dangers of botched procedures. London-based Dr Tijion Esho, star of Netflix's Body Fixers, explained he has seen a spike in the number of corrective procedures he is performing to fix problems caused by other practitioners. To illustrate just what can happen, Dr Esho shared a video of him piercing a patient's lip, causing the filler inside to squirt out. London-based Dr Tijion Esho, star of Netflix's Body Fixers, explained he has seen a spike in the number of corrective procedures he is performing to fix problems He told FEMAIL: 'Im currently seeing that at least a third of my work is corrective. I see five to seven patients a day who need me to salvage work theyve had done elsewhere.' Dr Esho said the most common issues include women regretting the work they have done, women with overfilled lips, or other complications. l say it time and time again - people need to research and be more careful when having fillers', he said. 'Overfilling, poor technique or cheap products can result in lumpy lips, infection, scar tissue which can be very difficult to correct - there are even occasions where botched jobs are not possible to save once necrosis has set in.' Here, Dr Esho reveals to FEMAIL the common mistakes that could ruin your lips if you're considering getting filler. Dr Tijion Esho shared a video on his Instagram page of a corrective procedure which saw him squeezing filler put of one of his patient's lips Picking a poorly trained practitioner Anyone can become an aesthetic practitioner these days, but it doesnt mean they know exactly what theyre doing. Rather than just going to the first person you see on Instagram for a cheap package, look at reviews, official governing sites and look at a persons credentials and ensure you are seeing a doctor, dentist or nurse. Make sure they registered with their respective medical bodies, they are experienced in aesthetics and the treatment happens within a medical setting to ensure you will be treated safely. Choosing the wrong type of filler If a practitioner has used the likes of silicone rather than hyaluronic acid (the safest filler), it cant be removed unless they undergo surgery - which can leave the lips even more disfigured than before. Ignoring the natural shape of your natural lip Everyone is naturally asymmetrical, some more than others - but many patients come to me with asymmetric lips as they tried to put too much in at first or to change the shape at a previous clinic. In many cases I correct this by dissolving the hyaluronic acid filler with the enzyme hyaluronidase, which can be used even months after initial injection. Although I can fix issues like this, but its better to remember less is more in the first place to avoid having to go elsewhere. Using an unsanitary clinic I have had situations where patients have been treated In the back of a gym or an unsanitary clinic. If a practitioner is treating patients in this type of environment its a big clue that they are someone who should not go near your face! The severe bacterial infections seen in botched cases can often come from treating in these environments but also by shared needles/syringes. Ive heard of awful cases where opened syringes are offered for a lower priced injection. Its a medical procedure at the end of the day and once youve chosen your practitioner you should ensure they are seeing you in clean spotless room, wearing gloves and mask as necessary and using a sterile procedure packs to perform your treatment. Poor aftercare Its important to take care of yourself post filler treatment. After fillers you are advised not to go to the gym for 24 hours; to drink no alcohol; to not touch the injection site, to avoid makeup and ice the area routinely. This advice is given for a reason - poor aftercare can result in excess swelling, bruising or in bad cases, the effects weve spoken about - infections and inflammation which can lead to lumps and dying tissue. Its a serious matter. You should ensure that you have a routine follow up 2 - 3 weeks with your injector and always have an emergency contact you can call Rushing straight into filler Especially if you are a beginner to lip enhancements, topical products are a cheaper and more accessible way of getting the results you want. My new cosmeceutical lip care products include COAT, a dry lip treatment; PAUSE, a lip plumper; SCULPT, an enhancing lip serum and DRENCH, a hydrator. If you want to define lip curvature, increase lip volume whilst leaving your lips feeling hydrated, soft and sculpted, without the potential after effects of filler, I recommend starting with this line rather than jumping straight to filler. A father who suffered a heart attack while driving on the motorway with his son has claimed an emergency geo-location app saved his life. Gary Mason, 57, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, knew he was in trouble when he began experiencing chest pains and asked son Joe, 22, to drive him to Alexandra Hospital. On the journey the pain worsened and he lost feeling in his arm and was struggling to breathe, so he dialled 999. As his condition rapidly worsened and he became disorientated, Gary found it difficult to speak to the call handler, so Joe pulled over and took the phone. Gary Mason, 57, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, who suffered a heart attack while driving on the motorway with his son Joe, 22, has claimed an emergency geo-location app saved his life (pictured together now) It then dawned on him to check the what3words app, which he had downloaded after seeing it advertised on TV, to pinpoint their exact location. Thankfully his quick-thinking meant West Midlands Ambulance Service arrived in three minutes and saved Gary's life. Speaking to FEMAIL, Gary said: 'Without what3words I would have died. While I was having a heart attack, Joe spent over 10 minutes trying to direct the emergency services to our location on the Bromsgrove highway. 'We were getting nowhere and time was of the essence. I have had cancer and two heart attacks in the past, so as soon as the pains started I recognised them from previous experiences. 'I'm so proud of Joe because he's very dyslexic and listening back to the 999 call, he was so calm and collected when reading out the what3words address. If anyone deserves a medal today it's him.' Joe added: 'Being in the car with my dad while he was having a heart attack made me realise how important it is to be able to tell someone your exact location. When Gary's condition worsened, Joe pulled over and took over the phone. It dawned on him to give the 999 call handler their what3words location Joe used the app to pinpoint their exact location (pictured). Thankfully his quick-thinking meant West Midlands Ambulance Service arrived in three minutes and saved Gary's life 'Saving minutes, or even seconds can dramatically change the outcome of an emergency. My dad wouldn't be here today if I wasn't able to give the call handler our what3words address.' Joe told how he first downloaded the app because he thought it would be a good thing to have when meeting up with friends and in case of emergencies. The location app that could save your life - but how does it work? What3words divides Earth into a grid of 57 trillion squares measuring 3 metres by 3 metres, with each box given a code devised by an algorithm consisting of three English words. For example, 'laptop.processes.works' will take you to the best view over Durdle Door in Devon. Nelson's Column is situated in a square marked 'this.fantastic.notes', while Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh is tagged 'maybe.sling.worth' and the Statue of Liberty is at 'then.drill.moth'. The site uses shorter, more common words for built-up areas and more obscure references for remote locations such as Siberia and the middle of the ocean. The app is free to download for both iOS and Android devices, and works offline, making it ideal for use in areas with unreliable data connection, such as beaches, national parks and campsites. what3words can also be used via the online map at what3words.com. The technology is available in over 45 languages, including Welsh, and can be used anywhere in the world. Advertisement He also works for his father's vehicle recovery business and found it was useful to tell customers to use what3words to make them easier to locate after a breakdown. 'A lot of the time people call from remote areas, or somewhere on the motorway that isn't easy to describe,' Joe explained. 'It can be something as simple as figuring out whether they're northbound or southbound. what3words makes this process so much easier. I never thought it would be crucial in a life and death situation like it was though. 'It's free and does not take up much space on your phone and it could save your life as it did with my dad.' Gary asked Joe to drive him to hospital after he started experiencing severe chest pains whilst at work. 'I knew straight away that something wasn't right,' he recalled. 'That was the first sign before the other symptoms started kicking in during our car journey. 'As I have had heart attacks before, we knew exactly what we needed to go and where to go to get the help I needed, but then suddenly couldn't feel my arm and I couldn't breathe whilst Joe was driving me to the hospital, meaning I was struggling to talk to the call handler and describe where we were. 'I could tell as time was going on my heart was shutting down. I needed help quickly and we just wouldn't have made it to the hospital in time without an ambulance getting to us. 'I was becoming disoriented and finding it difficult to describe where we were, which is why Joe then took the phone, once we were stationary, and decided to share our what3words location ///anyway.lend.give.' The ambulance along with the critical care team arrived within three minutes and whisked Gary to hospital, where he had an emergency stent fitted to unblock his heart. A couple of weeks later Gary was rushed back into hospital with more heart problems - and the app proved vital yet again. The ambulance along with the critical care team arrived within three minutes and whisked Gary to hospital, where he had an emergency stent fitted to unblock his heart 'When I called 999 the first thing I did was give them my what3words address,' he said. 'I live in the middle of nowhere and I needed help quickly. After last time, I knew that this was the only way to save my life. 'It was a major heart attack and I still have heart damage. The cardiologist said that if the emergency services hadn't got there in time I wouldn't have made it. I'm now doing well, but being careful every day.' Jeremy Brown, Integrated Emergency & Urgent Care Director for West Midlands Ambulance Service, said: 'Each day we receive calls from people who don't know exactly where they are, or they struggle to describe the location of an emergency or incident. 'In a 999 emergency, understanding the exact whereabouts of a patient is one of the first things our call assessors will do; it could mean the difference between life and death. 'Once the location is confirmed, our dispatchers can then work on finding the most suitable crew to send to the patient. Joe told how he first downloaded the app because he thought it would be a good thing to have when meeting up with friends and in case of emergencies Co-founded in London in 2013 by Chris Sheldrick, what3words covers the entire world, never needs updating, and works offline. The app has divided the world into a grid of three metre squares, and given each square a unique combination of three words 'Our Integrated and Emergency Urgent Care teams guide callers through how to use what3words when required and have already utilised this platform around 800 times so far this year. 'The what3words location provided to us also assists our crews in physically locating the patient on the ground. I'd certainly encourage anyone to download the what3words app as a useful tool to have on your phone or smart device you never know when you might need it.' Emergency services across the UK are anticipating an exceptionally busy summer, as restrictions on international travel have resulted in a huge increase in Brits opting to holiday in the UK. They have warned of the 'unprecedented' pressure that this has put on control rooms and are calling for the public to download and familiarise themselves with the free what3words app as a simple way to stay safe and support emergency services this summer. Gary said: 'I'm so proud of Joe because he's very dyslexic and listening back to the 999 call, he was so calm and collected when reading out the what3words address. If anyone deserves a medal today it's him' Co-founded in London in 2013 by Chris Sheldrick, what3words covers the entire world, never needs updating, and works offline. The app has divided the world into a grid of three metre squares, and given each square a unique combination of three words. It enables people to share very precise locations with others, or to input them into platforms and machines such as ride-hailing apps or e-commerce checkouts. Whatthreewords is optimised for voice input and contains built-in error prevention to immediately identify and correct input mistakes. It is now used by over 85 per cent of UK emergency services police, fire and ambulance and all services surveyed described it as 'a reliable tool to have as part of the emergency toolkit'. While not intended as a replacement for any traditional 'must-pack' survival gear worth bringing along on all hikes, camping trips, and other outdoor adventures this summer, the technology has become a well-used tool for emergency services, saving dispatchers and responders precious time and resources in an emergency. In a recent voluntary survey of 19 emergency service control rooms across the UK, 74 per cent of those surveyed reported that using what3words cut response times when it matters most, with two control rooms reporting that on average the technology saved their teams more than 10 minutes per call. Of those surveyed, 63 per cent had used what3words to locate at least 50 callers in 2021, with some control centres reporting that the technology had been used to assist more than 1,200 incidents already this year. Nearly half (42 per cent) of emergency call operators said that they receive calls where individuals struggle to describe the location of their emergency on a daily basis. This summer 68 per cent predict a rise in the number of calls from hard-to-describe locations such as beaches and parks, due to the combination of hot weather, easing COVID restrictions, and increased domestic travel and staycations. Queen Letizia and King Felipe VI of Spain met with Mallorcan sailor Joan Cardona in Palma yesterday to congratulate him on his Olympic bronze medal. The royal couple were joined by their daughters Princess Leonor, 15, and Infanta Sofia, 14, as they chatted to the athlete and commended his achievement during the 39th Copa del Rey (King's Cup) regatta at Real Club Nautico de Palma. Cardona is the Spain SailGP Team's youngest member and took third place in the Finn class at the Tokyo Games. He was beaten by Team GB's Giles Scott, who took gold, and Zsombor Berecz of Hungary who won the silver medal. Letizia, 48, appeared to opt for a nautical theme with her outfit, donning a chic belted blue and white-striped maxi-dress with a tiered skirt. Queen Letizia and King Felipe VI of Spain met with Mallorcan sailor Joan Cardona in Palma yesterday to congratulate him on his Olympic bronze medal (pictured, along with daughters Princess Leonor (left) and Princess Sofia (right) Letizia, 48, appeared to opt for a nautical theme with her outfit, donning a chic belted blue and white-striped maxi-dress with a tiered skirt Here come the girls! Queen Letizia of Spain pictured with her glamorous teenage daughters Princess Leonor (right) and Princess Sofia (left) The elegant former journalist completed her look with a pair of cream espadrille sandals and a white clutch bag, and kept her brunette locks off her face with a pair of sunglasses perched on her head. She kept her make-up relatively natural, with a lick of mascara to bring out her eyes, and accessorised with a pair of gold hoop earrings. King Felipe, 53, kept it casual with a pale grey polo shirt and a pair of beige shorts, with slip-on open toe shoes. Crown Princess Leonor looked pretty in a chic floral ruffled mini dress and espadrille wedges, while her sister Sophia sported a crisp mint green playsuit with tan sandals. Spain's Queen Letizia and her daughters Princess Leonor (left) and Princess Sofia leave the Nautical Club of Palma after a visit during the 39th Copa del Rey (King's cup) regatta in Palma de Mallorca Queen Letizia (pictured with her daughters and husband) kept her brunette locks off her face with a pair of sunglasses perched on her head Cardona is the Spain SailGP Team's youngest member and took third place in the Finn class at the Tokyo Games (pictured greeting the royals) Crown Princess Leonor (pictured centre) looked pretty in a chic floral ruffled mini dress and espadrille wedges Letizia and her daughters took the opportunity to get a closer look at Cardona's medal, leaning in to feel its weight and admire the design In another sweet shot, tactile King Felipe was seen giving his smiling wife and daughters a hug The family all opted to wear protective face coverings for the meet and greet, and posed with Cardona for a photo on the marina. Letizia and her daughters took the opportunity to get a closer look at Cardona's medal, leaning in to feel its weight and admire the design. With handshakes still off the cards due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, the royals greeted the sailor with a fist bump. In another sweet shot, tactile King Felipe was seen giving his smiling wife and daughters a hug. The family all opted to wear protective face coverings for the meet and greet, and posed with Cardona for a photo on the marina King Felipe, 53, kept it casual with a pale grey polo shirt and a pair of beige shorts, with slip-on open toe shoes The family have been enjoying spending their summer holidays in the Balearic Islands (pictured: Letizia with her daughters) The elegant former journalist completed her look with a pair of cream espadrille sandals and a white clutch bag Queen Letizia of Spain, Princess Leonor of Spain (left) and Princess Sofia of Spain (right) pictured during the visit to the Real Club Nautico de Palma Queen Letizia kept her make-up relatively natural, with a lick of mascara to bring out her eyes, and accessorised with a pair of gold hoop earrings King Felipe VI of Spain (second right), Queen Letizia of Spain (left), Crown Princess Leonor of Spain (right) and Princess Sofia of Spain (second left) pictured meeting Spanish Olympic bronze medal Joan Cardona (centre) Queen Letizia appeared to blow a kiss as she and her two daughters and King Felipe VI departed the club Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor and Princess Sofia applauded enthusiastically during the meet and greet Princess Sophia (pictured left beside her mother and sister) sported a crisp mint green playsuit with tan sandals The family have been enjoying spending their summer holidays in the Balearic Islands; earlier this week they had a day out in Escorca. They visited the Interpretation Center of 'Sierra De Tramuntana' and the Lluc Sanctuary. Escorca is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Serra de Tramuntana, which has the highest mountains on the island of Mallorca, and the royals enjoyed views of the whole island from the mountain top. Letizia met Felipe VI at a dinner party in 2002, and the pair enjoyed an instant connection, leading to their royal wedding in May 2004. Queen Letizia of Spain (second right) looked effortlessly chic as she joined her family out an outing in Mallorca earlier this week. She was joined by her husband King Felipe VI (second left) and daughters Princess Leonor, 15, (left) and Infanta Sofia, 14 (right) Keeping it cool in a light blue shade, Letizia, 48, sported a V-neck wrap dress with an A-line skirt and cinched waist. She is pictured visit the Interpretation Center of the Natural Landscape of the Sierra de Tramontana and the Lluc Sanctuary Future monarch Leonor (second right) a student United World College of the Atlantic in Wales,, matched her mother in a powder blue dress with short capped sleeves and cinched in waist. She sported the same shoes as her sister Sofia (left) - a grey and fawn sandal with a small wedge and white lace up detail The former newsreader is the granddaughter of a taxi driver and the eldest daughter of Jesus Jose Ortiz Alvarez, a journalist, and first wife Maria de la Paloma Rocasolano Rodriguez, a nurse and hospital union representative. She attended public high school and did a degree at the Complutense University of Madrid. She later gained an MA in Audiovisual Journalism at the Institute for Studies in Audiovisual Journalism. King Juan Carlos abdicated in 2014 in favour of his son, now King Felipe VI. First it was the turducken a three-bird roast consisting of a chicken cooked inside a duck inside a turkey. Now there is a pescatarian twist on this festive delicacy as both Waitrose and Marks & Spencer offer a trio of fish as centrepieces for their Christmas menus. Waitrose launched its version last week, with a dish that comprises a silver-skinned filleted side of salmon stuffed with boneless cod fillets and smoked haddock wrapped around baby spinach with lemon and dill butter. Martyn Lee, executive chef at Waitrose, told The Mail on Sunday: 'We wanted to create a beautiful centrepiece that would suit the growing number of our customers looking for a meat alternative who like to eat fish. Waitrose launched its three-fish roast (pictured) ast week, with a dish that comprises a silver-skinned filleted side of salmon stuffed with boneless cod fillets and smoked haddock 'The three-fish roast offers a stand-alone dish that will sit comfortably on the table alongside a traditional turkey or rib of beef. 'The key is that this dish takes away the pressure of Christmas cooking. It has all been done and is easy to carve.' Rival M&S launched its three-fish roast with little fanfare two years ago. Comprising a flaky salmon fillet, succulent king prawns and smoked haddock, the dish is also stuffed with a rich cheddar cheese and caramelised leek stuffing. Prices for both the Waitrose and M&S versions start at 30 and they are likely to attract growing numbers of people looking for alternatives to meat. Celebrity TV chef Rosemary Shrager, currently mentoring comedian Johnny Vegas in ITV's Cooking With The Stars, said: 'I have never heard of a three-fish roast and have never made one. Stuffed fish, yes, but not three different fish. 'I think it's a really lovely idea. I've got two pescatarians for Christmas and I may make this myself. 'I think I would use a salmon on the outside for its wonderful silvery skin and then put in some lemon sole and some prawns.' M&S launched its three-fish roast two years ago. It comprises a flaky salmon fillet, succulent king prawns and smoked haddock, and is stuffed with a rich cheddar cheese stuffing She added: 'It really is great what the supermarket chefs are coming up with.' Waitrose chefs perfected their new dish in their own kitchens during lockdown and were initially trying to create an alternative to beef Wellington. But Mr Lee said that concept was eventually ditched as the pastry used for the 'Wellington' became too wet in home ovens because of the moisture from the fish. Outside the US, the turducken is popularly known as the three-bird roast, although a version called the gooducken is sometimes cooked in the UK with the turkey replaced with goose. Food historian Ivan Day said there has never been a British tradition of using three fish in one dish. He added: 'The only dish I know about is from a manuscript recipe of 1699 for a pike stuffed with pickled herring, then roasted on a spit. This recipe was from a cook called Elizabeth Birkett, who lived in the Lake District. 'There is also a similar recipe from Izaak Walton in his 1653 book The Compleat Angler, which suggests filling a pike's belly with oysters. I have tried both recipes and they're equally good.' When Lady Kitty Spencer got married last month, there were plenty of Dolce & Gabbana gowns on show and now the theme has continued into her honeymoon. The 30-year-old model was seen soaking up the sunshine on Italy's Amalfi Coast last week dressed quite literally from head to toe in the designer's new collection. She wore the eye-catching gerbera daisy print A-line dress, which is priced 1,825, for a romantic lunch with her husband, the fashion tycoon Michael Lewis, at the Conca Del Signo restaurant. Lady Kitty Spencer (pictured), 30, was soaking up the sunshine on Italy's Amalfi Coast last week during her honeymoon, dressed from head to toe in Dolce & Gabbana new collection She wore the eye-catching gerbera daisy print A-line dress (left and right), which is priced 1,825, for a romantic lunch with her husband, the fashion tycoon Michael Lewis (left) Princess Diana's niece, who had her blonde hair tied back into a simple ponytail, also wore a pair of 430 calfskin mules, and sometimes carried them with her 2,200 cordonetto lace Sicily bag. And she finished off the colourful look with a pair of oversized double line sunglasses, priced 214. The newlyweds' romantic day out in the dramatic cliffside village of Positano came ten days after they tied the knot at the stunning Villa Aldobrandini in Frascati, near Rome. Lady Kitty and Mr Lewis, 62, married after three years together. The bride, who is an ambassador for Dolce & Gabbana, wore five of their specially made dresses for her wedding weekend. The night before the ceremony, she wore a baby-blue tulle gown and cape embroidered with cross-stitched flowers. Her main wedding dress was an intricate floral lace design, a high neck, long sleeves and puffed shoulders. The newlyweds' romantic day out in Positano (pictured) came ten days after they tied the knot at the stunning Villa Aldobrandini in Frascati, near Rome Lady Kitty and Mr Lewis, 62, married after three years together. The bride's main wedding dress was an intricate floral lace design, a high neck, long sleeves and puffed shoulders She changed into a double organza hand-painted silk gown embellished with flowers and crystals for the wedding dinner. Later, she wore a cocktail dress embroidered with silver and golden bead and the morning after her big day she was seen in a mikado silk dress with cutwork inserts, embellished with sequins, applique flowers and double duchesse ribbons. Lady Kitty also wore Dolce & Gabbana frocks for her hen party in Florence. She was married in front of guests who included the Marquess of Bath and Sabrina Elba, wife of actor Idris. However, her father Charles Spencer was absent, leaving it to her brothers Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp, and Samuel Aitken to walk her down the aisle. Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine is protective against the Indian 'Delta' variant, officials reveal. According to new data released from a clinical trial in South Africa, the one-shot vaccine was 71 percent effective against hospitalization from Delta and 96 percent effective against death. it was even more effective than agains the Beta variant, which originated in South Africa, joint lead investigator Glenda Gray told a media briefing. The data counter previous studies that suggested the vaccine was less effective against Delta than Pfizer or Moderna and provide evidence for why the single-dose jab may be a game changer in the fight against A South African study looked at more than 477,000 healthcare workers who were given the J&J vaccine from mid-February to May The vaccine was 71% effective against hospitalization and 76% against death when the Indian 'Delta' variant was dominant. Pictured: A health care worker administers a COVID-19 vaccine to 15-year-old Valentina Jimenez in Miami, August 5 For the study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, the J&J vaccine was administered to more than 477,000 healthcare workers from mid-February to May. South Africa's health regulator approved the J&J shot for emergency use in April, and it is being used in the national vaccine program alongside the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Investigators looked at the vaccine's effectiveness against bot the Beta variant and the Delta variant. The beta variant was first announced by South Africa's health department in the Eastern Cape province of the county on December 18. It has 21 mutations, including one it shares with the UK 'Alpha' variant in a location on its genome known as N501Y. The variant was first discovered in September 2020 in the Maharashtra state, which is the second most-populous state in India and where Mumbai is located. Indian health authorities labeled the variant a 'double mutant' because it carries two mutations: L452R and E484Q. Both of the mutations occur on key parts of the virus that allows it to enter and infect human cells. Gray said that, against the Beta variant, the single-shot J&J vaccine was 67 percent against hospitalization and 91 percent against death. However, against the Delta variant, the vaccine offered 71 percent protection against hospitalization and 96 percent protection against death. 'Consistently after receiving the vaccine, there was very little death occurring in the vaccinated group as compared to the control group and showing a remarkable up-to 96.2 protection against death,' Gray said. 'This was our primary endpoint and we are able to say this vaccine protected health workers against death,' she added. What's more, the study did not find any safety concerns regarding the vaccine. Of the vaccinated participants, just two people experience had blood clots with low platelet counts, but both made a full recovery, Gray said. South Africa's vaccination campaign got off to a shaky start in February after the government paused AstraZeneca vaccinations because of a small trial showing the shot offered minimal protection against mild to moderate illness caused by the Beta variant, which was dominant in the country at the time. Vaccinations have since ramped up, with more than 8.3 million people vaccinated as of Thursday. Newly appointed health minister Joe Phaahla told the same briefing that the government was planning to start using other vaccines approved by the regulator, including the Sinovac shot. 'It was approved...also that the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has now been shown to be effective against the Delta variant, that we should also look at bringing it back into use,' Phaahla said. Immune-boosting drugs designed to protect patients who fail to respond to the Covid vaccine could soon be available on the NHS. The coronavirus jabs have proved to be remarkably effective, preventing 90 per cent of those who have two doses from ending up in hospital but they aren't perfect. Scientists believe between five and ten per cent of fully vaccinated people, mainly those with weakened immune systems which means their bodies cannot mount a strong defence to the virus, could still become severely unwell with Covid. The new add-on drugs known as monoclonal antibodies are already in use in America, Europe and Asia, and significantly enhance the effect of the vaccine in these high-risk groups. Immune-boosting drugs designed to protect patients who fail to respond to the Covid vaccine could soon be available on the NHS. The coronavirus jabs have proved to be remarkably effective, preventing 90% of those who have two doses from ending up in hospital but they aren't perfect The injectable medicines can stop them from catching Covid even if they're living in a house with someone infected, a study published last week found. Experts say the drugs could prove crucial this winter, when another resurgence of Covid has been predicted. Current Government guidance suggests individuals at higher risk from Covid-19 continue to take 'additional precautions' avoiding social contact, mask-wearing, hand-washing, working form home if possible, etc to protect themselves against infection. But experts argue this is not a long-term solution. Instead, many say that for vulnerable patients, injections of monoclonal antibodies will be a necessity if the UK wants to avoid further surges in Covid hospitalisations. These have been used in medicine since the 1990s for conditions ranging from cancer to arthritis. Patients who don't mount the immune response needed to fend off a disease are given injections of lab-grown antibodies that bind to foreign invaders. This can stop the disease from doing damage and helps the body's immune system to do its job. Depending on the disease, patients can be given injections of these monoclonal antibodies as regularly as every month to keep up protection, or they can be given after exposure to a virus to limit the risk of infection or serious symptoms. (File image) Many companies have seen highly encouraging trial results. The most high-profile, Regen-Cov, developed by American firm Regeneron, was approved in the US in November 2020. It is administered in high-risk patients after a Covid diagnosis to reduce the risk of hospitalisation Patients who don't mount the immune response needed to fend off a disease are given injections of lab-grown antibodies that bind to foreign invaders. This can stop the disease from doing damage and helps the body's immune system to do its job. Depending on the disease, patients can be given injections of these monoclonal antibodies as regularly as every month to keep up protection, or they can be given after exposure to a virus to limit the risk of infection or serious symptoms. Covid-19 monoclonal antibodies are being designed by major pharmaceutical companies to seek out the spike protein the section of the virus that allows it to bind with healthy cells. By limiting its ability to do this, it reduces the amount of virus that can enter the body known as the viral load which, in turn, reduces the likelihood of serious symptomatic Covid. Initially the firms began developing monoclonal antibodies as a stop-gap before vaccines arrived now they are a potentially life-saving additional treatment. Many companies have seen highly encouraging trial results. The most high-profile, Regen-Cov, developed by American firm Regeneron, was approved in the US in November 2020. It is administered in high-risk patients after a Covid diagnosis to reduce the risk of hospitalisation. It has since been approved for use in Japan and Europe. US trials of Regen-Cov published earlier in the year found that the treatment reduced the risk of hospitalisation and death by 70%. Prior to its US authorisation, the treatment was given to Donald Trump when he contracted the virus last year, and his condition soon improved In June, investigators on the Recovery trial, an NHS-wide research project that assesses drug treatments to fight Covid, found that Regen-Cov, which is called Ronapreve in the UK, reduced the risk of death by 20 per cent in hospitalised patients who had not mounted their own immune response to the vaccine. Dr Penny Ward, Visiting Professor in Pharmaceutical Medicine at King's College London, said: 'The Recovery trial did not take into account the fact that these drugs are best delivered immediately after exposure to the virus, rather than once the patient has been hospitalised. 'Used earlier, this treatment can drastically cut the risk of hospitalisation for at-risk patients.' US trials of Regen-Cov published earlier in the year have been more encouraging, finding that the treatment reduced the risk of hospitalisation and death by 70 per cent. Prior to its US authorisation, the treatment was given to Donald Trump when he contracted the virus last year, and his condition soon improved. ... but how will they work out who needs the immunity boost? The prospect of being able to offer drugs to vulnerable patients that would prevent them from catching Covid is very attractive. But how exactly doctors will decide who needs them is still not entirely clear. In America, they will be offered to high-risk groups, but this is a blunt method. Some experts argue that measuring levels of antibodies in the blood the immune-system cells which are made by the body in response to an infection or the vaccine could better predict who will fall seriously ill, despite being jabbed. An Israeli study published at the end of July showed that fully vaccinated healthcare workers with low levels of Covid antibodies were more likely to be reinfected with the virus than those with higher levels. MoS reporter Ethan Ennals getting his second jab he has now tested positive for Covid antibodies Obviously, having antibodies is a good thing, but one person with a certain level might be immune, while another with the same level could become reinfected, for instance. And they are not the only immune system cells that provide a defence against Covid. T-cells are produced after infection or vaccination, but while antibodies may wane, T-cells stay in the body for longer, leading some scientists to argue they offer protection for years. Having been double-jabbed, I was intrigued to find out what my antibody levels were. So last week, I visited private clinic London Medical Laboratory to undergo a blood test. I was positive for antibodies and given a specific score: 1,400. Christina Owusu, The Mail on Sunday's news desk manager, who earlier this year spent three weeks in intensive care with Covid-19, also took a test. Christina had tested negative for Covid-19 antibodies when she left hospital, but now, having received both jabs, her score was 2,300. Dr Quinton Fivelman, chief scientific officer for London Medical Laboratory, said: 'An average score for someone who is double-vaccinated is somewhere between 1,000 and 3,000. But we've seen people get scores as high as 30,000. 'If someone comes in and their score is in the hundreds, we recommend they see a doctor as it means they may not have had a response.' Leading virus experts, however, argue that such antibody tests do not provide a definitive answer about protection. Dr Julian Tang, a virologist at the University of Leicester, said: 'There is no universally agreed standard of what counts as a good antibody response.' Advertisement Last week, American health regulators approved expanded access for Regen-Cov, which is a combination of two drugs, casirivimab and imdevimab, so it can be given in an emergency to people who cannot develop antibodies of their own from the vaccine but have faced exposure to infected individuals, such as those living in nursing homes or prisons. It also allows monthly doses for those aged 12 or over who need protection from ongoing exposure to Covid. This decision was based on striking data published on Wednesday in The New England Journal Of Medicine, which showed that Regen-Cov was able to significantly reduce the chances of infection within households. Just over 750 participants in the US were given an injection of Regen-Cov or a matching placebo within 96 hours of a household contact testing positive for Covid. Of those who were given the real drug, the risk of symptomatic infection fell by 93 per cent, while the risk of symptomatic and asymptomatic infections overall fell by 66 per cent. Christos Kyratsous, Regeneron's lead developer of the treatment, says monoclonal antibodies could prove crucial to so-called immunocompromised patients, as well as to high-risk individuals who have refused the vaccine. He said: 'For the vast majority of healthy people, the vaccines provide very good protection against disease. However, there is still a very large number of people who don't mount a good response. Our data is very consistent. Even in the most high-risk patients, administering monoclonal antibodies leads to a dramatic drop-off in viral load.' However, some scientists say the cost of Regen-Cov could prove prohibitive to the NHS, with each dose costing roughly 1,500. Dr Julian Tang, a virologist at the University of Leicester, said: 'By NHS standards, this is a very expensive treatment.' Other experts point out that the cost pales in comparison to the price of treating a Covid patient in hospital. Dr Penny Ward said: 'It costs the NHS far more to admit and treat a seriously ill Covid patient. If you have a treatment that can prevent hospitalisation, it's hard to understand why you wouldn't give it the green light.' British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has received US and European emergency authorisation for sotrovimab, proven to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death in high-risk groups by 79% Several other companies have been developing monoclonal antibody treatments in competition. American firm Eli Lilly has developed a combination called bamlanivimab and etesevimab, which has also gained approval in the US and is currently awaiting approval in Europe. Results of a 1,000-patient trial published in January showed the combination was able to reduce Covid hospitalisations and deaths by 70 per cent. Meanwhile, British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has received US and European emergency authorisation for sotrovimab, proven to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death in high-risk groups by 79 per cent. While the Government has entered into discussions with a number of these companies, insiders say they have been 'frustrated' by the slow speed of approval. A source said: 'When the Government put together the Vaccines Taskforce it had an extremely clear mandate to go out and buy promising vaccines. There was never the same mandate for therapeutics. Other parts of the world have been much more proactive. It is really striking how slow the UK has been.' Dr Ward agrees: 'The need for monoclonal antibodies as a back-up to vaccination has been clear since early this year. 'Having treatments such as Regen-Cov available to stop outbreaks could make a massive difference this winter.' There are already indications that the NHS could soon approve the use of monoclonal antibodies for high-risk individuals. In June, former NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens back the treatment. Dr Siu Ping Lam, director of licensing at the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, the UK's medicines watchdog, said: 'We prioritise and rigorously review any data submitted for medicines in the fight against Covid-19 against our stringent standards to help protect the public and save lives.' It is a nightmare scenario: a mutation that makes the Covid virus both more contagious and more deadly. Could this be true of the Delta variant currently sweeping across the world? Looking at British figures for hospitalisations and deaths, the answer seems to be a reassuring no. It's true that this form of the virus is 40 to 60 per cent more transmissible, but new infections seem to be dropping in many areas and the number of people suffering with severe Covid illness has remained low. Those who have ended up in hospital are, predominantly, unvaccinated. With almost 75 per cent of UK adults now double-jabbed, this is a minority that's rapidly shrinking. But a very different picture is emerging in America where, in some states, Covid is surging to record highs. In the press it is being called 'the Delta disaster', fuelled by the perfect storm of eased restrictions, a low vaccination uptake and this highly infectious variant. It is a nightmare scenario: a mutation that makes the Covid virus both more contagious and more deadly. Could this be true of the Delta variant currently sweeping across the world? Looking at British figures for hospitalisations and deaths, the answer seems to be a reassuring no. (File image) A very different picture is emerging in America where, in some states, Covid is surging to record highs. In the press it is being called 'the Delta disaster', fuelled by the perfect storm of eased restrictions, a low vaccination uptake and this highly infectious variant. (Above, a child is vaccinated in Orlando, Florida) Children's hospitals in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Florida have all reported more under-18s with Covid-related conditions in their care than at any other point in the pandemic. (Above, New Orleans schoolchildren wear masks on a bus) At the end of July, Louisiana's Department of Health recorded its highest-ever weekly figure for new cases of coronavirus in under-18s: 4,232. From July 15 to 21, north-east Louisiana recorded 66 coronavirus cases in the under-fives, a spike from the previous week's 27. Meanwhile, Florida Department of Health reported 10,785 new Covid infections among under-12s, and 11,048 in ages 12 to 19. There were 224 paediatric Covid hospitalisations between July 23 and 30. (Above data, up to week ending July 29) But something even more worrying is happening there: greater numbers of children are being infected and hospitalised than in previous waves. Children's hospitals in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Florida have all reported more under-18s with Covid-related conditions in their care than at any other point in the pandemic. The Arkansas Children's Hospitals in Little Rock and Springdale recorded 24 admissions in a single day a 50 per cent increase over any previous peak. The hospitals' chief clinical officer said they had seven youngsters in intensive care, with two on ventilators, adding: 'This is the worst that we've seen it for kids.' At the end of July, Louisiana's Department of Health recorded its highest-ever weekly figure for new cases of coronavirus in under-18s: 4,232. From July 15 to 21, north-east Louisiana recorded 66 coronavirus cases in the under-fives, a spike from the previous week's 27. Meanwhile, Florida Department of Health reported 10,785 new Covid infections among under-12s, and 11,048 in ages 12 to 19. There were 224 paediatric Covid hospitalisations between July 23 and 30. Most were said to be suffering from pneumonia or paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome, or PIMS, a rare complication of Covid that affects only children. Since the start of the pandemic, the message has remained consistent: children are at the lowest risk from the virus. Many, it is suspected, won't suffer symptoms at all, which is why the infection has spread so rapidly among teens who are, naturally, more sociable than younger children. Just last week, researchers at King's College London concluded that the majority of British youngsters who do develop Covid symptoms recover within a week. Despite this, experts believe in about 0.5 per cent of cases, PIMS can develop. For reasons not fully understood, in some children their immune system goes into overdrive, attacking the body and triggering inflammation in the blood vessels. While rare, and treatable, it is considered an emergency and can be fatal. To complicate matters, children who have not suffered a severe initial Covid illness can be hit by PIMS between four and five weeks later. There have been about 750 cases in the UK since April last year, but few, if any, have been reported during this latest wave, according to child health experts tracking the phenomenon. So what is going on in America? And could there be something new about the Delta variant that makes children more vulnerable to this complication, and other severe Covid-related illnesses? Certainly, some British scientists have been alarmed enough by this development to make public statements. 'Forty children [in England] being hospitalised with Covid every day, and rising,' wrote Deepti Gurdasani, a high-profile epidemiologist and public health researcher at Queen Mary University of London. 'They need to vaccinate all adolescents urgently, otherwise many of them will get infected and suffer the consequences in the coming weeks.' And Professor Devi Sridhar, Chair of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh and a Scottish Government adviser, asked in a recent newspaper column: 'Will children who suffered under restrictions for 18 months now have to face a wave of infections with unknown consequences? Covid-19 was among the top causes of child death in the US in 2020.' Caution, particularly when it comes to child health, is understandable. However, Public Health England data shows that here, hospitalisation numbers in children during the latest wave have been roughly half what they were during the last peak in January. Delta has been the prevalent variant in the UK for two months now and was the cause of the rapid spread of the virus in children in June and July. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Adam Finn, professor of paediatrics at the University of Bristol, said the risk posed by Covid to children remained unchanged. He added: 'My colleagues say they are seeing children in hospital, but not enough that would indicate this wave is different in terms of illness.' Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, said the vast majority of British youngsters who had been hospitalised with severe Covid in this wave had also been suffering from conditions that made them particularly vulnerable to the virus. Dr Damian Roland, a consultant in paediatric emergency medicine at University of Leicester, agreed, adding: 'We do have a greater proportion of younger adult patients who aren't vaccinated, but not a big increase in children and teens. The picture is the same as before. 'Of course, what's happening in America might be due to a different variant although there's no data to suggest this.' He pointed out that our wave of Delta infections preceded the surges now being seen in the US. 'If something new was going on [with Delta], I suspect we would have seen it by now,' he added. In a surprise move last week, the Government's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended all British children aged 16 and 17 be offered a Covid jab. Just a fortnight earlier it had recommended against doing so. It then said children aged 12 to 17 at high risk due to pre-existing health problems, and those who lived with a high-risk family member, should be offered a jab, but it held back on a universal rollout, saying: 'The minimal health benefits of vaccination to children do not outweigh the potential risks.' There had been reports of young men developing myocarditis, a type of heart inflammation, after having the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines hence the JCVI's 'precautionary approach'. Some experts even suggested it could be safer to allow healthy children to catch Covid and develop natural immunity than to offer them the jab. But the JCVI now suggests the heart risk, particularly after a single dose, may be even smaller than initially thought. It is known that obesity and high blood sugar levels are risk factors for paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome, or PIMS, a rare complication of Covid that affects only children. Nationwide, in the US, about 21 per cent of children are obese by their mid to late teens compared with 19 per cent of British youngsters in the same age bracket. (File image) The initial ruling was based on data from earlier in the year, and in light of new evidence emerging it felt 'with certainty' that the benefits of a single dose, in this age group, outweigh any risk. This, it said, had led to the change in decision, which means a further 1.5 million teens being offered a first jab, with a second to be given within eight to 12 weeks. Experts were careful to reassure parents that the decision wasn't made due to the fact that children were at any greater risk from the Delta strain. Dr Elizabeth Whittaker, an expert in paediatric infectious diseases at Imperial College London, said it wasn't a good idea to compare US and UK data. 'It's concerning that so many US states are seeing rising paediatric Covid hospitalisations, but if you look at states with high rates of vaccination you don't see this happening,' she said. The Delta variant being more transmissible has played a part, but reports suggest almost all seriously ill children are unvaccinated despite the fact that children from the age of 12 have been eligible for a jab since June. The vaccines have yet to be approved for younger children. While more than 60 per cent of the population in states such as Massachusetts and Connecticut are fully jabbed, this figure remains stubbornly below 40 per cent in many others. Covid facts Between March 2020 and February this year, just 25 under-18s died of Covid, according to a study by University College London. In America, where the Covid jab can be given to children over 12, a recent poll of more than 2,000 parents revealed one in four will refuse to let them have it. Advertisement Those states with high vaccination figures have not seen a rise in paediatric cases. In Arkansas, just 38 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated. In Louisiana it is 37 per cent, and levels are similarly low in many areas of Florida and these are areas where kids are worst hit. Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control, dubbed the outbreaks a 'pandemic of the unvaccinated'. She said: 'We are seeing outbreaks of cases in parts of the country that have low vaccination coverage because unvaccinated people are at risk.' In Florida, roughly a third of 12-to-17-year-olds are now vaccinated. However, paediatrician Prof Finn suggests the poor uptake in adults had put the younger generation at risk. 'This is another reason for adults to get vaccinated to protect children,' he said. It is known that obesity and high blood sugar levels are risk factors for PIMS. Nationwide, in the US, about 21 per cent of children are obese by their mid to late teens compared with 19 per cent of British youngsters in the same age bracket. But Dr Whittaker said that these problems were particularly acute in black and Hispanic teens. These groups were more likely to come from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds and also more likely to catch Covid. She said: 'In these communities you get greater transmission as people live in crowded housing and can't work from home. The more transmission, the more cases, and the more severe illness you'll see in young people. 'There is also a different demographic of PIMS patient seen in the US, but not in the UK: older teenagers who are obese.' Added to this, there was an issue with access to healthcare. She added: 'With PIMS, the longer it's left untreated the more severe it is. Here, in the UK, we encourage parents to seek medical help if children are ill and aren't better after a few days, but in America it's not free. Many people in the worst-affected groups don't have health insurance, and so delay seeking help until things are really bad.' As children with PIMS in the UK are promptly treated, our death rate is roughly 0.2 per cent. In America, between two and three per cent of youngsters with it die. Dr Whittaker continued: 'It's similar to what we're seeing in India and Brazil. It takes four to five weeks for PIMS to develop. In each wave here, we've seen a lag in children coming in with it. 'For instance, the peak in cases this year came in late January to early February, after the main adult peak of hospitalisations and infections had passed. We've been waiting for another surge since it became clear this wave was going to hit, but it hasn't happened yet. 'It could still come parents and doctors just need to be vigilant.' Children with PIMS will have a fever that persists over several days. Other than this, symptoms range from tummy pain, diarrhoea and vomiting to skin rashes, cold hands and feet and red eyes. While serious, it is extremely rare and paediatric experts agree that the slim possibility of even one or two serious reactions to a jab in children could dent confidence, so the Government's cautious approach to rolling out child Covid vaccination is the right one for now. Dr Whittaker said: 'Given that children in America are at higher risk from Covid, it makes sense that they decided to vaccinate 12-to-17-year-olds. 'Here, there isn't the same risk, and so the JCVI's more cautious approach makes sense for us.' The Last Letter From Your Lover Cert: 12A, 1hr 50mins Rating: Stillwater Cert: 15, 2hrs 19mins Rating: Zola Cert: 18, 1hr 26mins Rating: Describe a film as a romantic comedy and people tend to have a pretty good idea of what to expect, but describe it as a romance, albeit one with some misfiring comedy, and people can feel uncomfortable. And for a while I thought that was what was wrong with The Last Letter From Your Lover: it was making me uncomfortable simply because it was that rare thing these days an old-fashioned romance. Then I watched a bit more and slowly came to a different conclusion: this adaptation of a Jojo Moyes bestseller was making me uncomfortable because it simply wasnt very good. The bewildered, scarred but undeniably still lovely Jennifer Stirling (Shailene Woodley, above with Callum Turner) is married to the super-rich, unpleasantly smooth Lawrence (Joe Alwyn) Echoing the structure of The Notebook but with little of that films quality, it unfolds in two timelines. In the present day, a remarkably unconvincing journalist played by an off-form Felicity Jones uncovers some love letters in a newspaper archive. So while she sets about working out who wrote them to whom and who the mysterious Boot might be, we jump back to the wealthy, almost swinging London of 1965 when the letters were originally written and start wondering the same. Because, back then, the bewildered, scarred but undeniably still lovely Jennifer Stirling (Shailene Woodley) is married to the super-rich, unpleasantly smooth Lawrence (Joe Alwyn). No sign of a Boot here although she has been in an accident and might be suffering from amnesia In a film that will never win awards for its casting, Woodley is no more than OK but does at least have an interesting 1960s wardrobe to wear. But the real damage is done in the present-day storyline, which is clunky and close to torture once its been inevitably decided that the only thing better than one love story is, er, two. Stillwater is clearly inspired by the Amanda Knox story so much so that Knox, who in 2015 was acquitted of the murder of British room-mate Meredith Kercher but only after spending four years in an Italian prison, has publicly complained. Matt Damon (above) plays a God-fearing Oklahoma oil worker who travels to Marseilles, where his daughter, Allison, is in prison for murdering her girlfriend and flatmate But it has certainly been heavily fictionalised, with Matt Damon playing a God-fearing Oklahoma oil worker who travels to Marseilles, where his daughter, Allison, is in prison for murdering her girlfriend and flatmate. Ah, but did she actually do it? At almost 140 minutes, this is a long watch as well as a tough one. Director and co-writer Tom McCarthy, best known for Spotlight and The Station Agent, adopts a punishingly slow pace, while Damon comes perilously close to overcooking his performance as a taciturn redneck with no personal skills. But its nice to see Camille Cottin one of the stars of the French TV hit Call My Agent! gracing a Hollywood film. And the last lap isnt bad at all. Notable for being adapted from a Twitter thread and conceding early on that its only mostly true, Zola is the in-your-face story of a black dancer Zola who is persuaded to go to Florida by Stefani, a white girl shes just met for a working holiday of pole dancing. Zola manages to be as funny as it is frightening and, thanks to superb performances from Taylour Paige and Riley Keough (both above), makes an impact But when Stefani turns up with a burly minder, its clear theres a more sinister agenda. Directed by Janicza Bravo, Zola manages to be as funny as it is frightening and, thanks to superb performances from Taylour Paige and Riley Keough, makes an impact that certainly outlasts the underwhelming ending. Recommended. Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below. R.M. writes: I am a 73-year-old pensioner and purchased one-ounce gold coins from The Royal Mint for my grandchildren. The total cost was 11,000. The Royal Mint said the coins would be delivered by a specialist courier and had to be signed for. When they did not arrive, I contacted The Royal Mint and some time later a courier came to my door and tried to get me to sign for the coins I never received. When I refused, the courier said he would go to the police, so I told him to do so. The Royal Mint itself said it would not accept a claim from me unless I filed a crime report, but the police say they cannot accept a report from me without evidence a crime has been committed. Gift: Coins, worth 11,000, were bought for grandchildren from The Royal Mint Tony Hetherington replies: You were caught between The Royal Mint and a hard place. How can you prove a crime has been committed? On the face of it, a failure to supply the gold coins you ordered is a breach of contract, not a crime. So with The Royal Mint insisting it did supply the coins, you have been left going round in circles. According to The Royal Mint, the gold coins were sent in a package to be delivered by courier company UPS. But because of Covid, UPS says it has stopped getting signatures when it makes deliveries. So does this mean the package containing 11,000 in gold might simply have been dumped on your doorstep? UPS refused to say. Did someone from UPS demand that you sign for the delivery days later? Again, UPS refused to say. All it would tell me was this: 'We have contacted and are working with the police as they investigate this shipment.' At least this does mean that although the police would not deal with you, it has accepted a report from UPS, presumably because UPS does not deny it did have the gold coins and was responsible for their safe delivery. So where does this leave The Royal Mint? I asked staff there whether UPS was aware the package was very valuable. I asked whether UPS was instructed to get a delivery signature. I enquired whether The Royal Mint staff were aware that UPS itself was unlikely to get a signature and might leave the package on your doorstep. And I wondered whether gold coins despatched to customers were insured en route. The Royal Mint told me the coins were in 'discreet packaging', which fails to say explicitly whether UPS knew the contents. Was UPS told to get a signature? The Royal Mint simply pointed me towards UPS's own website, saying it had ceased demanding signatures. Lost?: Due to Covid, UPS says it has stopped getting signatures when it makes deliveries Could 11,000 in gold have been left on your doorstep? The Royal Mint refused to say, except to tell me: 'We have strict criteria in place for our delivery partners to ensure safe delivery of our products.' And how about insurance? The Royal Mint said: 'We have all relevant protection in place to provide customers with peace of mind.' Well this was an epic failure, wasn't it! I let The Royal Mint know that its answers were cop-outs and not answers at all. Finally, last Thursday, I was told: 'Yes, we have all the relevant insurances for deliveries.' And best of all, after playing a dead bat for days and days, The Royal Mint told me it was contacting you to say it would replace all the missing coins. I resisted the temptation to ask whether another 11,000 in gold would be sent via UPS, but please let me know when the coins arrive and whether you are asked to sign for them this time. Drip feed: Two pensioners have lost 510 due to the incompetence of Southern Water Why should we pay 510 for Southern Water's mistake? J.B. writes: We hope you can come to the rescue of two pensioners who have lost 510 due to the incompetence of Southern Water. It told us excess water was passing through our meter, probably due to a leak and listened along the route of the pipe and said the leak was probably under our house. We then employed an outside company to pinpoint the leak and it found that it was not under our house, but outside our property line. Later, Southern Water dug up the pavement to carry out repairs, but it has failed to respond to repeated requests to pay the 510 charged by the outside company that traced its leak. Tony Hetherington replies: I asked Southern Water whether its own engineers had wrongly pinpointed the leak, and if so, why you should be expected to pay for its mistake. A few days later, the water company called you to say that payment of the full 510 was on its way. Southern Water told me: 'We have apologised to Mr B. We wrongly identified this as a leak on his property.' Southern Water has also reduced your water bill to make up for any of the leakage charged to you. Cruise refund is proving tricky M.P. writes: We are having problems obtaining a refund of 4,300 that was paid for a holiday with Cruise & Maritime Voyages. The trip was cancelled by the cruise company, which advised us to claim a refund, but the travel agent told us to claim directly from the company, which by then had folded. We tried to claim through the bank cards used for booking, but this failed too, so we applied to ABTA, which is where things stand. Tony Hetherington replies: Like lots of travel customers, you have been sent from pillar to post during lockdowns. You booked through travel agents Althams, which explained it was in pretty much the same position as you. All the money had gone to Cruise & Maritime, which had collapsed, so Althams was limited to helping with a claim to ABTA. Its staff, in turn, have been no more protected from Covid than anyone else, so lots have been working from home, which is less efficient. I asked your bank to comment, but before they could do so, ABTA pulled out all the stops and sent a full refund to your bank account, so it is a happy ending. If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned. The takeover of Morrisons has been backed by two influential shareholder advisers. Glass Lewis and its rival Institutional Shareholder Services, ISS, have circulated advice to major institutional investors recommending they vote in favour of the takeover by a group of foreign investors led by private equity firm Fortress. Updated recommendations from both advisers are expected to be delivered early next week following the increased offer from Fortress on Friday. The endorsement will be welcomed by the board and the Fortress consortium after widespread shareholder disapproval. Driving a deal: Shareholders had rounded on decision to sell at the initial price of 2.54 a share Shareholders had rounded on the decision to sell at the initial price of 2.54 a share. Jo Hambro called on suitors to pay 2.70 while M&G said the offer price did not reflect 'the true value' of the company. Its largest shareholder Silchester with a 15 per cent stake said last month it was 'not inclined to support' the deal. At the current price, Silchester stands to make more than 200million on its investment. Fortress increased its bid by 400million to 6.7billion on Friday 2.72 a share amid speculation that a rival outfit led by former Tesco chief Sir Terry Leahy may have been about to gazump its bid. It is understood Clayton Dubilier & Rice, whose initial offer was rejected by the board in June, had been close to making a bid on Friday morning but delays in the process allowed Fortress the opportunity to take the unusual step of raising its own offer in anticipation. CD&R has asked the Takeover Panel for more time to work on a possible offer, which is likely to result in a delay to its original deadline of 5pm tomorrow. Sources suggested its new deadline would be August 20. Morrisons has put back the date of the shareholder vote to August 27 in anticipation of the change. CD&R must show the Panel it is committed to working on a credible bid while also seeking approval from its own investment committee in the US. The raised offer is likely to see off the worst of shareholder opposition, putting the London Stock Exchange-listed grocer into private hands for the first time in 54 years. The Fortress consortium includes the private equity giant, which owns Majestic Wine and is backed by billionaire Masayoshi Son's Softbank; CPPIB Credit Investments, a subsidiary of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board; and Koch Real Estate Investments. Beleaguered budget airline Spirit is poised to enter its fifth day of mass cancelations Friday after axing more than half of its flights Thursday. The airline cancelled 449 or 56 percent of its scheduled flights Thursday and has already cancelled 179 or 23 percent of its total flights for Friday, according to Flight Aware. Overall the airline has cancelled more than 1,700 flights since Sunday, as the airline struggles to overcome what its CEO said has been a problem that had been building for some time. Spirit Airlines' woes continued into their fifth straight day Friday, as the airline was forced to cut more than half of its flight on Thursday, with more cancelations incoming. Customers were seen Thursday waiting on line at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston In a call with reporters Thursday night Spirit CEO Ted Christie said that a combination of factors, including staffing shortages and bad weather had led to chronic delays throughout July, which had in turn led to crews timing out, or reaching the maximum amount of time they could legally work per day. Spirit CEO Ted Christie said Thursday evening that the mass cancellations had been brewing throughout July, as a combination of staff shortages 'We couldn't get in front of it,' he said, according to CNBC, and he estimated the cancellations likely affected tens of thousands of Spirit customers. He said it was too early to tell how it might affect the company financially 'When we reach this level of disruption, being able to recover does require a lot of resources, we're not built to deal with this level of disruption and I think there's some learning in there about how we might create more variability in staffing so that a we can deal with it,' he said in an interview with ABC. 'When we started canceling our crew got dislocated throughout the system. They were in the wrong places at the wrong time. And we needed to start to build that puzzle back together again. And unfortunately that takes our group a lot of time to do.' Christi said the solution the airline saw was to make deeper and deeper cuts to its scheduled flights. Customers have been taking to social media throughout the week to voice their displeasure and share their Spirit horror stories The good new is that's now finally starting to bear some fruit. We are starting to turn the tide here and get our operation back moving again, there will still be cancellations over the next few days, but we can start to build back to the full operation,' he said. That might be cold comfort for the thousands of passengers who have had their travel plans delayed or outright ruined as a result of the mass cancellations. Customers took to social media to express their displeasure at the disruptions. One said his flight along with those of the members of his youth ultimate frisbee team headed to a national tournament in Minnesota was canceled Friday. 'There's something ironic that we won't be taking Spirit to an Ultimate tournament,' he said. Spirit planes at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston Thursday. The airlines CEO said he believes tens of thousands of customers have been affected by the cancellations Customers of a cancelled Spirit flight Tuesday morning were force to sleep at LAX Airport. The mass cancellations have been occurring since Sunday Another wrote: 'My 2nd Spirit Airlines flight of the week was just cancelled.. a rebook from Tues cancellation.. you guys gonna pay for my new flight Im booking with SW? Only way to make this right' Another reported on Wednesday that her flight out of Sacramento to Vegas was still on schedule, but as of early Thursday morning her flight had been canceled. Another tweeted that they needed to borrow $700 to purchase a ticket last minute because the airline had failed to let them know of their cancellation in time. Others were just simply angry. 'F**k @SpiritAirlines for canceling our flight hours before we had to be at the airport,' tweeted another. Other horror stories include those of seven months-pregnant Robin Wilson, who on Wednesday was left to fend for herself. Robin Wilson (pictured), who booked a direct flight from Cleveland to Atlanta for Tuesday, is now stuck in Los Angeles until Thursday. She is seven months pregnant Wilson's intended flight from Cleveland to Atlanta was rerouted to LA. She was told by Spirit that she'd have to wait four days for the next flight, but Wilson did not have the funds to book a hotel to stay in. She faced spending four days 'living' in the terminal of Los Angeles International Airport, and was only put up in a hotel when FOX 11 reported her story, and shamed Spirit into providing the 'high risk' passenger with accommodation. 'I definitely don't have a flight out from LAX to Cleveland until Thursday. [I have] no accommodations at allI'm seven months pregnant, I'm high-risk,' Wilson told the network before her issue was resolved. The Deleon family says their Puerto Rican vacation got extended from eight days to ten. While they were able to get rebooked on another flight home, the family did have to spend over $800 in additional expenses and accommodations Brenda Deleon told DailyMail.com how her family's eight day vacation to Puerto Rico had to be extended by two days - at a cost of $1,000 - because of Spirit. After receiving notification of a cancellation late Tuesday night, Deleon tried to contact Spirit customer service but wasn't able to speak with someone. 'I called last night and was on hold for 42 minutes, but figured they were closed. This morning I went to the airport to talk to someone but the Spirit kiosk was empty,' she said. Deleon called the airlines 1-800 again on Wednesday and was able to rebooked their family's flights for Friday at 2.50am. But, they still faced issues with accommodations. 'Our AirBnb was booked tonight so we looked for another home for $478.41 and two days of car rental for $342.34,' she said. '[Spirit said] they will refund only half of what trip costs which is not an option since prices with other airlines skyrocketed. We have to wait it out.' The Cuomo family seems to be reuniting at the governor's mansion in Albany following the New York attorney general's report that the governor has sexually harassed 11 women while in office. On Friday, Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo, 23, the governor's youngest daughter, was seen carrying a large duffel bag as she entered the governor's mansion where her father is holed up. Just a few days before, her sister, Cara - who works for a private equity firm arranging women's-only events - was seen exiting her Mercedes-Benz and waving at the cameras as she walked into the mansion. Both Michaela and Cara, 26, have hit the headlines in their own right. Michaela announced last month that she is a demi-sexual, and in October it was revealed Cara became romantically involved with a state trooper assigned to Gov. Cuomos security detail. The trooper was soon transferred to a post near the Canadian border when their relationship was revealed. Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo, 23, was seen exiting a black Suburban at the governor's mansion on Friday, carrying a large duffel bag She was wearing a white crop top and jeans, looking down as she walked Her arrival at the mansion comes just days after Attorney General Letitia James issued a report finding that her father, Governor Andrew Cuomo, sexually harassed 11 women while in office Cara Kennedy-Cuomo waved at photographers outside the Governor's Mansion on Wednesday Gov. Cuomo moved into the governor's mansion when he was first elected in 2010 Could Andrew Cuomo cling on to power or will he be impeached? It looks like checkmate for Andrew Cuomo as pressure grows on him to step down despite his desperate attempts to cling on to power. Senior Democrats including President Joe Biden are pushing for Cuomo to resign, with some looking to impeach the embattled politician. New York state assembly speaker Carl Heastie, who launched an impeachment inquiry in March, said Cuomo has 'lost the confidence of the Assembly Democratic majority' and 'can no longer remain in office', according to CNN. If Cuomo tries to cling on to power rather than step down, he will likely face an impeachment probe. Impeachment would be carried out by the New York state assembly which is made up of 150 lawmakers. Only a majority of votes is needed for impeachment for 'misconduct of malversation', according to the state constitution. The assembly's makeup is overwhelmingly Democrat, with 106 out of 150 seats, and a majority of 76 votes needed for impeachment. If impeached, Cuomo would be succeeded by Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul. A trial would then be held by the New York senate where Democrats hold 43 of 63 seats and a two-thirds majority is needed to convict. If convicted, Cuomo would be removed from office, but if he is found not guilty, he could return to being governor. An impeachment probe launched in March is still ongoing and lawmakers are meeting to decide whether to proceed or draft articles in other areas of Cuomo's leadership relating to the nursing homes Covid scandal, cover-up allegations over the Mario Cuomo Bridge, and claims of using state resources for personal gain. So far, Cuomo has insisted he has done nothing wrong and has made no moves to step down as he tries to cling on to power. Advertisement The family has previously spent the pandemic together, Governor Andrew Cuomo has said in his daily COVID briefings. But now the family seems to be reuniting amid chaos - after New York Attorney General Letitia James released a 168-page report claiming that the governor sexually harassed 11 women. His former girlfriend of 14 years, Sandra Lee is reportedly worried about the girls following the report. 'Sandra has spent her whole life advocating for women, and her thoughts are obviously with these women who have brought these issues to light,' a close friend told the New York Post. 'She is a woman's woman and a mother first and foremost, and her love is with Andrew's daughters - that's the thing she truly is concerned about.' James released her long-awaited report into the allegations against embattled Cuomo on Tuesday morning. It says he sexually harassed 11 women including some whose allegations were not previously known, like two state troopers and an executive assistant who says he groped her breast at the Governor's mansion in Albany in November 2020. James said all of the allegations are corroborated but she has not recommended any criminal charges against him, saying the scope of her work didn't include prosecution. There has since been an onslaught of calls for him to resign afterwards on both sides of the aisle, including from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio who went as far as to call for him to be impeached. There has been no comment from the White House, despite President Biden saying in March that Cuomo should resign and be arrested if the report substantiates the women's allegations. Still, the governor is refusing to resign, saying on Tuesday he is contesting the report, claiming it omits facts and is a political attack on him despite growing calls to step down and the increasing likelihood of impeachment. In his address, Cuomo he said he is a 'warm' person who sometimes 'slips' and calls women who work for him 'sweetheart and darling', but insisting he has never been predatory or physical in his interactions with staffers. His attorney has also released an 85-page rebuttal to the report which she says she will continue to update. 'Even on a quick first review, it is clear that the report purposefully omits key evidence,' said Cuomo's attorney Rita M. Glavin. In his televised address, Cuomo used a slideshow of images of him hugging and kissing people throughout his life to demonstrate what he described as an affectionate and tactile personality, that he says the women have confused for a sexual predator. 'This has been a long and painful period for me and my family as others feed stories to the press. I never touched anyone inappropriately. The facts are much different to what has been portrayed. 'I am 63 years old. I have lived my entire adult life in public service. That is just not who I am or who I ever have been,' he said. He went on: 'Trial by newspaper and biased reviews are not the way to find the facts. I welcome the opportunity for a full and fair review before a judge and jury because this just did not happen.' Cuomo, who has always denied the allegations, gave a televised address an hour after James' report was released during which he denied all of the claims and called the report a political attack on his character. He says he welcomed the 'opportunity' for a 'full and fair review' of the facts The 168-report was released on Tuesday after a five month investigation by the NY AG. It substantiated the allegations of 11 women who say Cuomo sexually harassed them either by groping them or making inappropriate comments dating back to 2013 President Biden - who said in March that Cuomo should resign if the report finds the allegations true - is yet to comment but while speaking with Latino leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House said: 'Im going to be speaking on COVID at 4 oclock and will take questions on COVID and other issues after that.' He had been asked if Cuomo should resign. In his rebuttal, Cuomo said he'd never sexually harass anyone, much less a sexual assault survivor like Charlotte Bennett - one of the accusers - claiming he has helped a female relative overcome sexual abuse himself. CUOMO FACING CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AND IMPEACHMENT The Albany District Attorney said on Tuesday he would use the NY Attorney General's report in Andrew Cuomo in an ongoing criminal investigation into the embattled governor as New York State Democrats plotted to impeach him. Cuomo, who denies the allegations in the report, has vowed to fight them and is refusing to step down. Now some of the most senior Democrats in the New York Legislature are planning to draw up articles to impeach him. 'Governor Cuomo must resign. The Attorney General's report leaves no room for any other acceptable course. 'It confirms that federal and state laws were broken. 11 women is 11 too many,' Senator Liz Krueger, one of the most senior Democrats in New York's Senate, tweeted. AG Letitia James did not weigh any criminal charges against Cuomo but Albany DA David Soares has launched an investigation and is asking women to come forward. 'We will be formally requesting investigative materials obtained by the AG's Office and we welcome any victim to contact our office with additional information. 'As this matter is developing and we are reviewing the document released by the AG today, we will refrain from any additional public comment at this time regarding the status of the ongoing criminal investigation by our office,' he tweeted in a statement. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has said that if Cuomo continues to resist calls to step down, he must be impeached. 'It is beyond clear that Andrew Cuomo is not fit to hold office and can no longer serve as Governor. 'He must resign, and if he continues to resist and attack the investigators who did their jobs, he should be impeached immediately.' Advertisement He said that the women invariably misinterpreted his 'warm' gestures like hugs and kisses, or misunderstood compliments. After he spoke, critics renewed calls for him to resign and some suggested he should be impeached. 'My first thoughts are with the women who were subject to this abhorrent behavior, and their bravery in stepping forward to share their stories. 'The Attorney Generals detailed and thorough report substantiates many disturbing instances of severe misconduct. Andrew Cuomo committed sexual assault and sexual harassment, and intimidated a whistleblower. 'It is disqualifying. 'It is beyond clear that Andrew Cuomo is not fit to hold office and can no longer serve as Governor. 'He must resign, and if he continues to resist and attack the investigators who did their jobs, he should be impeached immediately,' NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement. New York Senate Minority and Majority Leaders both called for him to resign. 'The Attorney Generals report clearly and concisely documents that Governor Cuomo engaged in disturbing and unacceptable behavior. 'Andrew Cuomo lacks the integrity required to be the leader of our state and can no longer serve as New Yorks Governor. 'He must heed the calls of so many New York leaders and resign,' Senate Minority Leader Michael Gianaris said. Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins said: 'This report highlights unacceptable behavior Cuomo and his administration. The Governor must resign for the good of the state. 'Now that the investigation is complete, and the allegations have been substantiated, it should be clear to everyone that he can no longer serve as Governor.' Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) released a joint statement calling for Cuomo's resignation. 'As we have said before, the reported actions of the Governor were profoundly disturbing, inappropriate and completely unacceptable. Todays report from the New York State Attorney General substantiated and corroborated the allegations of the brave women who came forward to share their stories -- and we commend the women for doing so. 'The New York State Attorney General has conducted an independent, thorough and professional investigation that found the Governor violated state and federal law, had a pattern of sexually harassing current and former employees, retaliated against at least one of the accusers and created a hostile work environment. 'No elected official is above the law. The people of New York deserve better leadership in the governors office. We continue to believe that the Governor should resign.' New York Attorney General Letitia James announcing her findings on Tuesday after a five month investigation. She said she believes all of the women but she cannot bring criminal charges, instead saying her focus was on determining if the allegations were true The 168-page report by James' office finds that Cuomo fostered a 'toxic work environment' where women were punished for reporting their allegations. It says that instead of dealing with the complaints properly, the women were simply moved out of his orbit, into different departments. The report cites 'relevant laws' as Employer Liability and Executive Chamber Policy. The Governor, who has always denied the allegations, is yet to respond to the report's findings. Among the allegations which the report says are true is that he sexually harassed a state trooper by running his 'finger from her neck down her spine' while they were sharing an elevator and saying 'hey you'. He is also said to have rubbed a state employee's stomach, ran his finger across the chest of another woman, and engaged in 'widespread pattern' of subjecting women to 'unwanted hugs'. The report concludes: 'The Governor sexually harassed a number of State employees through unwelcome and unwanted touching, as well as by making numerous offensive and sexually suggestive comments. 'We find that such conduct was part of a pattern of behavior that extended to his interactions with others outside of State government.' Non-consensual touching, repeatedly made comments of a sexualized, gender based nature. Cuomo was grilled for 11 hours as part of the investigation. During questioning, the report says he 'did not dispute that he sometimes commented on staff members appearance and attire (although generally only to compliment), and stated that, being old fashioned,. He said he uses terms like 'honey', 'sweetheart' and 'darling' and that he regularly gave women hugs and kisses - sometimes on the lips. Shocking new photos reveal the overcrowded and filthy conditions illegal migrants are living in after being intercepted while crossing the US southern border. The images see migrants packed tightly into cells, or holding 'pods'. According to Fox News there are approximately 5,300 migrants currently in custody with between 40-60 people in each pod, breaking a COVID cap of 10 per pod. The facility in Donna, Texas is working flat out to process the arrivals but officials are quickly being outpaced by the relentless influx. In McAllen, Texas, a series of tents have been set up to house 250 migrants who have become infected with the coronavirus after federal officials admitted they could not cope. Within days, there is believed to be close to 650 staying at the makeshift facility in nearby Mission. Thousands of migrants took refuge underneath the bridge near the Anzalduas Park holding site as temperatures reached about 100 degrees in Mission, Texas Images that were first obtained by Fox News show condition in the migrant center in Donna, Texas The facility in Donna, Texas is working flat out to process the arrivals but officials are quickly being outpaced by the relentless influx The facility attempts to process migrant families and unaccompanied children but they are ciurrently being overwhelmed by hundreds of daily arrivals On Thursday 800 children arrived having crossed the southern border, while around 600 were released back to their families. At the start of the year, in January, 78,000 families crossed the border. Since that time, numbers have skyrockets. 188,000 migrants came across in June, and more than 210,000 arrived in the U.S. in July. Joe Biden's administration says poverty, violence and climate change are among the 'root causes' in Central America resulting in the surge Other photos released from the former acting commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection reveal the disaster taking place at two other migrant holding areas in Texas. In Mission, Texas tents have been set up to deal with COVID positive migrants Initially there was capacity for around 250 but there are now 650 at the facility Local officials say they had to do it because the Federal Government were overwhelmed at other sites The city of McAllen, Texas has taken it upon themselves to set up the tents Fox News was able to shoot footage of the migrants being housed at the facility The photos revealed more than 1,000 immigrants shoved under a bridge in Anzalduas Park, in Mission, at the state's far southeastern border, in the midst of all 100-degree F heat and disgusting bathroom conditions with facilities with overflowing waste. Meanwhile, the Rio Grande Valley processing station - which has space to hold 600 migrants for processing - is currently housing 12,000, with no end to the onslaught of people in sight. 'The White House said migrants are being handled in a humane and orderly way,' former commissioner Mark Morgan said. 'This isn't humane or orderly, and it's not the Border Patrol's fault. They are doing all they can to deal with the disaster created by Biden.' Speaking to DailyMail.com Friday, Morgan explained how July's figures - 210,000 migrants intercepted crossing from Mexico, were the highest in history, and just 10,000 short of 220,000 recorded on a single month during the 1990s. Mark Morgan, President Donald Trump's former commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, says conditions at the migrant holding facilities around the border have not improved since Biden took office NEW: This is the largest group of migrants weve ever seen being held by Border Patrol under Anzalduas Bridge in Mission, TX. Looks like it could be up to 1,000 people. We can only get a look at the area with our drone. Theres a popular Rio Grande crossing area nearby. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/AsAygsO966 Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) August 1, 2021 Twitter Privacy Policy According to preliminary figures, 210,000 were apprehended in July at the southern border. The chart shows a comparison between apprehensions in 2021 and 2020 He added that while he heard of stories of no showers and toilets available to migrants during President Donald Trump's terms in office, little has been done, despite Biden's calls for change. Morgan, who now works for educational institute The Heritage Foundation in Washington DC said an estimated 300,000 migrants have successfully crossed into the US without being intercepted since January. He added that 50 of those caught by border patrol agents have convictions for murder. He shared how people have been forced to sleep huddled close to one another under bridges in sweltering weather, despite COVID fears. Many of those migrants are hungry, with mothers struggling to breastfeed their children, and basic hygiene facilities in short supply. Morgan criticized the Biden administration's handling of the situation, saying that border agents were 'done' with the lack of assistance from the federal government, the Washington Examiner reports. He cited a memo from the Fort Brown Station in Rio Grande Valley, requesting help to process the 10,000 migrants currently there. Since that memo went up, more than 2,000 more migrants have appeared at the site, he said. Republicans have said that a rollback of policies that began under Trump including 'remain in Mexico' which saw migrants kept on the Mexican side of the border, together with the ending of the border wall construction have 'encouraged migrants to make the dangerous journey north.' The surge in migration comes amid a renewed fear of COVID-19 spread related to the delta variant, with concerns that migrants in packed conditions could spread the virus to other migrants, agents and Americans if they are released. 'As part of the United States' mitigation efforts in response to the rise in COVID-19 cases due to the delta variant, the Department of Homeland Security has begun to transport individuals expelled under Title 42 by plane to the Mexican interior,' a spokesperson from the DHS revealed on Friday. The number of children traveling alone who were picked up at the border reached an all-time high of more than 19,000 in July, according to preliminary numbers shared with the Associated Press by David Shahoulian, assistant secretary for border and immigration policy at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The migrants at the Anzaduas Park site had originally been housed in the city of McAllen before being relocated on Thursday. Local officials had voiced their concerns that the new site in Anzalduas Park would not be adequate without the proper assistance from the federal government, KRGV reported. Photos of the Anzalduas Park site shows tents being set up. Officials say that the tents are meant to hold 250 people, but have seen more than 600 occupy them Thousands of migrants at the site in Anzalduas have tested positive for Covid-19 They were moved to the new site and away from the city of McAllen, which declared a disaster emergency on Monday. Pictured, La Joya, Texas Morgan shared this photo of a bathroom overflowing with waste at Anzalduas Park They said said the tents that would house the migrants had an original capacity of 250 people, but noted that more than 600 were occupying them at a time. Morgan claimed that of 7,000 migrants who had tested positive for Covid-19 had been released to McAllen. McAllen Republican Mayor Javier Villalobos had issued a disaster declaration on Monday, citing 'recent increases in number of released immigrants and the potential for even greater numbers,' according to a Facebook post he put out on Wednesday. He also noted that charitable organizations designated to help migrants in the area are overwhelmed and are buckling under the influx. The greater area of Hidalgo County followed suit and declared a disaster on Tuesday Both Villalobos and Texas Governor Abbott have blamed Biden for the current situation. Villalobos captioned his video with contact information for federal officials, with Joe Biden's name topping the list The McAllen mayor said the city 'should not be involved' in directing migrants after the city commission voted to set up emergency housing to deal with the influx In a bid to stem the flow of migrants to his state and keep COVID transmission down Abbott signed an executive order last week to prohibit ground transport of migrants by anyone other than law enforcement. Abbott accused the Biden White House of 'knowingly importing COVID-19' and 'jeopardizing the health and safety of Texans on a daily basis.' A federal judge temporarily blocked the order. Villalobos said McAllen's formal disaster declaration was a bid to get help from the state and federal governments. Villalobos insisted he did not blame the migrants or local officials trying 'to protect your community' but acknowledged the high rate of migrants coming into McAllen with COVID is a problem. Virus experts have blasted a 'fear-mongering' article warning of a 'doomsday' COVID-19 variant which could be worse than Delta. The doctors emphasized the effectiveness of the jab against the virus and noted that vaccine makers can quickly adjust formulas to make vaccines more effective against variants, Fox News reported. Their comments come in response to an article in Newsweek Magazine which claimed that the Delta variant has 'shattered' optimism that vaccines would help the pandemic wind down. The Newsweek Magazine article questioned: 'Is there a Doomsday variant out there that shrugs off vaccines, spreads like wildfire and leaves more of its victims much sicker than anything we've yet seen?' 'The odds are not high that we will see such a triple threat, but experts can't rule it out,' the article reads. Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist, warned 'the next variant could be Delta on steroids' An article in Newsweek Magazine claimed that the Delta variant has 'shattered' optimism that vaccines would help the pandemic wind down, while warning of a possible 'doomsday variant' The Newsweek Magazine article appears to draw a number of conclusions, including that the pandemic will continue to get worse and may stick around 'forevermore' - while continuing to mutate. 'The next variant could be Delta on steroids,' warned Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist. Osterholm, who leads the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, added that - because of the Delta variant - 'the number of intensive-care beds needed could be higher than any time we've seen.' He said that an analysis from his team shows that every American who has not been vaccinated or had the disease yet, about 100 million people, will likely get it in the coming months. Preeti Malani, a physician and infectious disease researcher and chief health officer at the University of Michigan, told the outlet that 'vaccines are the key, and vaccine hesitancy is the obstacle' to overcoming the pandemic. 'It's going to be very difficult to stop it from happening with masks and social distancing at this point,' Malani said. Aaron Glatt, chair of the department of medicine at Mount Sinai South Nassau, told Fox News that 'everything in that article is correct' but said the differences in opinion center on the likelihood of possibilities addressed in the Newsweek Magazine article. 'We don't know what will be the next variant to come,' Glatt said. 'We have an inkling of some of the strains spreading throughout the world but which one will come to the United States or which one will become predominant in different parts of the world, Lambda or some of the other ones, really is unknown.' However, Dr. Tracy Beth Heg outright dismissed the Newsweek Magazine article, and condemned the 'dangerous and destructive game' journalists engage in by 'constantly be speculating about the worst possible scenarios.' Heg - an epidemiologist and associate researcher at University of California, Davis - told Fox News that Americans 'have every reason for optimism.' 'This line 'Delta has now shattered that optimism,' is not appropriate. I would indeed consider this fear mongering,' Heg said. 'Epidemiologists and infectious disease docs should continue to study variants, but it is not necessary (or healthy in my opinion) for the public to go around worrying about the variants getting increasingly worse.' A map shows the number of total cases and deaths in the United States amid the coronavirus pandemic A graph shows the total number of deaths per day since the start of the coronavirus pandemic A graph shows the total number of COVID-19 deaths per day in July and August A graph shows the total number of infections per day since the start of the coronavirus pandemic A graph shows the total number of COVID-19 infections per day in July and August Dr. Marc Siegel, a professor at NYU Langone Medical Center, suggested vaccines prevent such a 'doomsday variant' from emerging by lowering the chances for COVID-19 to spread and mutate. 'It's not like some deadly version of this is going to compete and beat out the delta variant; the only thing that could take over from the delta variant is one that's more contagious,' Siegel said. 'I don't see this changing enough so it suddenly reinfects everybody that's already had it, and eludes the vaccine.' The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as vaccine makers Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, have recently made statements expressing that the organizations remain confident that vaccines can protect against COVID-19 variants. The CDC has noted that all authorized vaccines have shown 65% to 95% efficacy in preventing symptomatic, laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 - and more than 89% effectiveness against the coronavirus severe enough to require hospitalization. While some breakthrough cases are possible, health officials have continued to tell Americans that vaccines substantially reduce the spread of COVID-19 - even against the Delta variant. Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious diseases doctor at University of California San Francisco, conceded to Fox News that COVID-19 could possibly not ever be eliminated because its high transmissibility. But she noted: 'We can control the virus, which may ultimately cause mild symptoms in a small fraction of vaccinated individuals, and outbreaks of severe disease among those who have yet to receive shots.' The Newsweek Magazine article noted that the World Health Organization is already keeping an eye on several mutations beyond Delta. The Eta and Iota variants - as well as the Kappa variant which arose in India like the Delta variant - have all infected numerous countries. Public health experts are particularly concerned about the Lambda variant and its 'unusual success in infecting fully vaccinated people,' Newsweek Magazine noted. Dr. Imran Sharief, a pulmonary disease specialist, told Fox News that 'new variants are going to continue to emerge' until the United States reaches herd immunity, predicting that the virus could lose its 'potency' by 'at least 2024.' More than 60 cases of the new Delta-plus variant have been detected in the San Francisco-Bay area as coronavirus cases continue to rise throughout the country. According to the Santa Clara Public Health Department, there were 64 reported cases of the new COVID strain detected in the county as of August 5. The new strain, an off-shoot of the highly-transmissible Delta variant, is thought to be more contagious than its predecessor, but is still not the most common variant in the area - with more than 700 cases of the alpha variant reported. 'The County of Santa Clara is currently tracking the Delta variant and the "Delta plus" variants on our dashboard,' county officials told CBS San Francisco, adding 'there is currently not enough information on these particular variants to indicate whether they may be more concerning than the original Delta variant.' 'Having additional variants is going to be expected with any virus,' Yvonne Maldonado, a professor of global health and infectious diseases at Stanford University School of Medicine told the local CBS affiliate. 'The fact there's a Delta plus doesn't mean this is going to be any better or worse,' she said. 'At this point, we just don't know.' Coronavirus cases in the San Francisco Bay Area have risen in recent weeks. In this picture, a staff member at a Chinese hospital in San Francisco offers a man a facemask Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at University of California San Francisco, told CBS that he believes the Delta-plus variant could be as bad as the Delta variant As of August 5, there were 64 reported cases of the Delta-plus variant, known as AY.1, in Santa Clara County The Delta-plus variant was first detected in Europe back in March, according to KRON, and doctors believe it is more transmissible than the original Delta variant, and could latch onto lung cells more easily. 'We believe that its at least as bad as Delta,' Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at University of California San Francisco, told CBS. 'We don't know if it's even worse than Delta yet.' 'When I say worse, we think about, number one: Is it more transmissible? Number two, does it evade vaccines? And number three, does it make you sicker?' The original Delta variant is thought to be more transmissible than the common cold, and seems to affect younger generations more than its predecessors, according to Popular Science Magazine. It is the most common variant in the United States. The Delta-plus variant, meanwhile, is a sub-lineage of the Delta variant, Popular Science reports, meaning that it is closely related to the Delta variant and likely evolved from it. It has spread to more than a dozen countries since it was first detected, with some experts believing it is even more transmissible than the original Delta variant, though more research is needed to confirm it. Nearly all of the hospitalizations and deaths with the variants are among those who are unvaccinated, Popular Science reports, and now several health experts in the Bay Area are urging people to get vaccinated as eight counties in the area have reinstated their mask mandates. 'Delta-plus is not the end of the story,' Chin-Hong said. 'Until more of us get vaccinated, we are going to have these repots of other Greek letters and combinations of Greek letters - we might even run out of the Greek alphabet. 'It sounds like a broken record,' he said, 'but we're going to see these things pop up until more of us are vaccinated to kick them out of our communities.' Eight counties in the San Francisco Bay Area have now reinstated their indoor mask mandates The county has a high vaccination rate, with 79.3 percent of residents being fully vaccinated Santa Clara county reports a seven-day rolling average of 254 new cases, the majority of which are among the unvaccinated minority. More than 84 percent of residents 12 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 79.3 percent have completed their vaccinations. The state, meanwhile, saw 14,402 new cases on August 5, with 37 deaths, while the country saw 120,173 new cases with a total of 700 new deaths. There have been more than 35 million new cases reported over the past month, with 613,658 total deaths, as 58.4 percent of all eligible Americans received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine and just half of all eligible Americans are fully vaccinated. Amazon will be requiring all of its 900,000 U.S. warehouse workers to wear masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status, starting Monday. The move follows steps by a slew of other retailers, including Walmart and Target, to mandate masks for their workers. Amazon said Friday that its call for a nationwide mask mandate for its warehouse workers was in response to the spread of COVID-19 variants in the U.S., and guidance from public health authorities and its own medical experts. Amazon has been requiring only warehouse workers not vaccinated against COVID-19 wear masks. Amazon will require its 900,000 warehouse employees to wear their masks indoors. Picture is an Amazon employee wearing a mask as the pandemic hit New York in March, 2020 Warehouse workers, like those pictured in 2019, in Goodyear, Arizona, will have to wear masks regardless of their vaccinations status Amazon Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky said the company was pushing to get more employees vaccinated amid the rise of the delta variant Amazon's Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky said last week that rising coronavirus infections linked to the delta variant are pushing the company to get more workers vaccinated. Its also working with local authorities on safety measures. So far, Seattle-based Amazon has not required its employees to be vaccinated. But Disney and Walmart announced vaccine mandates for white-collar workers, and Microsoft, Google and Facebook said they will require proof of vaccination for employees and visitors to their U.S. offices. In many of those cases the mandates apply to workers in locations of substantial COVID-19 transmission. Earlier this week, Tyson Foods announced it will require all U.S. employees to get vaccinated by November, becoming one of the first major employers of front-line workers to do so amid surging cases of the virus. This year, the highly contagious 'Delta' variant is wreaking havoc on the US, which saw more than 250,000 new Covid-19 cases on Friday Thursday, teetering close to the all-time high infection rates not seen since January. The country hadn't had an average of 100,000 cases per day since mid-February. The number of total COVID-19 cases in the US has surpassed 35.6 million as of Saturday The number of deaths from COVID-19 in the US has risen to 616,493 as of Saturday The total number of Americans who've received the COVID-19 vaccine has risen to 58.4% as of Saturday There were more than 1,000 COVID-19 related deaths recorded Friday, with a seven-day average of 426 deaths, which is a 58 percent spike over the last three weeks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed that 93 percent of all cases are linked to the variant, including its subtypes. More than 60 cases of the new Delta-plus variant have been detected in the San Francisco-Bay area as coronavirus cases continue to rise throughout the country. The new strain, an off-shoot of the highly-transmissible Delta variant, is thought to be more contagious than its predecessor, but is still not the most common variant in the area - with more than 700 cases of the alpha variant reported. A bat broke British records by flying more than 1,200 miles from London to Russia then met a tragic end after being eaten by a cat. The Nathusius pipistrelle, which made the 1,254-mile journey from London to west Russia, weighed a third of an ounce (8g) and was the size of a human thumb when she set off. The bat, which was discovered in the small Russian village of Molgino, had been initially given a unique identifying ring back in 2016 at the Bedfont Lakes Country Park near Heathrow. The bat had been found by a Russian animal rescue group on July 30 after she had been injured by a cat Her trip marks one of the longest ever recorded migrations made from the UK and is likely to be one of the longest bat migrations ever undertaken globally. The bat had been found by a Russian animal rescue group on July 30 after she had been injured by a cat. She died shortly afterwards. The group discovered her record-breaking journey only after finding a ring with London Zoo written on it. Lisa Worledge, head of conservation services at the Bat Conservation Trust, said: This is a remarkable journey and the longest one we know of any bat from Britain across Europe. Projects pioneered by citizen scientists have helped to shed light on the migration pattern of these winged wonders. She added: Thanks to the hard work of dedicated volunteers and researchers, we are beginning to understand the needs of this species and how to conserve them. Little is known about the migration patterns of Nathusius pipistrelle bats. Some are believed to migrate to Britain from eastern or western Europe for winter. This bats record is topped only by one other in Europe a Nathusius pipistrelle that migrated all the way from Latvia to Spain in 2017 a record-setting 1,382 miles. The British bat was initially tagged in 2016 by bat recorder Brian Briggs. He said: This is very exciting. Its great to be able to contribute to the international conservation work to protect these extraordinary animals and learn more about their fascinating lives. Experts in Russia and the UK are working together to understand more about this remarkably long voyage. The Nathusius pipistrelle made the 1,254-mile journey from London to west Russia The range expansion of Nathusius pipistrelle is linked to climate change with future temperature changes predicted to further affect the species. More data is essential to fully understand what the effects on these animals will be. There have been more than 2,600 Nathusius pipistrelles recorded in the UK since a national project launched in 2014. It aims to shed light on their breeding, distribution and migration behaviours. Colonies of the species of bat are known in Kent, Northumberland, Surrey and Greater London. The son of an ex premier whose drunken car crash cost his father's job and left his mate 'covered in blood' has opened up about the accident and his selfish behaviour as a young man. Nick Bracks was 20 when he totalled his family's Saab at 5am on July 13, 2007 after a drinking binge lasting several days, events which partly caused his father Steve Bracks to resign as Victorian Premier. Bracks, who went on to become a model and also a respected mental health advocate and speaker, confessed he was 'naive and stupid' and obsessed with drinking and his own popularity at that point in his life. Nick Bracks is pictured at 20 in a court appearance for drink driving after the near-fatal 2007 crash that partly led to his father Victorian Premier Steve Bracks' resignation Bracks' drunk driving almost killed his best friend Huw, who was unresponsive and 'covered in blood'. The Saab from the accident (pictured) was a write-off 'In time I came to realise, however, that alcohol had been nothing more than a really bad coping mechanism for some very serious problems,' Bracks wrote in The Age. He has spoken many times of his mental health battles, which include depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and an exercise addiction. Bracks had hoped to become a professional athlete when a career-ending injury sent him into a spiral of binge drinking. Former Victorian Premier Steve Bracks (left) with his son Nick as a young boy Nick Bracks, now 34, went on to become a respected mental health advocate and public speaker, as well as a model 'I felt like I could get away with anything,' he wrote, admitting he loved the attention of strangers and getting free entry to nightclubs. On the night of the near-fatal crash, Bracks and friends were together after 'consecutive nights' of drinking and got wasted in a heavy session at Seven Nightclub's 'Unlucky Thursdays' night. When he and 'best friend' Huw arrived back at the family home at Williamstown, Melbourne, Bracks jumped behind the wheel of the vehicle. They had been out all night. He accelerated to 90 kilometres an hour in a 60 zone on a rainy night while blasting the car stereo and singing loudly, he said, then had a moment of clarity, deciding this was dangerous. But Bracks couldn't control the car and it hit a traffic island and spun 'out of control', slamming into a tree which collapsed one side of the car. It was the same side that Huw's head was facing towards and when Bracks looked back, he saw his mate 'covered in blood' and unresponsive. Nick Bracks says his drinking as a 'coping mechanism' for more serious mental health issues Bracks has admitted he suffered anxiety, depression, OCD and was addicted to exercise as a young man Huw survived, Bracks believes because he had the 'reflex' to sit up when the car started spinning. Climbing out of the wreck, Bracks was confronted by shocked residents and he asked to call the police so he could 'handle the situation myself'. Police told him they had never seen an accident so bad where nobody had died. He called his father too, then the Victorian Premier Steve Bracks, at 7am. Within an hour the accident was national news and Nick Bracks was unable to leave his family home for days because media were 'camped out the front'. Steve Bracks would resign from the state's top job within two weeks of the accident, saying he needed to spend time with his family. Bracks admitted a key moment in his recovery came when he family forced him to see a psychologist Nick Bracks was charged with drink driving and traffic offences. He admits he failed to take the 'second chance' he was given, and instead he relished the attention of becoming famous for 'nothing more than crashing a car'. Eventually his family forced him to see a psychologist, he admitted. Bracks has released a book with mental health tips which include lessons he's learned in his journey from a binge-drinking young man to public speaker, called Move your Mind: How to Build a Healthy Mindset for Life. Andrew Cuomo hired a female state trooper to be part of his personal security detail because she made eye contact with him when they met at an event, and 'he liked that she was assertive with him,' his lawyer has said. Cuomo, 63, was accused by 'Trooper Number One' of sexual harassment while she was working for him. The trooper, in her 20s, officially started working on Cuomo's security detail in January 2018. Over the next three years, Cuomo had a series of encounters with her that she described as 'flirtatious' and 'creepy,' the report said. They included an unwanted kiss, inappropriate touching, sexually suggestive comments and several invitations to join him 'upstairs' at the governor's executive mansion, according to the report. Andrew Cuomo is seen with state troopers in October 2016. The following year he would meet a female state trooper at an event in New York City, and request she be assigned to his security detail. She claims he then began sexually harassing her Cuomo attorney Rita Glavin on Friday insisted that Cuomo hired the trooper because he wanted more 'diversity' among his protection detail The three attorneys - Paul Fishman, Mitra Hormozi - who represent the Office of the Governor - and Rita Glavin - who represents Cuomo personally - spoke at a press conference which the Governor live streamed on his state website, but at which he didn't appear On Friday Cuomo's personal attorney, Rita Glavin, told a press conference that the governor had requested she be appointed to his 60-strong security detail, after meeting at an event. Glavin said that it was because he wanted a more diverse contingent. 'The report suggested that the governor singled her out and wanted her on the detail because of some improper motive,' said Glavin. 'That's the clear suggestion, in the report. 'And what the governor told the investigators in his testimony is that he had been complaining about the lack of diversity on his detail for some period of time. 'He has about 60 troopers that are on the detail. There's only a handful of women. 'And for a governor who has hired, and has senior women at all of his top jobs, this had bothered him, for some period of time. And he voiced it.' Glavin explained the unusual way in which she was appointed, following a ceremony at the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge in New York City in November 2017. The State Police and governor's office had insisted, in response to an inquiry by The Times-Union last year, that Cuomo had no role in the female trooper's reassignment. Governor Cuomo is pictured in the grounds of the Albany Governor's Mansion on Friday. He has not been seen publicly since Monday. The report came out on Tuesday and Cuomo's attorneys say he was 'blindsided' by it Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo, 23, is seen on Friday arriving at the Governor's Mansion, to visit her father But on Friday, Glavin admitted that he was instrumental in her change in job. 'He had met this trooper. 'He thought she was impressive, in their meeting. And he said, I don't understand - why can't we hire someone like her? Do you know her? What next for Andrew Cuomo? It looks like checkmate for Andrew Cuomo as pressure grows on him to step down despite his desperate attempts to cling on to power. Senior Democrats including President Joe Biden are pushing for Cuomo to resign, with some looking to impeach the embattled politician. New York state assembly speaker Carl Heastie, who launched an impeachment inquiry in March, said Cuomo has 'lost the confidence of the Assembly Democratic majority' and 'can no longer remain in office', according to CNN. If Cuomo tries to cling on to power rather than step down, he will likely face an impeachment probe. Impeachment would be carried out by the New York state assembly which is made up of 150 lawmakers. Only a majority of votes is needed for impeachment for 'misconduct of malversation', according to the state constitution. The assembly's makeup is overwhelmingly Democrat, with 106 out of 150 seats, and a majority of 76 votes needed for impeachment. If impeached, Cuomo would be succeeded by Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul. A trial would then be held by the New York senate where Democrats hold 43 of 63 seats and a two-thirds majority is needed to convict. If convicted, Cuomo would be removed from office, but if he is found not guilty, he could return to being governor. An impeachment probe launched in March is still ongoing and lawmakers are meeting to decide whether to proceed or draft articles in other areas of Cuomo's leadership relating to the nursing homes Covid scandal, cover-up allegations over the Mario Cuomo Bridge, and claims of using state resources for personal gain. So far, Cuomo has insisted he has done nothing wrong and has made no moves to step down as he tries to cling on to power. Advertisement 'And he was told she was excellent. So why don't we hire her.' Asked during the press conference why Cuomo thought she was 'impressive', Glavin replied: 'He liked how she maintained eye contact. He liked that she was assertive with him in the conversation. 'And then he asked one of the troopers he knows about her, and they said: yeah, she's excellent. 'And he's like, I don't understand this - why don't I have women on my detail?' State Police sources told the Times Union last year that the minimum qualifications for appointment to the protective detail were reduced by one year so that the reassignment of the trooper, who joined the State Police in 2015, could be made. Cuomo personally ordered the move, a source had told the paper, because he 'liked the way she looked.' Glavin said the newspaper's reporting was not accurate. 'The governor had said that he did not do this,' she said. 'I don't know what happened, within the detail. And within the troopers, and what their internal policies are. 'But he certainly, if he meets someone particularly within the trooper world, and he wants diversity, he wants that.' 'It was certainly not reflected in how the investigators chose to report that.' The trooper was unsure in 2017 whether she should accept a transfer to Cuomo's protective detail. The report compiled by New York's attorney general, Letitia James, and published on Tuesday includes an email from the senior investigator who facilitated her transfer with the subject line: 'What did you say to him???' In that same email the senior investigator informed the trooper they were interested in drafting her and said: 'If you don't want to go I can get you out of it. But definitely worth considering.' The state trooper told James' team of investigators that Cuomo had repeatedly behaved inappropriately. During a conversation after Cuomo has split up from his long-time girlfriend, celebrity chef Sandra Lee, Cuomo asked the trooper her age and she replied that she was in her late 20s. 'You're too old for me,' Cuomo said, according to the report. The conversation continued with Cuomo asking her what she thought would be an appropriate age difference between him and a romantic partner. 'Probably older than your daughters,' the trooper said, according to the report. Cuomo told her that for a girlfriend, he was looking for someone who 'can handle pain,' the report says. Cuomo has not been seen since Monday. On Tuesday, he released a pre-taped response to the report (above) and he is said to be hunkered down at home, strategizing how to save his political life On another occasion, Cuomo asked the trooper, who was engaged, why she would want to get married. 'It always ends in divorce, and you lose money, and your sex drive goes down,' Cuomo said to her, according to the report. The trooper, feeling uncomfortable, talked about the positive aspects of getting married, and the conversation ended soon after, the report said. The governor constantly sought out the trooper at events and would also ask her such questions as, 'Why don't you wear a dress?' according to the report. She told how he asked several times to kiss her, once doing so on the cheek in front of her colleagues - who corroborated her account. The second time he asked, in October 2019, she told him she was sick. Cuomo, she said, slid his hand up her spine in an elevator and said: 'Hey, you.' On another occasion, in September 2019, while she stood to hold the door open for him, he ran his fingers from her belly button to her hip, where she holds her gun. 'I felt completely violated,' she told investigators, the report said. 'But, you know, I'm here to do a job.' The New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association released a statement expressing anger over the allegations against the governor. 'I'm outraged and disgusted that one of my members, who was tasked with guarding the governor and ensuring his safety, could not enjoy the same sense of security in her work environment that he was provided,' said Thomas Mungeer, NYSTPBA president. Glavin said that Cuomo would be speaking about the state trooper's allegations. 'The governor will address that allegation himself, and so I will let him speak for himself, when he does,' she said. 'I know he wants to do it soon.' Glavin was asked about what was being done 'to protect her and others' who have come forward with harassment allegations 'against potential retaliation.' Glavin replied: 'The governor has a view of this particular trooper, you know, that's positive in terms of her job and day to day. 'With respect to what's being done about, you know, retaliation, look, the whole world is watching right now. 'People are not going to be retaliated against by Governor Cuomo.' Advertisement Britain will not need another lockdown to stop another Covid wave this winter, scientists have said after official data showed the outbreak is shrinking. The Office for National Statistics claimed 722,300 people were infected on any given day in the seven-day spell ending July 31 the equivalent of one in 75 people. This marked a 15 per cent drop on the week before, when the toll was upwards of 850,000. And SAGE member 'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson who's grim modelling led to the first lockdown said he now believes the pandemic is something the UK will be able to manage with vaccines rather than 'crisis measures'. He told The Times: 'I think its unlikely we will need a new lockdown or even social distancing measures of the type weve had so far.' Fellow Government scientific advisor Professor John Edmunds, an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, agreed, saying he believes the national health service will most likely be able to cope with the numbers of cases expected in the winter. He said: 'I suspect we wont have to [impose any more]. The pinch point has always been pressure on the NHS and though it will be awkward for the NHS, so there will be pressure, I very much doubt they wont be able to cope.' But Boris Johnson has pressed ahead with plans to reintroduce restrictions by authorising contingency plans for 'firebreak lockdowns' should the NHS be overwhelmed cases by the end of the year. Sources within Whitehall today confirmed the government is prepared for 'local, regional or national' lockdowns in order to protect the health service from being swamped and reaching breaking point with cases. The i reports the Prime Minister has given the green light to plans for 'firebreak lockdowns' should Covid cases cripple the NHS later this year. Although scientists remain confident of the efficacy of Britain's vaccines, Whitehall sources say fears persist over surging flu infections, a potential NHS staffing crisis and a rise in positive infections. Office for National Statistics (ONS) data released today shows the number of people infected with the virus fell from 856,200 to 722,300 in the week ending July 31 SAGE member 'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson (right) who's grim modelling led to the first lockdown said he now believes the pandemic is something the UK will be able to manage with vaccines rather than 'crisis measures'. Fellow Government scientific advisor Professor John Edmunds (left), an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, agreed, saying he believes the national health service will most likely be able to cope with the numbers of cases expected in the winter Boris Johnson (above) has authorised contingency plans for 'firebreak lockdowns' if the NHS is again overwhelmed with Covid cases during the winter months Britain's daily Covid cases RISE again by 7% in a week to 31,808 Britain's Covid outbreak is still flattening off, according to official statistics that today dismissed hopes that the worst of the third wave was over. Department of Health bosses posted another 31,808 cases yesterday, up seven per cent on the 29,622 recorded last Friday. The number of victims dying with the virus a measure which lags weeks behind infections also increased by 35.3 per cent, jumping from 71 last week to 92. But hospital admissions, which always turn before fatalities, continue to fall. There were 778 people hospitalised with Covid on Monday, down 16.2 per cent on the previous week. The figures come as leading scientists warn achieving herd immunity against Covid is looking ever-increasingly impossible, with neither vaccines nor natural infections triggering 'perfect' protection. Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases expert at the University of East Anglia, said immunity against SARS-CoV-2 the virus that causes Covid is likely to be short-lived. Yesterday's infection figures take the average number of new cases daily to 26,513. This up slightly on yesterday's seven-day average (26,201), but down on the week before. Advertisement The senior Downing Street source said: 'The Government believes it has got to grips with the pandemic following the vaccine rollout 'Barring a new vaccine-beating strain, fears over a rise in infections similar to that seen last autumn are actually outweighed by other issues like an NHS staffing crisis and the likely resurgence in flu infections, and other respiratory diseases. 'On top of Covid infections, these factors could tip the NHS back to the brink and force more lockdowns.' It is understood that any subsequent lockdown would resemble the nation's four-week 'firebreak' lockdown during November 2020. The return of draconian restrictions would likely be short and during 'school holidays and over Christmas', the source adds. Britain's Covid outbreak is still flattening off, according to official statistics that dismissed hopes that the worst of the third wave was over. Department of Health bosses posted another 31,808 cases on Friday, up seven per cent on the 29,622 recorded last week. The number of victims dying with the virus - a measure which lags weeks behind infections - also increased by 35.3 per cent, jumping from 71 last week to 92. But hospital admissions, which always turn before fatalities, continue to fall. There were 778 people hospitalised with Covid on Monday, down 16.2 per cent on the previous week. The figures come as leading scientists warn achieving herd immunity against Covid is looking ever-increasingly impossible, with neither vaccines nor natural infections triggering 'perfect' protection. Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases expert at the University of East Anglia, said immunity against SARS-CoV-2 - the virus that causes Covid - is likely to be short-lived. But separate official data offered a glimmer of hope, revealing England's shrinking Covid outbreak towards the end of July was real and marked the first time cases had genuinely fallen since the third wave took off. No10's top scientists claimed the R rate which shows how quickly the coronavirus is spreading has dipped below one for the first time in 12 weeks. The UK Health Security Agency said the reproduction rate is between 0.8 and 1.1. For comparison, last week's figure stood at between 1.1 and 1.4. Meanwhile, random swab-testing data used by ministers to keep tabs on the size of the outbreak estimated the number of infected people has also dropped for the first time since May. Britain's total infections have now risen up to 6,014,023, while 130,178 people who have tested positive have lost their life to the virus since the start of the pandemic. Just under 47million adults in Britain (88.8 per cent) have now had a jab after another 35,500 first doses were dished out yesterday. And 39million (73.8 per cent) are fully protected after NHS staff and volunteers put 172,692 second doses into people's arms. Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly has slammed Family Guy creator and star Seth MacFarlane for criticizing the Fox Broadcasting company, owned by Fox Corporation. Kelly, 50, made the comments in response to a tweet by MacFarlane, 47, last weekend who wrote that he wished his creations were broadcast on a channel that wasn't Fox. 'Tucker Carlson's latest opinion piece once again makes me wish Family Guy was on any other network. Look, Fox, we both know this marriage isn't working anymore. The sex is only once a year, I don't get along with your mother, and well I've been having an affair with NBC,' he tweeted. NBCUniversal gave MacFarlane a $200 million deal for him to work on new shows while still making Family Guy for Fox. Carlson has recently come under fire recently for his anti-vaccination claims and segments on his Fox News show. Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly, 50, has blasted Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy, after he tweeted that he wished his show didn't air on Fox MacFarlane tweeted about his unease at an opinion piece by Tucker Carlson on Fox News MacFarlane's comment angered Kelly who felt as though he had little to complain about given that he is worth $300 million with a good deal of his wealth coming directly from shows he has created for the network owned by Rupert Murdoch. MacFarlane pitched Family Guy at the age of 24 in 1998 when Fox purchased the series. Several of MacFarlene's other creations including American Dad! and The Cleveland Show were also bought by Fox. 'I have no tolerance for that,' Kelly explained. 'The same way I have no tolerance for James Murdoch running around, besmirching Fox News. 'You can't make your gazillions off of the entity and then once you have them say they're disgusting, I am horrified. It's like James Murdoch is saying nasty things about Fox while he's rides on a jet paid for by Fox News, in it from his mansion paid for by Fox News, on his way to his yacht paid for by Fox News. NBCUniversal recently gave MacFarlane, 47, a $200 million deal for him to work on new shows MacFarlane's show, Family Guy, has aired on Fox since 1998 making him millions of dollars 'So spare me if I don't have my little violin out for him and others, you know, who profited off of the Fox empire and now just want to say they're disgusted to have made a mint off of him.' Kelly's guest, Dr. Drew Pinsky, a media personality and internist agreed. 'We call that hypocrisy. It's just hypocritical,' Pinsky said. 'You don't get to capitalize on what they're providing and own it and then complain it's disgusting, you don't want anything to do with it. If you don't want anything to do with it, spin it off, that's fine, that's all cool. 'It's weird, just the mention of Fox News raises tons of feelings to people,' Pinsky added. 'Yes it does,' responded Kelly. 'I'm aware. Yes, I've heard that.' Carlson, meanwhile, has recently come under fire recently for his anti-vaccination claims and segments. The police chief who led the calamitous VIP abuse inquiry is spearheading the battle against people smugglers in the Channel, the Daily Mail can reveal today. Steve Rodhouse has a lead role in dismantling the gangs behind a surge of migrant boats this summer. Details of his high-powered role emerged yesterday as Downing Street said the rise in numbers reaching Britain was 'unacceptable'. More than 10,000 people have completed the journey this year. Border Force intercepted 475 migrants in 15 boats on Thursday, almost surpassing Wednesday's record daily total of 482. As the crisis deepened, serious questions were being asked about whether the joint deputy head of the National Crime Agency is up to the challenge. Steve Rodhouse has a lead role in dismantling the gangs behind a surge of migrant boats this summer As a Met deputy assistant commissioner he was 'gold commander' of Operation Midland, which ruined the reputations of public figures including D-Day hero Lord Bramall and former Tory MP Harvey Proctor. A judge-led inquiry identified 43 major blunders in Mr Rodhouse's investigation into sexual abuse allegations that proved bogus. Mr Rodhouse also led a shambolic probe into a false rape allegation made by a mentally ill Labour activist against former home secretary Lord Brittan. In a third disastrous investigation while at Surrey Police, he looked into true claims of sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile, who was then alive, but failed to bring a case against the BBC presenter. As a Met deputy assistant commissioner he was 'gold commander' of Operation Midland, which ruined the reputations of public figures including D-Day hero Lord Bramall and former Tory MP Harvey Proctor. Carl Beech (pictured) was jailed over false abuse claims Mr Rodhouse was promoted in 2018 to be director general (operations) of the NCA under his old boss from the Met and Surrey Police, Dame Lynne Owens. According to recently published accounts, his pay package last year was around 265,000, far more than the Prime Minister's. Mr Proctor said it was 'beyond parody' that Mr Rodhouse was leading the Channel campaign. He added: 'Britain needs a Robocop figure in charge of policing the Channel, not an over-promoted, overpaid and over-protected gullible chump who brought disgrace on the Met and the criminal justice system when he headed Operation Midland. 'Steve Rodhouse's pay package is utterly obscene and for the NCA to describe him as a 'capable' deputy to Lynne Owens is an insult to Lord Bramall, Lord Brittan and his brave widow Lady Brittan. 'Rodhouse is not capable as he lacks the ability, fitness or quality necessary to do or achieve anything productive. He is an international laughing stock. No wonder people smugglers operate across the Channel with impunity.' A senior Home Office source told the Mail: 'It is right questions should be asked about Steve Rodhouse's suitability to run operations against people smugglers. He should be hauled before MPs to answer questions.' Border Force intercepted 475 migrants in 15 boats on Thursday, almost surpassing Wednesday's record daily total of 482. Migrants are seen crossing the day before Details of his high-powered role emerged yesterday as Downing Street said the rise in numbers reaching Britain was 'unacceptable' Migrants are seen being brought into Dover on a Border Force vessel on Thursday. Details Details of Steve Rodhouse's high-powered role emerged yesterday Migrants are seen being brought into Dover by Border Force on Tuesday. Downing Street said the rise in numbers reaching Britain was 'unacceptable' Appearing before MPs to discuss illegal Channel crossings in February 2019, Mr Rodhouse was forced to admit he did not know the answers to a string of basic questions. Asked how many migrants claimed a long-lost relative in the UK, he replied: 'I can only answer that question in part, I am afraid.' Committee chairman Yvette Cooper told him: 'It is slightly surprising that you do not know what proportion of those arriving have family links.' He said he would 'happily provide a written submission' with the answers. Asked if the Border Force's two vessels were at sea he replied: 'I cannot tell you that, I am afraid.' Then asked if they were the vessels that had recently sailed from the Mediterranean, Mr Rodhouse said: 'I do not know.' A spokesman for the NCA, which is Britain's equivalent of the FBI, said last night 'it continued to work with the Home Office who are pursuing a number of tactics including maritime interventions and measures to return migrants which are designed to make Channel crossings unviable'. He added: 'We are currently leading 50 investigations into small boats criminality and in the 12 months since we created a joint intelligence cell in France alongside international partners it has been involved in over 300 arrests.' In response to further questions from the Mail, the NCA said: 'We have commands led by directors that manage the different threat areas we focus on, including organised immigration crime. These commands report to the director general operations who oversees operations delivered by the NCA.' Earlier this week Dame Lynne revealed she had breast cancer and might need time off work. Her role could be taken over by Mr Rodhouse, the only one of her deputies with a policing background. Advertisement A beloved alpaca who shot to fame after news of his impending death was broadcasted across the world is set to survive the weekend after a firing squad was called off for at least 48 hours. Geronimo, an eight-year-old alpaca from New Zealand now living in south Gloucestershire, was condemned to death by a High Court judge after twice testing positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTB). Two officers from Gloucestershire Police arrived without warning for a stand off at the farm gate in Wickwar, Gloucs., on Friday evening, as they reportedly explained how Geronimo would be humanely killed. The pair were pictured speaking to his owner, a tearful Helen MacDonald, who earlier promised to 'stand in the way of any gunman who comes to destroy Geronimo'. Those in attendance watched on in trepidation, with owner Helen MacDonald fearing the worst for Geronimo. But, the Sun reports the firing squad has now been 'called off for 48 hours', as the cherished animal appears to have been granted a last-minute reprieve. Animal rights activists are set to march on Downing Street this weekend to demand the beloved stud is kept alive, as celebrity supporters Chris Packham and Joanna Lumley waded into the row to offer their support. And more than 85,000 people have so far signed a petition to save Geronimo after his owner Helen MacDonald lost a four-year court battle to stop his death. Gloucestershire Police officers have arrived at the property in Wickwar, Gloucestershire that houses beloved alpaca Geronimo, who has been condemned to death The 50-year-old vet and alpaca breeder feared the visit could represent the end of Geronimo's journey, but was quickly assured the execution would not take place Boris Johnson has refused to save Geronimo, an eight-year-old alpaca from New Zealand now living in south Gloucestershire, which was condemned to death by a High Court judge after twice testing positive for bovine tuberculosis (pictured with owner Helen Macdonald) The 50-year-old vet and alpaca breeder feared the police's Friday evening visit could represent the end of Geronimo's journey, but was quickly assured the execution would not take place that day. She said: 'Two officers turned up to the farm as they wanted to make contact and see what type of opposition they might be met with and if they would need organised back up. 'It was a bit of a recce it seems. They did say it would not be done today, but didn't know anything else about timings etc. 'We did not know they were coming so everyone shot down the drive with their cameras. I asked if they had a warrant, which they didn't, and they then asked if they could speak to us without cameras. 'They had a chat with me and my family for about 15 minutes and then they left. 'They were just testing and wanted to see what the set up was, how many people were here and what type of opposition they would face. 'I did not say anything to them about what it is going to be like. 'They were quite concerned and said they had powers to come and keep the peace, which was all they would do. 'They are hoping it would all be done quietly without any fuss and that is clearly what they are wishing for. 'They said they only get one chance to do it and there is going to be a lot of people here. 'But again, the police turning up at my home made me feel like a criminal. 'I don't know when they will come back, but my guess was first thing tomorrow morning. Why else would they turn up like that this evening? 'Despite all the millions of people asking for fair treatment for Geronimo, it appears Defra are still planning to upset the will of the people. 'They have no regards for the evidence and no regards for mine or Geronimo's life.' Today, desperate to stop her beloved Geronimo falling victim to execution, she makes an impassioned plea to the Prime Minister's wife, Carrie Johnson, to save him. 'I am appealing to Carrie directly to ask the Prime Minister to intervene. She is a patron of the Conservative Animal Welfare Association and has campaigned for the environment and the welfare of animals. 'As an animal lover, surely she cannot stand by and let this happen? I am begging her woman to woman to do what she can. 'She and Boris have a beautiful dog, Dilyn, who they clearly adore. I feel about Geronimo exactly the way they feel about him. Please Carrie, help Geronimo. He really does not deserve to die.' Mrs MacDonald has repeatedly appealed to the Prime Minister and Environment Secretary George Eustice to halt the destruction order, which she claims is based on inaccurate testing. Boris Johnson had so far refused to save the alpaca despite pleas from more than 80,000 animal lovers to prevent the killing of the stud. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: 'We know how distressing losing animals to TB is for farmers and our sympathies are with Ms Macdonald and everyone with animals affected by this terrible disease. 'The Environment Secretary has looked at this case very carefully, multiple times over the last few years, and has interrogated all the evidence with expert vets alongside the Animal and Plant Health Agency. 'But, sadly, Geronimo has tested positive twice for TB using highly specific, reliable and validated tests.' The spokesman said the Government would 'continue to do everything that we can' to eradicate bovine TB. Asked whether there could be one more test carried out on Geronimo, the Prime Ministers official spokesman said: 'The test used on Geronimo is highly specific, it is validated, it is reliable and the risk of a false positive is extremely low. 'A retest after two consecutive positive test results wouldnt invalidate the previous tests. So, theres no plans for any further tests.' He added: 'We recognise how distressing this clearly is for Ms Macdonald, as it is for farmers who have had to put cattle down - 27,000 had to be put down last year alone. 'We need disease control measures to be applied consistently if we are able to tackle it and obviously thats why we need to move ahead now. Mrs MacDonald was not given any further details and fears that representatives from Defra may arrive as early as tomorrow morning to end her beloved pet's life The pair of police officers were pictured speaking to Mrs MacDonald at her Shepherds Close Farm in Wickwar, Gloucestershire The alpaca's owner Helen Macdonald has now said she will 'stand in the way of any gunman who comes to destroy Geronimo' (pictured together) 'We have done these highly accurate tests and weve no plans to change that.' Mr Eustice spoke for the first time on the matter on Thursday to say he would not change his stance, and added: 'My own family have a pedigree herd of South Devon cattle and we have lost cows to TB, so I know how distressing it can be and have huge sympathy for farmers who suffer loss. 'I have looked at this case several times over the last three years and gone through all of the evidence with the Chief Vet and other experts in detail. 'Sadly, Geronimo has tested positive twice using a highly specific and reliable test.' Wildlife TV presenter Chris Packham and actress Joanna Lumley are among those who have spoken out in support of Geronimo. In a tweet on Thursday, Packham asked Mr Johnson and Mr Eustice: 'Quick question, what do you think will happen if Geronimo is euthanised today & the pm shows he doesn't have bTB? Won't that be a PR and policy disaster? #savegeronimo.' His owner took to his designated Facebook page to explain their point of view to those who have been following their story Ms Macdonald claims the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has 'lied' about the tests carried out on Geronimo which she believes resulted in 'false positives'. She told Sky News on Friday: 'This is about Government behaviour and official behaviour. They're trying to uphold the regime. 'He came from a farm in New Zealand where there's been no TB since 1994. It's bonkers. 'If there was disease present we wouldn't be having this conversation, he would've died years ago. But he's fit and healthy.' The court order came into effect on Thursday and Defra now has 30 days to visit Ms Macdonald's farm in south Gloucestershire and put him down. Wildlife TV presenter Chris Packham and actress Joanna Lumley are among those who have spoken out in support of Geronimo (pictured) Ms Macdonald told the PA news agency: 'The entire industry is up in arms because this really is the senseless destruction of an innocent animal. 'They have a choice here. They don't have to kill him; they could at least test him first. 'It's a really upsetting situation. I don't want Geronimo's last moments to be of being caught by a man who will put a gun to his head before he's shot, but then I don't want to consent to having him euthanised. That's no choice at all. 'Asking me to do that to a healthy animal as a vet who has been saving lives for 30 years is the worst thing they can do to my mental health. They are putting me through hell. 'I feel frustrated, angry and deceived. There is a complete lack of transparency.' Defra has defended its methods after it was revealed the tests have never been trialled for their accuracy in detecting bovine tuberculosis in alpacas, and that Geronimo had tested negative on four occasions in New Zealand. A Defra spokesperson said: 'We are sympathetic to Ms Macdonald's situation - just as we are with everyone with animals affected by this terrible disease. 'It is for this reason that the testing results and options for Geronimo have been very carefully considered by Defra, the Animal and Plant Health Agency and its veterinary experts, as well as passing several stages of thorough legal scrutiny. 'Bovine TB causes devastation and distress for farmers and rural communities and that is why we need to do everything we can to reduce the risk of the disease spreading.' A Brooklyn mother who was shot dead at point-blank range on Wednesday reportedly knew her assassin as a 'family friend,' and was lured to her death by a phone call, her family has claimed. Delia Johnson, 42, was talking to a group of people in Crown Heights at around 9.40pm on August 4 when a blonde woman dressed in all black walked up to her from behind and shot her in the back of the head. Surveillance video that was released by the police on Thursday shows the gunwoman fire several more times, hitting Johnson in the leg as bystanders run and duck for cover. The victim collapses to the ground in front of horrified onlookers as her killer calmly makes her way toward a parked white car, gets in the driver's seat and takes off from the scene. On Friday, police also released closer images of the suspect, as Johnson's family said they recognize the killer as a family friend. Police have not named a suspect in the case, or arrested anyone. A motive is still unknown. Scroll down for video. Shocking video shows the female assassin raising a gun to a woman on a Brooklyn sidewalk and shooting her dead. The victim, named by police as Delia Johnson, 42, was speaking to a group on a stoop in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, when she was shot in the head. NYPD issued this image of the female shooter, left, whom Delia Johnson's family members have now identified as a 'family friend.' It remains unclear why she shot and killed Johnson (right) 'I know her,' Delia's mother, Delia Berry, reportedly exclaimed when she saw the picture, according to the New York Post. 'Oh my God, oh my God, she used to stay with us,' Berry said. 'She slept in my bed, ate my food.' 'She was one of my babies too,' Berry also told PIX 11 news. One of Johnson's younger sisters, Hadjah Pendley, called the suspect 'a family friend who came to our family events, celebrations, holidays - whatever you want to call it, she came.' Berry reportedly noted to PIX 11 that the suspect and Johnson had a tumultuous friendship in recent weeks in which they would 'argue about everything.' She now says she wants to know why the suspect, who has not yet been named, would murder her daughter. 'Why did you slaughter her like that?' she asked. 'I just want to know why. 'What could she have done to you that you couldn't come and knock on my door and tell me? I would have straightened it out for both of you all. 'You are hurting families,' Berry told the Post. 'I'm in so much pain, I don't know what to do. 'She was my baby,' Berry said, adding: 'This person that shot my daughter, may God have mercy on your family, because we put curses on ourselves when we do things.' Delia Johnson, 42 (left and right), was shot and killed on a Brooklyn street after attending a funeral for a friend. She was raising a 17-year-old daughter as a single mom Footage shows the assassin, her purse slung over her shoulder, turn and casually walk to an SUV as her victim lays dead on the sidewalk. Delia Johnson lays dead on the sidewalk after onlookers scattered for shelter when the shots were fired. Her assassin is shown getting into a getaway car After shooting Johnson multiple times, the blonde suspect calmly returned to a parked car She was last seen getting into the driver's seat and speeding away from the scene Mathis Johnson, Delia's brother, told the New York Daily News that his sister had attended a funeral for an old friend earlier that day. The service drew hundreds of mourners, and Mathis claims the suspected killer was among them. Mathis said he saw the black-clad woman with long blonde hair at the Sealy Culyer Funeral Home, about four blocks away. Johnson was reportedly talking to some friends afterwards when she received a phone call. 'She said "I'll be right back,"' longtime friend Shawn Johnson, 43, told the New York Post. 'Twenty minutes later, somebody called me and told me she got shot. I told him he was lying. I was just standing here with her.' Another of Johnson's sister, Khadyah Berry, 28, told the Post she was looking for a parking space when she saw an ambulance passing that night, not realizing it was for her sister. 'I ran down the street trying to get to her, but by the time I got to her, they took her,' Khadyah recounted, claiming she 'knew in my heart that somebody called her and knew what it was and set my sister up. Nobody can tell me otherwise. 'My sister didn't deserve that all,' she said. Delia's family members said she was an entrepreneur who was raising her 17-year-old. Her mother also described her as her first-born child who excelled in piano and tap dancing, and later took care of her as she became ill. 'I will never forget when I was in so much pain and she was right there for me,' Berry recalled to the Post about a surgery she underwent, and how Johnson was the first one at the hospital to help her. 'I am going to miss her bringing me some food when I wasn't feeling well,' she said, adding: 'When a child can wash and clean their own mother, that's love. 'She'd say "You know you get [on] my nerves sometimes, Mommy, but you know I love you,"' Berry told the Post. 'I'd say, "You get on my nerves too, but I love you too.' Delia Berry, Johnson's mother, said she now wants to know why the suspect killed her daughter Berry, left, said Johnson, right, her first-born child, helped take care of her after she underwent surgery and would bring her food This is not the only instance of a woman being implicated in a deadly shooting targeting another woman in New York City. Back in April, 51-year-old Nichelle Thomas was fatally shot in the back of the head from a point-blank range as she approached a bodega in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn. Police later arrested Thomas' on-again, off-again girlfriend, 38-year-old Latisha Bell, charging her with second-degree murder. Wednesday's violent killing took place as Mayor Bill de Blasio proudly boasted on Thursday that his 'Safe Summer' program has driven down murder and gun attacks in New York City. In April, de Blasio unveiled his 'Safe Summer' program, a plan aimed at ending gun violence that focused on creating disincentives for young people looking to turn to guns by offering them positive alternatives. During his Thursday briefing, de Blasio proudly proclaimed that the program has been effective and said in the month of July the NYPD saw 'extraordinary successes' to curve violent crime. Listing statistics from July, de Blasio noted that murders decreased by 49.1 percent and shootings were down by 35 percent across the New York City. The NYPD made 383 gun arrests in July alone, up 133.5 percent compared to last July, the mayor said, while gun arrests in general have gone up 44.5 percent in 2021. While de Blasio touted the success of his program he failed to mention an ongoing string of violent incidents in the streets of the Big Apple this summer that have led to the NYPD issuing hundreds of pleas to identify suspects. During his daily briefing on Thursday, de Blasio proudly proclaimed that the 'Safe Summer' program has been effective and said in July the NYPD curved violent crime Shootings so far this year have steadily increased since January, with a small dip in June and July Rapes in New York City were up 3.1 percent so far this year, with 842 reported as of August 1, compared to 817 in the same period of 2020 According to the mayor, the summer month of July is usually one of the most violent in the city but the NYPD 'rose to the challenge' and was able to suppress gun violence and executed an impressive number of gang takedowns. 'The gang takedowns mean taking a lot of bad guys off of the streets and at the same time a lot of shooters off the streets, this is crucial,' de Blasio noted. Overall since the safe summer program was launched in May, murders have gone down 26 percent, shootings decreased 10 percent and shooting victims are down 11 percent. 'There is more to do, but the NYPD is moving and making an impact,' de Blasio said. The stoop on 697 Franklin Street in Crown Heights where Delia Johnson, 42, was talking to a group of people before a female assassin opened fire on her A small row of candles marks the scene where Delia Johnson was gunned down on Franklin Street in Crown Heights While de Blasio took his victory lap many New Yorkers are wondering if the program is actually working as the city is inundated with violent crime. On Tuesday a man strangled a woman unconscious on a Manhattan subway train and attempted to rape her before taking off. According to the NYPD, the 40-year-old female subway rider was approached by a stranger who demanded her possessions and then slammed her into the train car seats. The burly perpetrator then strangled the victim until she lost consciousness. Police said the assailant then groped the unresponsive woman's breasts inside her bra and tried to rape her, reported the New York Post. When the train pulled into the 168th Street station, the attacker dragged the woman onto the subway platform and ran away. Crime has rocketed by 53% in two years and system has already seen more murders in 2021 than it did for the whole of 2019 This comes one day after police released surveillance footage of a masked attacker they say raped a 70-year-old woman at gunpoint in her apartment building in The Bronx last week. According to the NYPD, the sexual assault took place at around 2am on July 27 in the Belmont neighborhood. The elderly victim was entering her apartment building when she was approached from behind by a man wearing two plastic masks - a red one and a black one - on his face, police said. On Saturday, three innocent bystanders were struck when gunfire erupted outside a Washington Heights bodega. Surveillance footage showed three men chasing a fourth man into a bodega as he goes behind the counter and holds a gun to the three men with his back to the cashier. Shortly after the group of men took the standoff outside and began firing, striking a 42-year-old woman in the left arm, a 58-year-old woman in the buttocks and a 78-year-old man in the left arm and stomach, the New York Post reported. Police say the man was wearing black and red plastic masks (pictured in his right hand) when he raped the elderly woman at gunpoint in the stairwell On Saturday, three innocent bystanders were struck when gunfire erupted outside a Washington Heights bodega The men were gang members targeting rivals from the Trinitarios gang during the shooting on Saturday night in the borough's Corona neighborhood, police said Earlier this week, surveillance footage captured the moment two men approached a crowd in a busy Queens neighborhood and fired about 40 shots, injuring 10 people before fleeing the scene on mopeds. The shooters were targeting members of the Trinitarios gang on Saturday night in the borough's Corona neighborhood, police said. They opened fire while some bystanders were walking outside a barbershop and others were at a nearby restaurant for a birthday party. These incident are reflective of the overall skyrocketing crime rates in New York City. NYPD crime data show that rapes are up 3.1 per cent so far this year, with 842 reported as of August 1, compared to 817 in the same period of 2020. Other sex crimes are up 26.3 per cent to 2,719 this year, compared to 2,152 last year, according to NYPD statistics. Shootings have spiked 15.8 per cent in 2021 compared to last year, with 900 shooting incidents in 2021 compared to 777 in 2020. There are also 12 per cent more shooting victims this year, the data shows, with 1,057 people falling prey to gun violence compared to 944 last year. The biggest leap in crime rates is for hate crimes, which have surged by 103 per cent in the last year. The data come amid numerous random attacks on Asian Americans in the city in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. NSW has suffered its worst blow since the Covid pandemic began with 319 and five deaths recorded on Saturday, with a staggering 194 of those infections still under investigation. In Saturday's press conference NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard confirmed that 51 cases were out in the community while infectious - a number the state government has been trying to get to zero since the latest outbreak began in June - and the regional town of Armidale will go into a snap lockdown this afternoon. The latest recorded deaths include a woman in her 80s, a man in his 80s, and a man in his 90s all from southwest Sydney who died at Liverpool Hospital. Another man in his 60s from south-west Sydney and a man in his 80s from the inner west have also died bringing the total number to 27 for the current outbreak. None of the reported NSW residents were vaccinated. Member for Armidale Adam Marshall confirmed the LGA will go into lockdown from 5pm on Saturday for one week after a woman tested positive to Covid. One of her household contacts is also believed to be a positive case. The town - which is home to 29,704 residents - is almost six hours drive away from Sydney's CBD and the epicentre of the Covid crisis. The stay-at-home order applies to all people in the council area since July 31. There's also been four new cases reported in Newcastle, which along with the Hunter region has joined Greater Sydney in lockdown. NSW Health confirmed on Saturday 51 cases were out in the community while infectious while five people have died from the virus NSW Police officers are seen talking to a group of women at Coogee Beach in Sydney's east on Saturday These cases have all been recorded in younger people, health authorities said. The Emergency Department at the John Hunter Hospital New Lambton Heights, in Newcastle, has meanwhile been put on Covid alert. Anyone who visited the site between Thursday August 5 from 8.42pm to Friday August 6 at 1.50am must get tested and isolate for 14 days regardless of their test results. An apartment block in Liverpool, in the city's south-west has also now been locked down. There are 14 people infected with the virus at the unit block on Campbell Street. BREAKDOWN OF NSW CASES ON SATURDAY 112 from South Western Sydney 98 from Western Sydney LHD 57 from Sydney LHD 23 from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD 20 from South Eastern Sydney LHD Seven from Northern Sydney LHD Two from the Hunter New England LHD Advertisement 'All residents of this block have been determined to be close contacts and are required to isolate for 14 days and undergo repeat testing,' a spokesperson said. 'Testing of residents will be done in their apartments, as they cannot leave during their isolation period.' There are currently 345 Covid-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 56 people in intensive care, 23 of whom require ventilation. Of the 56 cases in intensive care, four are in their 20s, four in their 30s, three are in their 40s, 19 in their 50s, eight in their 60s, 14 in the 70s, and four in their 80s. Mr Hazzard announced 50 per cent of the state have had their first dose of a Covid vaccination with 22 per cent fully vaccinated. Any essential workers who deal with food can get a vaccine at Sydney Olympic Park on Sunday. There are 4000 vacancies for the vaccine. The state government is also discussing potential vouchers to be handed out to encourage those in high risk communities to roll up their sleeves. Dr Jeremy McAnulty said on Saturday Covid fragments have meanwhile been detected in wastewater in Dubbo, around 400km west of Sydney. 'We have seen sewage detections in Dubbo and don't have any known cases there,' he said. 'We urge the community in Dubbo to come forward for testing with even the mildest of symptoms. Take it very seriously. If there is a case there, we need to find it to ensure the community is safe.' Member for Armidale Adam Marshall confirmed the LGA will go into lockdown from 5pm today after a woman tested positive to Covid Armidale will go into a snap lockdown 500km away from Sydney's Covid epicentre after the region recorded a positive case of the virus (pictured, the local post office) AFD soldiers and NSW Police are seen walking in Bankstown in Sydney's west on Saturday But Dr McAnulty said the biggest concern currently is in the Canterbury-Bankstown area. 'We have had 489 cases in the last week so that is a most prominent LGA,' he said. 'People in the Canterbury-Bankstown LGA, please take extreme caution and follow the stay-at-home roles, follow all the rules for authorised workers, keep each other safe.' NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said 335 infringements had been handed out across NSW in the past 24 hours. 'An example that is quite relevant is last night around 8:30pm police in Sydney spoke to four people that had gathered around Mrs Macquarie's Chair and one from the same household,' he said. 'They decided together there to purchase some food and sit down and have some sort of picnic and a gathering at that location. It was clearly outside the public health orders.' He also said police were seeing people from the Canterbury-Bankstown and the Campsie areas congregating at grocery stores or smaller food shops. 'That is where you will contract the virus and you will take it home to your household and your family,' he said. Mr Hazzard defended the restrictions imposed in the state and said it was up to residents to follow them. 'We have the toughest lockdown in the country at the present time. What is not happening is people are not complying, he said. Sydney residents are seen at Coogee Beach on Saturday morning as a record number of infections were recorded Dr Jeremy McAnulty also said Covid fragments have been detected in wastewater in Dubbo, around 400km west of Sydney The daily case figures - 28 higher than Friday's 291 cases - came after the nation's top doctor, Paul Kelly, said the number of unlinked cases, new chains of transmission and geographical spread in NSW were 'worrying signs'. The state's suppression of the virus, preventing much higher rates of illness and death, was pleasing but there was no sense it was 'rapidly' heading to zero cases. 'There is clearly a need for a circuit-breaker,' the chief medical officer said on Friday evening. Dr Kelly said he and his NSW colleagues had discussed options for advancing diagnosis speed, health order compliance and vaccination in key areas. Lockdown restrictions for Greater Sydney and beyond are scheduled to lift on August 28 but the timeline is dependent on case and vaccination numbers. The outbreak means all Year 12 trial exams in Sydney will be moved online. A woman is seen running in Centennial Park. Greater Sydney's lockdown is due to be lifted on August 28 Cars are seen queuing up at a Covid testing clinic at Roselands in Sydney's south-west Crowds of Sydneysiders were seen enjoying the sunshine at Bronte Beach on Saturday morning Mounted police patrol Centennial Park in Sydney as cases continue to surge NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard confirmed 194 infections recorded on Saturday are under investigation while 125 cases have been linked to a known cluster Suburbs that have recorded the biggest spike in cases include Campsie, Bankstown, Lakemba, Punchbowl, Wiley Park, Yagoona, Greenacre, Earlwood, Bass Hill and Chester Hill. Year 12 students living in the eight local government areas under hard lockdown will also be unable to return to the classrooms as planned by August 16. 'Trials will be done at home and at least it means that there is certainty and all students know they will qualify for the HSC,' Ms Berejiklian said. Meanwhile, their peers in other parts of Sydney will be allowed to visit their schools if necessary. High school students will be able to receive their Pfizer doses at Qudos Bank Arena from Monday. 'HSC students in those eight local government areas will be invited to get the Pfizer jab ... and we do encourage your student to make sure they come forward for that opportunity,' Ms Berejiklian said. The new cases come as the Newcastle and Hunter regions join Greater Sydney in lockdown and begin the first of their seven-day stay-at-home orders. The snap lockdown was called after five new cases turned up in Newcastle and eight more were found in the Central Coast region on Thursday. Residents are seen enjoying a swim at Bronte Beach on Saturday morning More than 300 were fined in the past 24 hours for breaching public health orders The local government areas that have been affected by the lockdown are Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens, Cessnock, Dungog, Singleton and Muswellbrook. Dr Chant said the outbreak in the Hunter region was almost certainly linked to a party held at Blacksmiths Beach south of Newcastle last Friday night. She said authorities believe some of those at the party may have broken laws to travel there from Sydney despite the city's residents being banned from entering regional NSW for non-essential reasons. Premier Gladys Berejiklian says vaccination is the way out of the crisis which has shut down Greater Sydney for almost six weeks. She said restrictions will remain in some form until 80 per cent of people are vaccinated, and wants 50 per cent jabbed by the end of the month. Chris Cuomo has announced he will be taking a weeklong 'vacation' from CNN for his birthday - amid outrage that he has ignored the sexual harassment scandal engulfing his brother, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo, 50, has faced a slurry of criticism for participating in strategy sessions during his brothers political crisis while serving as CNNs star journalist all the while refusing to cover the scandal. The CNN host said Thursday he would be taking the 'long-planned vacation' on an episode The Handoff - the weekly podcast he co-hosts with colleague Don Lemon. CNN will instead air a special on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during his Monday timeslot, though a network press release made no reference to the Cuomo scandal. Cuomo also made no reference to his brother, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who faces widespread calls to resign after a report by New York Attorney General Letitia James described multiple sexual harassment accusations against him on Tuesday. 'Every year I take my birthday week off. I'm looking forward to it,' said Chris Cuomo. The younger Cuomo, who is turning 51, said he'll spend his vacation fishing in the Hamptons. 'I'll be right here at home because I don't know why I'd go anywhere else than the East End of Long Island during the summer. It's the most beautiful place in the world,' Cuomo said. 'I'll be fishing, I'll be hanging out with you, and I'll be making memories with the kids.' Chris Cuomo announced he will be taking a weeklong 'vacation' from CNN - which will instead air a special on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Chris Cuomo has failed to report the story of Gov. Andrew Cuomo since the attorney general report about his sex pest scandal was released on Tuesday Chris Cuomo has been seen flying back and forth by helicopter from the Hamptons to New York City this week after the release of the attorney general's report. DailyMail.com has reached out to CNN for information on how long the AOC special has been scheduled to air during Cuomo's timeslot. Monday's special titled 'Being AOC' debuts Dana Bash's new Being series. 'Throughout the series, Bash spends time with individuals affecting American policy, politics, and culture to give viewers an understanding of the human being behind the public face,' the announcement reads. Ocasio-Cortez, commonly known as AOC, will talk with Bash about her 'unique perspective on power and femininity' as well as how her past experience with sexual assault impacted her perspective on the deadly Capitol riot on January 6. Earlier this week, it was reported that Chris Cuomo was previously offered a 'leave of absence' to formally advise his brother. Executives with the network informally proposed the idea that the younger Cuomo could take an optional leave of absence to advise his brother and return to the network later, sources told The New York Times. The possible leave of absence was suggested in May when the Washington Post revealed Chris Cuomos involvement in his brothers scandal. Cuomo is pictured leaving the Hamptons for New York City on Wednesday Chris on Wednesday boarded the helicopter in the rain for the 30-minute trip to Manhattan In response to the proposal, Chris Cuomo told network executives he wanted to continue on his primetime program while obeying rules preventing him from commenting on the scandal, sources told The New York Times. Chris Cuomo also promised not to discuss his brother's crisis strategy with any government officials besides Andrew Cuomo himself, according to the outlet. The new revelations reflect comments Chris Cuomo publicly made at the time, telling his followers on air that he was 'truly sorry' for taking part in the strategy calls - and adding that he compromised his colleagues at the network. He publicly said at the time that when his brother's situation 'became turbulent' he started getting 'looped into calls with other friends of his and advisers that did include some of his staff.' 'I understand why that was a problem for CNN. It will not happen again. It was a mistake because I put my colleagues here, who I believe are the best in the business, in a bad spot. I never intended for that. I would never intend for that and I am sorry for that,' he said. Glory days: Chris Cuomo quarantining in his Hamptons basement last year with Cuomo, speaking with his brother on his show, when Andrew was a pandemic hero Chris Cuomo is pictured arriving at the Blade heliport in New York City amidst his brother Governor Andrew Cuomo facing multiple criminal investigations Chris Cuomo added that has never tried to influence CNN's coverage of his brother and has in fact 'been walled off from it.' A CNN spokesman admitted at the time that Chris Cuomo's behavior was 'inappropriate. The network added that he would not face punishment - but allowed unnamed staff members to stick the knife into him in its own report on the gaffe. CNN is facing mounting calls to fire Chris Cuomo after a more detailed account of his involvement with the scandal emerged on Tuesday in the new explosive report by the New York Attorney General Letitia James. The calls for his removal grew further after his show Prime Time with Chris Cuomo aired on Tuesday night at 9pm and completely ignored the report into his brother. Critics have called it a clear conflict of interest that can no longer be ignored. Google co-founder Larry Page has gained New Zealand residency, the government confirmed - becoming just the latest tech billionaire to tie himself to the island nation. Page, 48, the eighth richest man in the world, raised eyebrows in New Zealand when he flew into the country with his son to seek emergency medical treatment for the child, despite the country's borders being closed due to the pandemic. Jacinta Ardern, the prime minister, was drawn into the row that ensued and insisted that she was unaware of Page's visit - and pointed out that they would rarely refuse a medically-essential emergency landing. On Thursday, the government of New Zealand confirmed that Page had been granted residency. A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment told Stuff about Page's status. Larry Page has taken New Zealand residency, it was confirmed on Thursday. Page, with a $116 billion fortune, was accepted on an Investor Plus residency visa, which allows anyone into the country provided they have at least $10 million to invest Page, 48, with his media-shy wife Lucinda Southworth, 42. The couple have two children together, a boy born in 2009 and another child born in 2011. Southworth is a research scientist and is the sister of actress Carrie Southworth Kiwi Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern faced a backlash for allowing Page and the boy to enter while there are strict border controls New Zealand has in recent years earned a reputation for attracting tech billionaires keen to purchase a bolt hole in case of an impending apocalypse. The climate, remote location, natural beauty and political stability have lured some of the world's wealthiest - among them PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and multimillionaire film director James Cameron. 'Saying you're buying a house in New Zealand is kind of a wink, wink, say no more,' Hoffman told The New Yorker in 2017. Page has been riding out the pandemic in Fiji with his wife Lucinda Southworth, 42, and their two sons, aged 12 and 10. Page applied for a special visa on November 3, 2020 and first flew into the country on January 11, 2021 after his child became ill in Fiji, according to Stuff. His residency was approved on February 4, 2021 - after Page entered the country. He has since left, Stuff reported. Page's residency visa is known as the Investor Plus, which allows anyone into the country provided they have at least $10 million to invest. The country's immigration chief Kris Faafoi told reporters that Page had requested an exemption 'to make sure his son got the treatment that was required.' Peter Thiel, PayPal co-founder and chairman of Palantir Technologies, is among those to have purchased 'doomsday' homes in New Zealand The distance from the island of Tavarua, Fiji, where Page has been staying to Auckland, New Zealand, is around 1,300 miles Page has spent months in Fiji during the pandemic - mostly on the island of Tavarua - and it has been rumoured the billionaire has bought at least one island in the country's Mamanuca archipelago New Zealand, a country of just five million people, has seen 2,880 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic and 26 deaths - one of the lowest rates of infection and death in the world. The country is a haven of normality despite the pandemic ravaging the rest of the world, and locals are unimpressed by the idea of rich people buying their way in. Health minister Andrew Little was interrogated about the visit in parliament, saying that an application was approved in January for a child, accompanied by an adult, to be medically evacuated from Fiji. He said anyone accepted for treatment is considered to require immediate care and could not be treated locally. 'I'm advised all of the normal steps occurred in this case,' Little said. Ardern said she was not briefed at the time Page was in New Zealand. Immigration New Zealand general manager of border and visa operations, Nicola Hogg, told AFP that Page 'met relevant requirements' to be approved entry. 'Mr Page is not a permanent resident. Citizenship is a matter for the Department of Internal Affairs. Due to privacy reasons, we are unable to comment further without a privacy waiver.' Hogg did not address the question of whether Page spent two weeks in quarantine, as required of people entering New Zealand. New Zealand's opposition ACT Party called on Ardern's government to be more open about his visit. 'The Government has questions to answer about why billionaire Google co-founder Larry Page was allowed into New Zealand when desperate Kiwis and separated families can't get through the border,' ACT leader David Seymour said. Seymour said while he had sympathy for Page's situation, there were numerous people with similar issues who could not get in. 'I have had to tell them, 'sorry, but there is no way you can get through the border, government policy will not allow it',' he added. 'New Zealanders stranded overseas who are desperate to get home deserve answers.' Page founded Google with Sergey Brin in the 1990s and is listed by Bloomberg as the eighth-richest person in the world with a reported wealth of $116 billion. Page has reportedly become become reclusive over the past several years - avoiding being photographed, except for a handful of times, since stepping down as CEO of Google's parent company Alphabet Inc. in 2019. He has spent months in Fiji during the coronavirus pandemic - mostly on the island of Tavarua - and it has been rumored the billionaire has bought at least one island in the country's Mamanuca archipelago, sources told Insider. Page, pictured with his wife, requested special permission to enter New Zealand so that his son, who is around 12-years-old, could receive medical treatment An aerial view of Tavarua, where Page is said to have spent most of the pandemic. The heart-shaped island is in Fiji's Mamanuca archipelago Another view of Tavarua Island, which is where Page is said to have spent most of the pandemic Page has also been spotted an a smaller island called Namotu - which a sailor claimed Page had bought in a blog post in August. He had taken his private jet to donate COVID-19 medical supplies to Fiji in June as a second wave of the pandemic hit the country - which was reported by Fijian Broadcasting Company News on June 19, according to Insider. However, that story has since disappeared from the state-owned news site - and sources told Insider that health officials in Fiji asked for it to come down, claiming that the information should not have been made public. A source confirmed to DailyMail.com that the article had been removed after health officials asked for the story to be taken down because 'they didn't want the donation highlighted.' The article appears to have also since been scrubbed from Google. According to Insider, the story had reported that Page flew from Hawaii to Fiji's Nadi International Airport to provide the country with medical supplies including masks, gowns and gloves. A photo of Page's jet was posted to Twitter on June 19 by a Fijian journalist, who captioned the post: 'One of the Co-Founders of Google Larry Page donated cartons of COVID-19 supplies to Fiji as the country battles its second wave of the virus.' The plane's call sign 813QS, pictured on one of its engines, is licensed to Blue City Holdings, according to the Federal Communications Commission . One of the Mamanuca islands juts out of the ocean in this file photo. It has been rumored Page has bought at least one island in the country's Mamanuca archipelago, Insider reported From a file photo in 2008 is a picture of Larry Page's old yacht, named Senses. Business Insider reports that he's downsized to at least one smaller yacht that is now moored in Fiji Blue City Holdings manages a fleet for Page and his co-founder Sergey Brin, as well as former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Insider reported. Sources said that Page and his wife Southworth have been seen surfing on traditional and electronic surfboards near the country's islands, and that 'he's good at it, too.' Southworth is a research scientist and is the sister of actress Carrie Southworth. The couple are very private and have not revealed the names of their two children who were born in 2009 and 2011. Google's co-founders Page and Brin, who still hold incredible control over the company despite having both stepped away, have largely avoided scrutiny while stepping out of the limelight. Cathcart said: The head of WhatsApp tweeted a barrage of criticism on Friday against Apple over plans to automatically scan iPhones and cloud storage for images of child abuse. It would see 'flagged' owners reported to the police after a company employee has looked at their photos. But WhatsApp head Will Cathcart said the popular messaging app would not follow Apple's strategy. His criticism adds to a stream of criticism of Apple's new system by privacy campaigners who say it is the start of an 'infrastructure for surveillance and censorship.' How Apple will scan your phone for 'child abuse images' - and send suspicious photos to a company employee who will check it before sending them to police The new image-monitoring feature is part of a series of tools heading to Apple mobile devices, according to the company. Here is how it works: 1.) User's photos are compared with 'fingerprints' from America's National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) from its database of child abuse videos and images that allow technology to detect them, stop them and report them to the authorities. Those images are translated into "hashes", a type of code that can be "matched" to an image on an Apple device to see if it could be illegal. 2.) Before an iPhone or other Apple device uploads an image to iCloud, the 'device creates a cryptographic safety voucher that encodes the match result. It also encrypts the image's NeuralHash and a visual derivative. This voucher is uploaded to iCloud Photos along with the image.' 3.) Apple's 'system ensures that the contents of the safety vouchers cannot be interpreted by Apple unless the iCloud Photos account crosses a threshold of known CSAM content,' Apple has said. At the same time Apple's texting app, Messages, will use machine learning to recognize and warn children and their parents when receiving or sending sexually explicit photos, the company said in the statement. 'When receiving this type of content, the photo will be blurred and the child will be warned,' Apple said. 'As an additional precaution, the child can also be told that, to make sure they are safe, their parents will get a message if they do view it.' Similar precautions are triggered if a child tries to send a sexually explicit photo, according to Apple. Personal assistant Siri, meanwhile, will be taught to 'intervene' when users try to search topics related to child sexual abuse, according to Apple. 4.) Apple says that if their 'voucher' threshhold is crossed and the image is deemed suspicious, its staff 'manually reviews all reports made to NCMEC to ensure reporting accuracy' Users can 'file an appeal to have their account reinstated' if they believe it has been wrongly flagged. 5.) If the image is a child sexual abuse image the NCMEC can report it to the authorities with a view to a prosecution. Advertisement Cathcart said: 'I think this is the wrong approach and a setback for people's privacy all over the world.' Apple's system 'can scan all the private photos on your phone -- even photos you haven't shared with anyone. That's not privacy,' he said. 'People have asked if we'll adopt this system for WhatsApp. The answer is no.' Apple plans to roll out a system for checking photos for child abuse imagery on a country-by-country basis, depending on local laws, the company said on Friday. A day earlier, Apple said it would implement a system that screens photos for such images before they are uploaded from iPhones in the United States to its iCloud storage. Child safety groups praised Apple as it joined Facebook, Microsoft and Google in taking such measures. But Apple's photo check on the iPhone itself raised concerns that the company is probing into users' devices in ways that could be exploited by governments. Many other technology companies check photos after they are uploaded to servers. Apple has said that a human review process that acts as a backstop against government abuse, it added. The company will not pass reports from its photo checking system to law enforcement if the review finds no child abuse imagery. 'Child sexual abuse material and the abusers who traffic in it are repugnant, and everyone wants to see those abusers caught,' tweeted WhatsApp's chief Cathcart. 'Instead of focusing on making it easy for people to report content that's shared with them, Apple has built software that can scan all the private photos on your phone -- even photos you haven't shared with anyone. That's not privacy. 'We've had personal computers for decades and there has never been a mandate to scan the private content of all desktops, laptops or phones globally for unlawful content. It's not how technology built in free countries works,' said Cathcart. 'This is an Apple built and operated surveillance system that could very easily be used to scan private content for anything they or a government decides it wants to control. Countries where iPhones are sold will have different definitions on what is acceptable,' he continued noting the approach led to more questions than answers. 'Will this system be used in China? What content will they consider illegal there and how will we ever know? How will they manage requests from governments all around the world to add other types of content to the list for scanning? Can this scanning software running on your phone be error proof? Researchers have not been allowed to find out. Why not? How will we know how often mistakes are violating people's privacy? What will happen when spyware companies find a way to exploit this software? Recent reporting showed the cost of vulnerabilities in iOS software as is. What happens if someone figures out how to exploit this new system?,' Cathcart listed as concerning questions. 'There are so many problems with this approach, and it's troubling to see them act without engaging experts that have long documented their technical and broader concerns with this.' Cathcart outlined his opposition in a series of tweets, saying Apple's plan to combat child sexual abuse material is a step in the wrong direction This is how the system will work. Using 'fingerprints' from a CSAM database, these will be compared to pictures on the iPhone. Any match is then sent to Apple and after being reviewed again they will be sent to America's National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Its Messages app will use on-device machine learning with a tool known as 'neuralHash' to look for sensitive content. In addition, iOS and iPadOS will 'use new applications of cryptography to limit the spread of Child Sexual Abuse Material online' Apple has said it will have limited access to the violating images which would be flagged to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), a nonprofit organization. Apple's experts have also argued that they were not really going into people's phones because data sent on its devices must clear multiple hurdles. For example, banned material is flagged by watchdog groups, and the identifiers are bundled into Apple's operating systems worldwide, making them harder to manipulate. Some experts said they had one reason to hope Apple had not truly changed direction in a fundamental way. The company had been working to make iCloud backups end-to-end encrypted, meaning the company could not turn over readable versions of them to law enforcement. It dropped the project after the FBI objected. The new image-monitoring feature is part of a series of tools heading to Apple mobile devices later this year. Apple's texting app, Messages, will also use machine learning to recognize and warn children and their parents when receiving or sending sexually explicit photos, the company said in the statement. 'When receiving this type of content, the photo will be blurred and the child will be warned,' Apple said. 'Apple's expanded protection for children is a game changer,' said John Clark, president of the nonprofit NCMEC. The move comes following years of standoffs involving technology firms and law enforcement. Disgraced New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and a charity that helps supports victims of sexual assault are being represented by the same law firm, it has emerged. Both the governor, who is facing increasing calls to resign in the wake of a scathing 168-page attorney general's report saying that he sexually harassed 11 women while in office, has contracted legal firm Arnold and Porter. It is the same company that represents Time's Up, a charity that raises money to support victims of sexual harassment which was set up in the wake of the Me Too movement. According to financial disclosure forms obtained by FOX News, the Time's Up Foundation - the organization's 'industry and impact arm' - has spent over $100,000 on legal services with the firm in 2019. Time's Up Now, Inc., the lobbying end of the charity, meanwhile, paid $454,000 on legal fees with Arnold and Porter in 2019 and more than $719,00 in 2018. Governor Andrew Cuomo, meanwhile, hired the firm to represent him in March as he first started facing claims of sexual harassment. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing in the sexual harassment scandal Time's Up, a charity that raises money to support victims of sexual harassment, has reportedly spent hundreds of thousand of dollars in legal fees with Arnold and Porter - the same law firm Gov. Cuomo hired to defend himself against sexual harassment claims - over the past few years Gov. Andrew Cuomo hired Arnold and Porter to represent him in March as he started to face sexual harassment claims. The firm's New York office is pictured here The news comes after it was revealed that two of the Time's Up founders helped the embattled governor draft a letter seeking to discredit allegations from one of his sexual harassment accusers. Cuomo's staff reportedly sought the help of Time's Up Legal Defense Fund founder Roberta Kaplan and Time's Up CEO Tina Tchen while drafting a letter denying allegations made against the governor by former Cuomo aide Lyndsey Boylan. Boylan had been the first of Cuomo's accusers to come forward publicly in February with allegations that Cuomo had sexually harassed her, making comments on her looks and at one point asking her if she would play a game of strip poker with him. The alleged involvement of Tchen and Kaplan in Cuomo's denial letter, was revealed in Attorney General Letitia James' report, released on Tuesday, which found Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women. In her 165-page report, James stated that a group of advisors for Cuomo last December, sought to pen a letter that, 'denied the legitimacy of Ms. Boylans allegations, impugned her credibility, and attacked her claims as politically motivated.' Staff for Gov. Andrew Cuomo recruited the help of Time's Up co-founders Roberta Kaplan (left) and Tina Tchen during an effort to discredit allegations of sexual harassment by former Cuomo aide Lyndsey Boylan Boylan (pictured) had been the first of Cuomo's accusers to come forth publicly with allegations that he sexually harassed her. In the weeks before she went public with the accusations, staff for Cuomo sought to draft a letter discrediting her claims, and asked Kaplan and Tchen for help crafting it Top Cuomo Aide Melissa DeRosa testified that Cuomo initially drafted the letter by hand, although the governor testified that he did not 'remember handwriting any document,' but that he 'participated in drafts.' The letter was intended to be sent to former colleagues of Boylan and Cuomo for them to sign, and then published, possibly as an op-ed. DeRosa testified that she had misgivings about the letter, and worried that it would 'backfire,' so Cuomo asked her to reach out to Kaplan for input. 'According to Ms. DeRosa, Ms. Kaplan read the letter to the head of the advocacy group Times Up [Tchen], and both of them allegedly suggested that, without the statements about Ms. Boylans interactions with male colleagues, the letter was fine,' James said in her report. Staff for Cuomo, however, continued to have misgivings, except for Cuomo ally Steve Cohen, who had said with some edits 'it would be acceptable.' 'Ms. DeRosa reported back to the Governor that Ms. Kaplan and the head of Times Up thought the letter was okay with some changes, as did Mr. Cohen,' the report read, 'but everyone else thought it was a bad idea.' Ultimately, the letter was never published, after Cuomo's staff was unable to find enough people willing to sign it, according to James. 'Several people whom the Governors advisors asked to sign the letter were uncomfortable with what it said about Ms. Boylan,' she said in her report, adding that one said the letter 'amounted to "victim shaming,"' and another remarked 'This entire thing is castigating her.' Kaplan has since said that her input to Cuomo's office was that the letter should not in any way shame Boylan. Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa had sought out Kaplan's help in drafting the letter, who in turn consulted with Tchen. Kaplan is now representing DeRosa in the attorney general investigation. Ultimately the letter was never published Details of the attempt to assemble the letter discrediting Boylan's accusations are contained in the 165-page attorney general report 'While it turns out the response was never published, I made it very clear that any response should never shame an accuser,' she told the Washington Post. 'Given the revelations in the New York Attorney General report, I support and agree with Times Up that Governor Cuomo should resign.' Tchen said she did not remember the particulars of the letter in regards to what she discussed with Kaplan, but denied that she would take part in an effort to discredit an accuser. 'You cannot make any attempt to attack or discredit a person who has come forward with allegations,' she told the outlet. 'Had those parts existed in what was read to me, I would have said, "Do not say that."' In a statement sent to the Hollywood Reporter Tchen further doubled down on her stance. 'Before any allegations were made against Governor Cuomo, in 2019, Times Up worked with his administration to pass the Times Up/NY Safety Agenda. In December 2020, Tina was asked to give her perspective on a public response to Ms. Boylans allegations,' she told the outlet. 'Although Tina made no recommendations as to what he should do, she shared the stance Times Up has always taken in these matters. She was clear that any response coming from the Governors office addressing the allegations would be insufficient and unacceptable if it did not acknowledge the experiences of the women who came forward, and that it should in no way shame or discredit the women.' Cuomo's three attorneys - Paul Fishman, Mitra Hormozi - who represent the Office of the Governor - and Rita Glavin - who represents Cuomo personally - spoke at a press conference which the Governor live streamed on his state website but did not appear at Meanwhile, Cuomo's attorneys doubled-down on claims that the attorney general's report was flawed in a news conference on Friday, with Paul Fishman, a partner at Arnold and Porter, saying the entire Executive Chamber was blindsided by the report and only received it when Letitia James first made it public Tuesday morning. He and Cuomo's other attorneys said they had still not received all of the evidence that went into the report despite asking for it, including interview transcripts of witnesses. One allegation that they picked out was that of 'Executive Assistant One,' who alleges he groped her breast. Cuomo's attorneys say it's not true and that official logs from the day in question don't support the executive assistant's allegation. They also say she was lying about details like a door 'slamming' because it would have created an 'echo' that other staffers would have heard but didn't. They lawyers also said that Boylan asked for her job back in September 2018 and that should prove she is lying. 'Did you know that Lindsey Boylan asked for her job back four days after she quit? 'And that she then asked the Governor to intervene? Emailed his assistant and asked to speak with him but he didn't return her call. 'Why didn't the investigators put this in their report?' Cuomo's personal lawyer, Rita Glavin, said. The lawyers also said that they would respond to allegations made by one of the two State Troopers included in the report - who claims Cuomo ran his finger down her back, touched her belly and harassed her after recruiting her to his private detail - even though she wasn't qualified for the job - at a later date. But Glavin rejected the idea Cuomo hired her because he found her attractive and instead said he was 'impressed' when he met her at a party that she 'maintained eye contact with him' and 'was assertive'. Glavin at first claimed the trooper was still on Cuomo's detail then, when corrected by a reporter who said she knew that she wasn't, admitted that she didn't know. 'That's new news you're telling me,' she said. She insisted that no one was going to retaliate against the accusers now because 'the world is watching.' Five teenagers aged under 16 have been charged with murder after a teenage boy was bashed and later died in hospital. The 16-year-old boy died at Westmead Hospital on Saturday after being found unresponsive three days ago by emergency services with injuries to his head and chest. He was treated at the scene - home in Perigee Close, Doonside in Sydney's west - by NSW Ambulance after emergency services were called to reports of an assault. Five teenagers aged under 16, including one girl, who assaulted a 16 year old boy on Wednesday have been charged with murder after their victim died Initially two boys aged 13 and 15, and a girl, 15, were charged. Following investigations by Blacktown police under Strike Force Brens, a second 13-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy were arrested at Ermington on Thursday afternoon. 'They were taken to Granville Police Station and both charged with causing grievous bodily harm to person with intent and take/detain in company with intent to get advantage occasion actual bodily harm,' a NSW Police statement said. The boy the group attacked was taken to Westmead Hospital with head and chest injuries and later died The group appeared in children's court and were refused bail to reappear again on Friday August 13, 2021. Investigations are continuing. Police are appealing to anyone with additional information about the incident to report it to CrimeStoppers. A woman who illegally entered Queensland from a NSW hotspot remains on the run four days after breaking out of hotel quarantine. The 24-year-old escaped from the Gold Coast hotel where she was being held on Tuesday. She took her mobile phone but abandoned all of her other possessions and so far police have been unable to find her. A 24-year-old woman (pictured) has fled a Gold Coast quarantine hotel, and Queensland police are searching for her after she forced the glass door of her room open on August 3 Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has expressed concern but hopes the risk of the woman spreading COVID-19 in Queensland is low. 'She's already tested negative once. Police will find her and then we'll be able to test her again,' Dr Young told reporters on Saturday. She said anyone in border zone communities must get tested if they develop any symptoms. Police have appealed for public help to find the woman, who was forced into hotel quarantine after being intercepted at a border check point last Saturday. She forced open a glass door to escape her quarantine room. She remains on the run despite family and friends being grilled about her whereabouts. It's believed she may be in the Caboolture or Narangba area, north of Brisbane. 'Please give yourself up,' Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski told the woman during Saturday's daily coronavirus briefing. 'She does not want to be caught. Unfortunately in policing we deal with these fugitive situations a lot.' The lockdown in 11 LGAs in Queensland's south-east is due to be lifted at 4pm on Sunday (pictured resident runs in Brisbane) Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said it was alarming that southerners who've been in coronavirus hotspots are continuing to enter Queensland in defiance of health orders. 'If you turn up at the border without the proper exemptions you will end up in hotel quarantine,' she told would-be travellers from NSW and Victoria. 'There is no point getting in your car and trying to come into Queensland if you don't have the right border pass.' Queensland police intercepted more than 10,000 vehicles on Saturday to make sure cross-border travellers have the right passes, and to ensure people are only moving around during the current lockdown for valid reasons. This comes as Queensland has recorded 13 new cases of Covid-19 while the state's south-east anxiously wait to hear if the lockdown will be extended past Sunday afternoon. Queensland's total outbreak has reached 102 cases after they recorded 13 new cases, 12 of which were isolating while infectious (pictured people walking on the Gold Coast) The lockdown in 11 LGAs in the state is due to be lifted at 4pm tomorrow but with a handful of new cases health authorities are yet to confirm if it will. Deputy Premier Steven Miles confirmed all cases recorded on Saturday were linked to the Indooroopilly cluster with 12 isolating while infectious. The 13th case is under investigation with the total outbreak now at 102 cases. 'Queensland, this is another very good day. Very, very encouraging results,' he said. 'You are doing great, wearing masks, getting tested and we have been staying home. We need to keep it up. 'If we do, that is what will give us the best possible chance of starting to get closer to what is normal as soon as possible.' Currently there are more than 10,000 people in self-quarantine and they will have to remain in isolation as people hope lockdown will be lifted on Sunday Mr Miles said there are more than 10,000 people currently in self-quarantine and they will need to remain isolating whether or not the lockdown is lifted on Sunday. Of the new cases on Saturday, two are household contacts of a known case at the Indooroopilly karate class, and one is a close contact of the karate class. Five cases are household contacts of the Ironside State School and four cases are household contacts of the Indooroopilly High School. The last case is a close contact at the Brisbane Boys Grammar School. Andrew Cuomo's senior staff were unaware of the full extent of the sexual harassment allegations against their boss and are now angry that they were forced to defend him while being kept in the dark, a top aide has claimed. The New York governor's team have been left reeling by a report from the state attorney general, published on Tuesday. The report found that 11 women had credible accusations of sexual harassment. Several of them were made publicly, but many were not, and Cuomo's team did not find out the scale of the scandal until Tuesday. 'We were given a narrative and a bunch of talking points that did not reveal what that report did,' a senior adviser told The New York Daily News on Friday. 'People who were asked to do outreach lost credibility. 'It's hard to defend him when you're questioning the truth of what he's saying.' Cuomo, who has always denied the allegations, gave a televised address an hour after James' report was released during which he denied all of the claims, and called the report a political attack on his character Letitia James, the New York state attorney general, on Tuesday held a press conference to detail the results of her team's five-month investigation The adviser and two others said they expected the 63-year-old - who is resisting calls to resign, even coming from Joe Biden - to eventually realize he had to step down. 'It's just going to keep going and going until he stops,' another source told the paper. At some point, Cuomo will be unable to govern, said the source. 'Sooner or later this decision is going to be taken out of your hands. How do you want this chapter to end?' The source is unsure if Cuomo will go quietly, but predicted he would resign to avoid the disgrace of impeachment. 'They could bar him from running for state office again,' the source said. 'His only rubric is through a prism of power analysis.' New York's top Democrats in the state Assembly have said they will press ahead with impeachment. Cuomo would become only the second governor in New York history to be impeached, after William Sulzer was removed from office in 1913, for having falsified his sworn statement of campaign expenditures. Governor Cuomo is pictured in the grounds of the Albany Governor's Mansion on Friday. He has not been seen publicly since Monday. The report came out on Tuesday and Cuomo's attorneys say he was 'blindsided' by it Charlotte Bennett, who worked for Cuomo last year and accused him of sexual harassment, told CBS News she felt 'vindicated' by the report The three sources told the paper they were furious at Cuomo for his behavior, and angry that Cuomo told a state trooper he is accused of sexually harassing: 'Don't tell anyone about our conversations.' One said: 'It's implicit acknowledgement of his guilt.' Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing, insisting he never groped the women and saying that he 'did not say what they heard.' Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said on Thursday that he will fight the allegations. He said the governor 'appreciates the opportunity' to present facts and his perspective as part of the impeachment proceedings. 'We will be cooperating,' he said. The man accused of raping former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins in Parliament House two years ago has been identified as Bruce Lehrmann. The 26-year-old Queenslander, who also worked for the Liberal Party, will face one charge of sexual intercourse without consent when he appears before the court next month, which has a maximum sentence of 12 years in jail. Ms Higgins made headlines in February when she claimed she was raped by a colleague in then defence minister Linda Reynolds' Parliament House office in March 2019. Lawyers for Mr Lehrmann say he will fight the charge and denies the pair had sexual intercourse when they returned to the office. 'My client absolutely and unequivocally denies that any form of sexual activity took place at all,' his lawyer John Korn told News.com.au. 'He will defend the charge.' Mr Lehrmann (pictured) accused of raping former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins in Parliament House has been ordered to appear before court next month Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins (pictured) alleged she was raped in Parliament House The alleged incident was reported in April 2019 but Ms Higgins did not make a formal complaint until February this year. Police investigated and have ordered the alleged attacker to appear before court in September. The Australian Federal Police said in a statement: 'A 26-year-old man has been summonsed to appear before the ACT Magistrates Court for an alleged sexual assault in 2019. 'Police will allege the man had sexual intercourse with a woman without consent at Parliament House on Saturday, 23 March 2019. Ms Higgins (pictured in April with boyfriend David Sharaz) Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins (pictured) was hospitalised over concerns for her well-being, before her boyfriend David Sharaz revealed she was recovering well 'Detectives from ACT Policing's Criminal Investigations - Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Team, the specialist team dedicated to investigating sexual assaults in the ACT, first received a report in April 2019. 'The investigation remained open and in February 2021 a formal complaint was made. Detectives have since spoken to a number of witnesses and collected evidence as part of the investigation. 'Officers today (Friday, 6 August 2021) served the man's legal representative with a summons to appear before the ACT Magistrates Court on 16 September 2021.' In June Ms Higgins was hospitalised over concerns for her well-being, before her boyfriend David Sharaz revealed she was recovering well. He said she was 'receiving the support she needs after months of sustained political pressure' - after she was critical of the Liberal Party for the way her complaint was handled. Advertisement The spread of the Delta variant has sent COVID-19 cases among US children surging 84 percent in a week and has pushed hospitals in Texas, Florida and Missouri to 'breaking point'. The US is now averaging 100,000 new infections a day, returning to a milestone last seen during the winter surge as the more highly contagious variant is spreading through the country. Just over one month ago in late June, the US was averaging about 11,000 cases a day. Now the number is 107,143. It took about nine months to cross the 100,000 average case number in November before peaking at about 250,000 in early January. Cases fell to lows in June as the nation's vaccination efforts picked up steam but have risen back above 100,000 within about six weeks. On Friday, 254,981 new infections were recorded and 1,173 people died nationwide. Almost 72,000 children and teenagers tested positive for the virus in the week ending July 29, according to data from the American Academy of Pediatrics. In the week before, nealry 39,000 cases were reported among children. Deaths have not risen at the same rate as cases and still remain significantly than the record high of 4,460 on January 12 thanks to the vaccine rollout. However there has still been a marked uptick in fatalities. The seven-day average for daily new deaths almost doubled in the past two weeks from about 270 deaths per day to nearly 500 a day as of Friday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The spike in cases and deaths is sending hospitalizations skyrocketing, overwhelming hospitals in hotspot states and counties. In Missouri, 30 ambulances and more than 60 medical personnel will be stationed across the state to help transport COVID-19 patients to other regions if nearby hospitals are too full to admit them, Missouri Governor Mike Parson announced Friday. Florida hospitals are suspending elective surgeries and putting beds in conference rooms, an auditorium and a cafeteria to try to make space for the influx of patients. AdventHealth hospitals recorded its highest ever number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 - 1,350 - as of Thursday since the start of the pandemic. Meanwhile, one ER in hard-hit Texas revealing it is at almost five times its hospital bed capacity. The number of Americans hospitalized with the virus has also skyrocketed and it has gotten so bad that many hospitals are scrambling to find beds for patients in far-off locations. Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital said in an internal email Friday that it currently has 90 patients in its 20-bed emergency department, reported ABC13. A healthcare worker treats a patient in the COVID-19 ICU at Freeman Hospital West in Joplin, Missouri, on Tuesday. The surge in cases is overwhelming hospitals in hotspot states An overflow treatment tent outside the emergency department at Palm Bay Hospital in Florida. Florida hospitals are suspending elective surgeries and putting beds in conference rooms, an auditorium and a cafeteria to try to make space More than 50 patients are also waiting for a bed while doctors have been left with no choice but to treat some patients in hallways and waiting rooms. The email, which was sent under the label of 'critical', called on 'the entire medical staff rally together to help' and to arrange for people to receive outpatient rather than inpatient treatment wherever possible. 'If additional testing and/or treatments are needed that are not urgently related to the current admission, please arrange for them to be performed after discharge as an outpatient,' read the email. Houston officials say the latest wave of COVID-19 cases is pushing the local health care system to nearly 'a breaking point,' resulting in some patients having to be transferred out of the city to get medical care, including one who had to be taken to North Dakota. Dr. David Persse, who is health authority for the Houston Health Department and EMS medical director, said some ambulances were waiting hours to offload patients at Houston area hospitals because no beds were available. Persse said he feared this would lead to prolonged respond times to 911 medical calls. 'The health care system right now is nearly at a breaking point... For the next three weeks or so, I see no relief on whats happening in emergency departments,' Persse said Thursday. At another Houston hospital group, patients are waiting up to 24 hours to get a bed. Matthew Schlueter, the chief nursing officer of ambulatory care with the Harris Health System, told ABC13 the situation is worse now than last year when the virus ravaged the nation and there was no vaccine. 'We're looking at a much more serious situation, even compared to last year, and last year was devastating for so many people and so many hospitals,' he said. 'Right now, if you're not on death's door with the most critical situation... very high likelihood you'll have to wait in our waiting room,' he said. Esmaeil Porsa, president and CEO of Harris Health System, told KHOU11 this week that 50 percent of all patients in the ICU have COVID-19. Porsa said that despite the renewed outbreak of the virus, the state has not sent any additional resources to help hospitals cope. One of the group's hospitals, Lyndon B Johnson Hospital, is so full that it is working under an 'internal disaster' code and ambulances are being diverted away from the facility. An 11-month-old baby girl with COVID-19 had to be airlifted from the hospital Thursday to another site 150 miles away in Temple because of the shortage of paediatric beds in the area. Ava Amira Rivera was suffering seizures and was having difficulty breathing after testing positive for the virus. The surge in infections and the spread of the Delta variant is impacting children with almost 72,000 children and teenagers testing positive for the virus in the week ending July 29 - up 84 percent in a week. Meanwhile, school districts and officials are locked in disputes over COVID-19 restrictions as children prepare to return to schools Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has banned mask mandates in schools She needed to be intubated but hospitals in the Houston area were already at full capacity. Video of the infant needing to be airlifted away for treatment is one of the starkest indications that the surge in infections and the spread of the Delta variant is impacting children. Almost 72,000 children and teenagers tested positive for the virus in the week ending July 29, according to data from the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is a dramatic 84 percent spike compared to the 39,000 cases reported just one week before and roughly five times higher than the number of infections among children at the end of June. CDC data also shows children are getting sick from the virus too with an average of 192 0- to 17-year-olds hospitalized every day this week, an increase of 45.7 percent in a week. The concerning trend not only dispels the longstanding myth that COVID-19 is not harmful to young people but is also indicative of the fact that most US children are yet to be vaccinated. Meanwhile, school districts and officials are locked in disputes over COVID-19 restrictions as children prepare to return to schools, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis banning mask mandates in the classroom. DeSantis issued an executive order last week banning schools from issuing mask mandates for students when they return to class next month and vowed that Florida will not introduce any new COVID-19 restrictions. The governor threatened to withhold state funding from school districts if they did not comply. Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital (above) said in an internal email Friday that it currently has 90 patients in its 20-bed emergency department On Friday, the Florida Department of Education then approved an emergency rule promising to pay for parents to move their children to private schools if they are 'bullied' for not wearing face masks in schools. The state will hand out private school vouchers to any parent wanting to take their children out of public schools that have enforced mask mandates. Such vouchers, offered through the Hope Scholarship, are usually used to move children from schools where they are the victims of bullying. Under the emergency measure, the vouchers can now be used to move students out of school if they are subjected to so-called 'COVID-19 harassment' - where parents say a school's mask mandate or other COVID-19 restrictions amount to harassment and discrimination of their children. This marks the latest round of the fight between Governor Ron DeSantis and local school boards in Florida. COVID-19 cases are surging across the Sunshine State with officials recording the highest tally of new infections Friday since the start of the pandemic and children accounting for around a fifth of all new cases. At least four school districts have defied the order and imposed mask mandates in schools however others bowed to the state's rules. The CDC has recommended all teachers, staff, students and visitors wear face masks in schools regardless of vaccination status as the Delta variant continues to spread across America and most children are yet to get the shot. Children aged 12 to 17 are able to get the Pfizer vaccine but there is no vaccine yer approved for kids under 12. The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a plea to the Food and Drug Administration to work 'aggressively' toward authorizing a vaccine as cases among children soar. More than 70 percent of the adult population have had at least one dose of the vaccine, while 60 percent are fully vaccinated, according to CDC data. The virus is spreading quickly through unvaccinated populations, especially in the South where hospitals have been overrun with patients. 'Health officials are fearful that cases will continue to soar if more Americans don't embrace the vaccine. 'Our models show that if we don't [vaccinate people], we could be up to several hundred thousand cases a day, similar to our surge in early January,' CDC director Rochelle Walensky said on CNN this week. Queensland Police have found the woman who illegally entered the state from a NSW hotspot before breaking out of hotel quarantine and spending four days on the run. The 24-year-old was located by authorities in Caboolture around 3pm Saturday after a tip-off from a member of the public. She is currently assisting police with inquiries after she escaped from her hotel quarantine on the Gold Coast on Tuesday. The woman took her mobile phone but abandoned all of her other possessions with police unable to locate her for four days. A 24-year-old woman (pictured) has been found by Queensland police after fleeing a Gold Coast quarantine hotel by forcing the glass door of her room open on August 3 Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has expressed concern but hopes the risk of the woman spreading Covid-19 in Queensland is low. 'She's already tested negative once. Police will find her and then we'll be able to test her again,' Dr Young told reporters on Saturday morning. She said anyone in border zone communities must get tested if they develop any symptoms. Police appealed for public help to find the woman, who was forced into hotel quarantine after being intercepted at a border check point last Saturday. Forcing open a glass door to escape her quarantine room, she remained on the run as family and friends were grilled on her whereabouts. Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski told the woman during Saturday morning's daily coronavirus briefing to 'please give yourself up'. 'She does not want to be caught. Unfortunately in policing we deal with these fugitive situations a lot.' The lockdown in 11 LGAs in Queensland's south-east is due to be lifted at 4pm on Sunday (pictured resident runs in Brisbane) Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said it was alarming that southerners who've been in coronavirus hotspots are continuing to enter Queensland in defiance of health orders. 'If you turn up at the border without the proper exemptions you will end up in hotel quarantine,' she told would-be travellers from NSW and Victoria. 'There is no point getting in your car and trying to come into Queensland if you don't have the right border pass.' Queensland police intercepted more than 10,000 vehicles on Saturday to make sure cross-border travellers have the right passes, and to ensure people are only moving around during the current lockdown for valid reasons. This comes as Queensland has recorded 13 new cases of Covid-19 while the state's south-east anxiously wait to hear if the lockdown will be extended past Sunday afternoon. Queensland's total outbreak has reached 102 cases after they recorded 13 new cases, 12 of which were isolating while infectious (pictured people walking on the Gold Coast) The lockdown in 11 LGAs in the state is due to be lifted at 4pm tomorrow but with a handful of new cases health authorities are yet to confirm if it will. Deputy Premier Steven Miles confirmed all cases recorded on Saturday were linked to the Indooroopilly cluster with 12 isolating while infectious. The 13th case is under investigation with the total outbreak now at 102 cases. 'Queensland, this is another very good day. Very, very encouraging results,' he said. 'You are doing great, wearing masks, getting tested and we have been staying home. We need to keep it up. 'If we do, that is what will give us the best possible chance of starting to get closer to what is normal as soon as possible.' Currently there are more than 10,000 people in self-quarantine and they will have to remain in isolation as people hope lockdown will be lifted on Sunday Mr Miles said there are more than 10,000 people currently in self-quarantine and they will need to remain isolating whether or not the lockdown is lifted on Sunday. Of the new cases on Saturday, two are household contacts of a known case at the Indooroopilly karate class, and one is a close contact of the karate class. Five cases are household contacts of the Ironside State School and four cases are household contacts of the Indooroopilly High School. The last case is a close contact at the Brisbane Boys Grammar School. A helpless baby who starved to death after her teenage mother left her alone 11 times in two months did not cry because she knew it was pointless, a court has heard. Verphy Kudi, 19, was sentenced to jail for nine years yesterday after she left her 20-month-old daughter Asiah alone. She went to a 1990s music concert in Elephant and Castle, London, and even had a DJ announce her birthday during her days-long jaunt away from home, a court heard. All the while Asiah was alone in her flat in a 'supported housing' block in Brighton more than 50 miles away. Asiah tragically died from influenza and starvation after having been left unattended for five days, 21 hours and 58 minutes, prosecutors said. When paramedics were finally called to the flat on December 11, 2019 after Kudi had returned, they found her 'incoherent, distressed and distraught' and her daughter lying on the floor. Consultant paediatrician who reviewed the case Dr Nicola Cleghorn said Asiah had probably learnt that crying for help was pointless. She said this is why neighbours and staff did not hear the baby while she was left on her own. Verphy Kudi went to a 1990s music concert in Elephant and Castle and even had a DJ announce her birthday during her days-long jaunt away from home, a court heard Kudi, who lived in a supported housing complex in Brighton, left her baby alone she partied in London and Coventry Kudic yesterday appeared in the dock at Lewes Crown Court on Friday for sentencing after pleading guilty to manslaughter. She broke down in tears as she was jailed for nine years and taken away by court staff. Judge Laing said the baby had gone through 'almost unimaginable suffering' before dying alone in the flat. She added: 'She was a helpless young child and relied completely on you as her mother to proved for her needs.' She told her Kudi 'grossly abused her trust' and had prioritised her desire to 'celebrate your birthday and the birthday of friends' rather than the needs of her child. Pictured: Screengrab taken from CCTV dated December 11 of Kudi returning to her home in Brighton where she had abandoned her 20-month-old daughter Pictured: Screengrabs taken from mobile phone footage dated December 8 of Kudi at a concert in Elephant and Castle London Wearing a black jacket and a face mask, Kudi bowed her head as details of the final days of her daughter's life were read out in the courtroom. Prosecutor Sally Howes QC said CCTV covering Kudi's home showed that she had left Asiah alone in the flat for five days, 21 hours and 58 minutes. Kudi left Brighton on December 5 and went to London where she spent her birthday with her boyfriend. On December 7 she attended a concert in Elephant and Castle and stayed out until 4am. On December 9 she moved on to a birthday party in Coventry 150 miles from Brighton before returning to London the next day and then home to East Sussex on December 11. Kudi returned to the flat at 3.38pm on December 11 but did not call emergency services for more than two hours. In that time she was seen emptying bags into a communal bin area before going back to her flat. She eventually dialled 999 and told the call handler after her daughter was 'not waking up'. She told paramedics Asiah had been sleeping all day she had given her milk and Calpol and let her sleep. Ambulance staff arrived at Kudi's Brighton flat and Asiah was taken to the city's Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital but was confirmed dead on arrival. Kudi broke down in tears as she was jailed for nine years and taken away by court staff Peter Wilcock QC, defending Kudi, said it is 'truly a tragic and devastating case'. He added: 'She herself, the defendant, is both very young and we would submit very vulnerable.' Mr Wilcock cited her young age at the time of the offence and her history of vulnerability, as well as the effects any sentence will have on her going forward. Sentencing Kudi, Judge Christine Laing QC said: 'Asiah was alone in that flat for six days - less two hours - unable to do anything to draw attention to her plight. 'She was a helpless child and relied completely on you as her mother to provide for her needs. 'It is almost unbearable to contemplate her suffering in the final days of her life, suffering that she endured so that you could celebrate your birthday and the birthdays of your friends as a carefree teenager.' 'It goes without saying that this is a particularly tragic case and it no doubt raises strong emotions in all who hear of it, but everyone should bear in mind that the charge I sentence you for is one of manslaughter, it being accepted that you did not intend to cause Asiah death nor to cause her really serious harm.' Judge Laing QC branded Kudi 'deceitful and manipulative' and added: 'You knew full well you should not be doing what you were doing. 'It is a particularly distressing aspect of this case that it is unlikely she would have cried for any time because she had learned on may occasions there would have ben no response.' It had been previously been revealed Kudi tried to sell concert tickets on Twitter on the day the baby's body was found. Another tweet showed her attempting to become a Pretty Little Thing model months after Asiah's death. Asiah tragically died from influenza and starvation after having been left unattended in the flat for days on end, prosecutors say It had been previously been revealed Kudi tried to sell concert tickets on Twitter on the day the baby's body was found Another tweet showed her attempting to become a Pretty Little Thing model months after Asiah's death The court heard that Kudi had been a happy girl growing up a whose laughter would light up the whole house.' But from the age of 14 she became withdrawn and began truanting from school and going missing from home. Social services stepped in and she was assigned a social worker and moved to a placement at a safe house in Norfolk. But there were concerns she had become involved in child sexual exploitation and she fell pregnant and moved back to Brighton. She was moved in with foster carers and Asiah was born on March 22, 2018 and was immediately placed on a child protection plan - though there was no social worker assigned to her when she died. They went to live with Kudi's mother Asiah Batrane but three months before the tragedy - in September 2019 - Kudi and Asiah were moved by the council to a flat in a sheltered residential block for vulnerable families. She was one of eight young people living in a flat in the complex run by charity YMCA DownsLink on behalf of Brighton City Council. The flats are independent units and staff do not enter the living areas or carry out regular inspections, but there are members of staff located in a reception entrance to the block 24 hours a day. YMCA Downslink offers a 'medium to low' level of support for families, with all flats self-contained with their own kitchen, space for staff on duty, and a communal area for group activities. Kudi settled in well in the flat but the court heard she began to abandon her daughter alone in the flat to meet up with friends and go out to parties. In the three months leading up to her death there were at least six other occasions she left Asiah alone in the flat - once for two whole days. In a statement, Asiah and Verphy's family have said: 'We are saddened by the current situation and as a family we have many unanswered questions. Verphy has experienced so much at such a young age and we have always done what we can to support her. 'As a family we are in the midst of an unbearable tragedy. 'Not only are we coming to terms with what has happened today but we are also still grieving for our beloved Asiah. We would be grateful if our privacy can be respected at this moment.' The Brighton and Hove Safeguarding Children Partnership (BHSCP) is carrying out a Child Safeguarding Practice Review (CSPR) of this case, which they aim to publish later this year. Sussex Police like all agencies concerned, are fully participating in that Review. Libby Clark of the CPS said: 'This has been a deeply harrowing case involving the death of a 20-month-old baby. 'Asiah's mother Verphy Kudi had a duty to keep her safe from harm, but instead selfishly chose to put her own need to party and be with her friends above all else. 'The consequences of her decision meant that Asiah must have suffered dreadfully during the days and nights that she was alone in the flat. 'This follows a history of multiple earlier occasions of abandonment and neglect.' In the three months leading up to her death there were at least six other occasions she left Asiah alone in the flat (pictured in an undated photo) - once for two whole days A spokesman for YMCA Downslink said: 'The conclusion of the court hearing and sentencing of Verphy Kudi for the death of her daughter, Asiah, brings an element of closure to this tragic event. Verphy Kudi's actions shocked us all. 'Verphy Kudi misled staff into believing Asiah was with her whilst she was away celebrating her 18thbirthday. Tragically, neither our staff, nor other residents, heard anything to alert them to the fact that Asiah had been left in the flat alone and this continues to impact them deeply. 'In court it was stated that it is unlikely that Asiah would have called out due to a combination of learnt behaviour, and, her underlying influenza. Today, our thoughts and sympathies lie with Asiah, her wider family, and everyone affected by this awful event. 'We are working with the other agencies involved in the ongoing Child Safeguarding Practice Review to fully understand the circumstances that led to this tragic incident. We will not be making any further comment until we have the outcome of that review.' Detective Chief Inspector Andy Wolstenholme, said; 'This was a particularly distressing case for my team and me to investigate, and has caused great sorrow amongst Verphy's family and the many agencies that have supported Verphy and Asiah. 'In pleading guilty, Ms Kudi accepted the terrible judgements she made in leaving her child alone and unprotected for such a protracted period, and accepts the lies she told to friends, family and professionals to cover up her neglect of her daughter and in order to avoid being caught. 'I hope Verphy's acceptance will help the rest of her family to grieve the terrible loss of Asiah. Sussex Police will always go the extra mile to investigate offending against children and all vulnerable people, as well as supporting their families and friends. 'I would always urge anyone who has concerns for the wellbeing of a child, or vulnerable adult, to contact the relevant authorities as early as possible, so that supportive interventions can be made.' A man has been shot dead while an innocent bystander has miraculously survived a bullet to the head in an incident understood to be linked to the Hamzy and Alameddine gang war. Shady Kanj, 22, was struck by a bullet while a passenger in a car driving on Boundary Rd, Chester Hill in Western Sydney about 11pm on Friday night. Kanj is an associate of both the Hamzy and Alameddine gangs, reports The Daily Telegraph. Shady Kanj, 22, was shot and killed in Western Sydney on Friday night in what police say could be an escalation of gang violence (pictured) The scene at Chester Hill on Friday night (pictured) where a gunman opened fire on a car Kanj was a passenger in The driver travelled to Rhodes Avenue in nearby Guildford where he pulled over and yelled for assistance. Paramedics were called and treated Kanj but he died from his wounds at the scene. A second man who happened to be sitting in a parked car on Boundary Rd with his brother when the gunman opened fire was also shot. He was watching sport on a mobile phone when a stray bullet hit him in the head - but he somehow survived. He was rushed to Westmead Hospital and remains in a stable condition. A senior police source, Homicide Squad Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty, told the publication the 25-year-old appeared to be an innocent bystander. 'It appears that he was sitting in the car watching sport on his phone and a stray bullet has grazed him. He is extremely lucky,' he said. Emergency services were quick to attend the scene in Western Sydney and while Kanj died from his wounds a shot innocent bystander was rushed to hospital and survived (pictured) 'I think his family and friends would be thankful he wasn't killed and the community at large. I know we are.' Underworld sources told The Daily Telegraph that Kanj was close to members of the Hamzy group. 'The talk on the street is that his shooting is about the war... and it's gonna get worse,' one source said. While Det Supt Doherty said Kanj was also an associate of the Alameddine gang. He could not say, however, that the shooting was connected to any turf war between the groups. Police rushing to the scene on Friday night in Sydney (pictured) 'We can't say 100 per cent that's what the main motive. We also can't discount this could be an internal conflict between an organised crime network.' NSW police released a statement on the shootings early on Saturday. 'About 11.10pm (on Friday night), emergency services were called to Boundary Road, Chester Hill, following reports a man had been shot,' the statement read. 'Upon arrival, officers attached to Cumberland Police Area Command located an injured man. He was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics at the scene, before being taken to Westmead Hospital in a stable condition. 'A short time later, emergency services were called to Rhodes Avenue, Guildford, following reports another man had been shot, about 11.15pm. 'Police located a man with a gunshot wound. He was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics, however, he died at the scene.' Detectives will continue to investigate the two incidents. The two crime networks have been have been feuding in recent months with a number of kidnappings and shootings. Underworld figure Mejid Hamzy (pictured), who was gunned down outside his southwestern Sydney house last year Mejid Hamzy was the brother of jailed Brothers 4 Life gang leader Bassam Hamzy (pictured) Last month, two men were arrested over the shooting of underworld figure Mejid Hamzy, who was gunned down outside his southwestern Sydney house, in 2020. The two gunmen allegedly ambushed the 44-year-old's as he walked out into the street. Mejid Hamzy was the brother of jailed Brothers 4 Life gang leader Bassam Hamzy. Just days before Mejid Hamzy was executed in Condell Park, a friend of the Alameddine crime group was assaulted. In June, Hamzy's cousin - Bilal Hamze - was ambushed and executed by gunmen in the Sydney's CBD as he emerged from a restaurant, in what police suspect was an escalation of violence between the two gangs. Wales has today lifted all social distancing rules as the country moved to alert level zero from 6am - including the reopening of nightclubs and indoor socialising. First Minister Mark Drakeford welcomed the decision describing it as a 'big step closer to life'. Although, while many of the Covid-19 rules have been lifted, Mr Drakeford warned it was not an 'end of restrictions and a free for all' and warned restrictions may be necessary in the autumn or winter. Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford, pictured, announced a lifting of most Covid-19 restrictions from 6am today including the re-opening of nightclubs and an end to mandatory social distancing regulations Mr Drakeford said despite the ending of social distancing, revellers and businesses must be careful warning the new regime must not lead to a Covid-19 'free-for-all' Face masks will still be required on public transport in Wales as well as in shops and health care settings Face masks will still be mandatory on public transport, health and social care settings as well as in shops. The Welsh government insists individual venues will have to make their own Covid-19 risk assessments which will oblige them to keep in place measures such as ventilation and even social distancing if required to keep staff and customers safe. As part of the new rules, fully vaccinated people and those under the age of 18 will not be required to socially distance if they have had close contact with someone who tests positive for Covid-19. Mr Drakeford announced the relaxing of rules at a press conference yesterday where he revealed 82 per cent of adults in Wales have been double vaccinated while the Covid-19 rate has fallen to 130 cases per 100,000 people. He said: 'Our high vaccination rates, some of the best in the whole of the world, have helped to weaken the link between coronavirus infection, serious illness and hospitalisation. 'Having reached this important milestone, we now need to carefully monitor the impact of lifting so many restrictions and we therefore do not expect to make any further changes at the next review.' He warned people: 'Alert level 0 does not mean the end of coronavirus and it very certainly does not mean a free-for-all here in Wales. 'We still have people who are clinically vulnerable in our communities and most people in Wales want to go on acting carefully to protect their health and the health of others.' The changes which come into affect over the weekend will remain in place for six weeks, he said. Asked if he was concerned about a re-emergence of the virus during the autumn and winter months ahead, Mr Drakeford said people can be confident that Wales is on the 'final lap of emerging from the pandemic', provided further 'unexpected turns' do not happen. However, he refused to rule out another lockdown, saying: 'Were a new variant to emerge, or the virus take a turn in which vaccination were less effective than we have it today, then inevitably we would have to face the consequences of that and take measures to address it. 'While things remain as they are, while we all go on making the contribution we can, I think we can have some confidence that today's latest steps out of coronavirus put us on that path beyond this and into the future.' 'This is a big step closer to life,' he added. Pubs and restaurants will now have to decide which measures to keep in place based on their 'individual circumstances', he said. And the First Minister added: 'They understand they have to give people confidence that if they come to that venue their health and welfare has been thought about in advance.' The Government will not consider making vaccine passports mandatory for specific venues for some weeks, Mr Drakeford confirmed, saying the Government would continue to 'weigh up' whether it would be 'practical and proportionate'. Repeating the Welsh health minister's warning about high flu rates this winter, Mr Drakeford said: 'It's going to be a challenging winter for the NHS. 'Mask wearing and other measures still in place will make a contribution on the wider winter front rather than just specifically coronavirus.' Mr Drakeford said the UK Government's changes to international travel restrictions this week were 'shambolic', but he repeated Number 10's advice: 'This is the year to stay at home.' Boris Johnson was at several times 'side-by-side' with a civil servant who tested positive for Covid after flying with him to Scotland this week, it has emerged. The staffer attended a police college event with the PM and travelled on the same flight to Aberdeen before testing positive, forcing them to isolate along with their close contacts. But Downing Street on Friday said that the PM - who is spending the weekend at his Chequers retreat in Buckinghamshire - had not been deemed a close contact of the individual concerned and will not go into self isolation. It is understood the aide - whose identity No10 has refused to disclose - flew with Mr Johnson and a dozen others on the PM's subsequent flight from Glasgow to Aberdeen on Thursday but they were at different ends of the official liveried Airbus used for the trip. It is understood the staffer was part of an advanced party that went to Scotland ahead of the PM and did not share his flight from London. The staffer tested positive upon landing and was instructed to self-isolate in a hotel in Scotland while several others were sent home. Mr Johnson arriving at Glasgow airport on Wednesday to start his two day visit to the country The staffer attended a police college event with the PM and travelled on the same flight to Aberdeen before testing positive, forcing them to isolate along with their close contacts The staffer was part of an advanced party that went to Scotland ahead of the PM and did not share his flight from London A No10 spokeswoman said: 'The Prime Minister regularly visits communities across the UK and all aspects of visits are carried out in line with Covid guidance. 'The Prime Minister has not come into close contact with anyone who has tested positive.' It comes just weeks after he was forced to U-turn and isolate for 10 days after trying to use a pilot testing scheme to avoid quarantine after Sajid Javid caught Covid amid public fury. Under the rules in place for another 10 days any close contacts of Covid cases have to self-isolate, even if - like the PM- they have been fully vaccinated. The rules expire on August 16, after which there is no requirement for the double-jabbed to isolate at all. Mr Johnson on Friday took part in the Sovereign's Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as the Queen's representative to watch 243 cadets commissioned as army officers. He paid tribute to those passing out and acknowledged the army's role constructing vaccine centres during the pandemic. Labour party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds said: 'It's clear the Prime Minister hasn't learned anything from what happened last time he tried to cook up a reason to be above the rules everyone else has to follow. 'Senior Conservatives are really taking the public for fools. This is yet another example of one rule for them and another for everyone else.' Downing Street on Friday said that the PM - who is spending the weekend at his Chequers retreat in Buckinghamshire - had not been deemed a close contact of the individual concerned and will not go into self isolation Boris Johnson meets officers during a visit to the Scottish Police College on August 4 - an event his aide who later tested positive for Covid also attended It comes after Downing Street on Friday backed the climate change tsar for flying to 30 countries - including six on the red list - during lockdown, saying some face-to-face meetings were 'essential' and he was allowed to skip quarantine. Alok Sharma was accused of hypocrisy last night for travelling around the globe to meet world leaders and not isolating afterwards. The former business secretary has covered tens of thousands of miles over the past seven months to prepare the ground for the COP26 global environment summit this autumn. But despite visiting at least six countries on the travel 'red list', he has been given a ministerial exemption from hotel quarantine each time. He is currently in red list Brazil. He has also been able to avoid having to isolate at home following 'amber list' trips. Ordinary travellers face fines of up to 10,000 for breaking travel quarantine rules. And days after returning from red-list Bangladesh, he met the Prince of Wales indoors without a mask then visited a primary school. The PM visited the Moray Offshore Windfarm East with Business Minister Kwasi Kwarteng (right) on Thursday, as part of his two-day tour of Scotland But the Prime Minister's official spokesman on Friday backed his travel, telling reporters: 'The majority of this work is done remotely but some travel to key countries for face-to-face talks is essential. 'He has secured ambitious action as a result of the discussions he has had. For example, immediately following his visit to Japan and South Korea the governments there committed to ambitious net zero targets, which was a key ask from the UK.' He confirmed that 'ministers conducting essential travel such as this are exempted from quarantine, as set out in the rules' and this would also apply to his return from Brazil. Asked if he would quarantine on his return from Brazil, the spokesman said: 'He will continue to comply with the rules as set out.' Shadow justice secretary David Lammy said the 'optics' were of 'one rule for them and another rule for us'. Soldiers have been sent in to Sydney to enforce the world's strictest lockdown in the city's poor suburbs that are at the centre of Australias growing Covid outbreak amid poor vaccination rates. Prime Minister Scott Morrison sent around 300 soldiers to parts of Sydney with higher migrant populations as well as southwestern areas yesterday to stop people leaving their homes more than once and break up gatherings, The Times reports. It comes as the country continues to pursue a 'Zero Covid' strategy with aims to eliminate the virus despite mounting evidence it may be impossible - with cases continuing to rise and only 21 per cent of adults double vaccinated. Soldiers have been sent in to Sydney (pictured) to enforce lockdown in the city's poor suburbs that are at the centre of Australias growing Covid outbreak Sydney has struggled to encourage poorer areas to get the Covid vaccine, with only 13 per cent vaccinated compared to 25 per cent in wealthier parts. Epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaw's described the discrepancies between uptake as 'shameful' and explained many poorer areas are at a disadvantage due to language barriers, lower incomes and poor internet access. Reaction to the soldiers' presence has been mixed, with some arguing it could cause distress for people in the area due to the high refugee population and their experiences with war in their native countries. Others argue their presence is needed to stop people spreading the virus after reports people have been travelling to visit their loved ones. As the delta variant continues to spread, Australia's coveted status as a haven from the pandemic could be at an end, with experts warning that a sustained outbreak of the variant makes a return to 'Covid zero' unlikely. After long stretches with zero local cases - what Australians once jokingly referred to as 'doughnut days' - a Sydney outbreak has now grown to 4,610. It comes as the country continues to pursue a 'Zero Covid' strategy with aims to eliminate the virus despite mounting evidence it may be impossible. Pictured: Police and soldiers stand outside a walk-in vaccination centre in Sydney Pictured: A graph showing new coronavirus cases in Australia per day Only 20.8 per cent of adults are double vaccinated due to a lack of supply, one of the lowest jab rates in the OECD group of 38 rich nations. Record numbers of new cases are being reported each day despite widespread lockdowns. Slowly but surely, some local authorities have shifted to talking about containing the virus rather than beating it. 'Given where numbers are, given the experience of Delta overseas, we now have to live with Delta one way or another, and that is pretty obvious,' said New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian. After 18 months of advocating 'Covid zero', that represents a step-change in the country's approach. For experts like Emma McBryde, an infectious diseases and statistical modelling expert at James Cook University, the shift in tone is a reflection of the new reality that Delta has brought. Sydney has struggled to encourage poorer areas to get the Covid vaccine, with only 13 per cent vaccinated compared to 25 per cent in wealthier parts. Pictured: Police and soliders enforce lockdown in Sydney 'We're buying time, not getting back to Covid zero,' she told AFP. Like most experts she agrees that Australia's old virus toolbox - aggressive tracing and testing, snap lockdowns and extensive travel restrictions - while less effective, is still essential to stop exponential virus spread. But, she said: 'The goal now should be keeping Covid in check for long enough to get vaccinated.' Tony Blakely, an epidemiologist at the University of Melbourne, echoed those comments, telling public broadcaster ABC that Australia will 'probably never' get back to zero transmission. It comes as Australia banned ex-pats who enter the country from leaving again in a bid to ease the pressure on quarantine hotels under strain from the delta variant. When non-resident citizens - Australians that live abroad - visit their country of origin, they will soon have to apply for an exception to leave again. Under some of the world's toughest Covid-19 restrictions, citizens and permanent residents have been banned from going overseas since March 2020 - but people who don't normally live in Australia have been free to depart without permission. Australians who live abroad will soon have to apply for an exemption to leave the country should they visit it. Pictured: Passengers wearing PPE at Sydney Airport in July That will now change from August 11, after which the updated rules will require ex-pats to apply for an exemption in order to leave. Ex-pats hoping to leave Australia after a visit will have to demonstrate a 'compelling reason for need to leave the Australian territory' to the Australian Border Force Commissioner. The move is likely to force some ex-pats hoping to return home to re-think their travel plans, and could also leave families separated in not all members travelled back to the country at the same time. 'We've seen too many instances where people have left the country only for in relatively short order to put their names on the request list to come back,' Finance Minister Simon Birmingham told reporters in Australia's Canberra capital. 'That just puts additional pressure and additional difficulties in terms of managing the finite number of places that can safely be administered for returning Australians.' Pictured: Travellers prepare to board a passenger aircraft operated by Qantas at Sydney Airport. Under some of the world's toughest Covid-19 restrictions, citizens and permanent residents have been banned from going overseas since March 2020 - but people who don't normally live in Australia have been free to depart without permission. Residents living in Australia are already banned from travelling overseas without a government exemption, which can be granted for reasons including compassionate grounds or travelling in order to receive urgent medical treatment that would otherwise not be available in the country. Game changer Barring a few isolated Pacific islands and neighbouring New Zealand, few countries weathered the first 18 months of the coronavirus quite as well as Australia. As the rest of the world hunkered down, got sick and lost loved ones, Australians flocked to bars, restaurants and the beach. Ex-pats hoping to leave Australia after a visit will have to demonstrate a 'compelling reason for need to leave the Australian territory' to the Australian Border Force Commissioner. Pictured: A pedestrian walks past the Sydney Opera House at sunset in Sydney, August 6 2021 Occasionally, the virus jumped from hotel quarantine facilities into the community but aggressive tracing and testing, snap local lockdowns and domestic travel restrictions kept it in check. Then came Delta. In mid-June, a US flight crew infected a Sydney driver with the highly transmissible variant first detected in India. Since then, the number of daily infections has climbed steadily despite a Sydney lockdown, now in its sixth week. The outbreak has grown and clusters have popped up across the country. Roughly 16 million Australians - almost two-thirds of the population - are now staying at home, just as Europe and North America emerge from virus-enforced hibernation. The outbreak and strategy shift by New South Wales has spurred recriminations among Australian states and the federal government in Canberra. Pictured: Members of the public are tested at a pop up COVID-19 clinic at Roselands shopping centre in Sydney, Australia, 06 August 2021 Leaders have bickered about whether Sydney locked down too slowly, or too lightly. Authorities in Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland continue to try to stamp out new cases entirely. But even those who advocate aggressive suppression admit the costs are rising and it has become harder. 'Australia's 'Zero Covid' strategy has allowed us to escape the worst of the pandemic so far: our death toll has been among the world's lowest, our recession among the shortest,' said a recent report from the Grattan Institute, a public policy think tank. 'We've faced fewer restrictions on our daily lives than almost anywhere else. But we have paid a heavy price. We are shut off from the rest of the world, and we have frequently been locked down.' 'The more infectious Delta variant is making Zero Covid even harder to maintain. Australians have supported a hard-line approach, but they are also tired and frustrated.' Pictured: People queue in their cars to get tested for Covid-19 at a pop up COVID-19 clinic at Roselands shopping centre in Sydney, August 6 Despite the bickering, most mainstream voices are united in seeing vaccines as the ultimate way out. But barely 20 percent of Australians are vaccinated, in part because of poor planning, in part bad luck. The government bet on a University of Queensland vaccine that - while likely effective - was dropped because it caused a false positive HIV test in recipients. It also bet on the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is produced locally and is in plentiful supply but is seen by many Australians as inferior to Pfizer, which was ordered in small numbers. According to the Grattan Institute only 10 percent of Australians are 'entrenched anti-vaxxers'. For the rest, McBryde said the situation may have to get worse before they turn to AstraZeneca. 'People are just unbelievably complacent,' she said. Fewer and fewer doughnut days may yet shake that complacency. US President Joe Biden has ordered B-52 bombers and Spectre gunships to target Taliban terrorists in Afghanistan who are advancing towards three key cities. The Cold War-era strategic bomber first flew in the 1950s but is still used due to its 70,000lb payload and range of more than 8,000 miles. They are being supported by the AC-130 Spectre gunships which are armed with a 25mm Gatling gun, a 40mm Bofors cannon and a 105mm M102 cannon - which can provide pinpoint accurate fire from the air. The Taliban have been advancing across Afghanistan after the US-led coalition pulled out of the war torn country, leaving the nation's struggling defence forces to deal with the terrorists. Earlier today, the Taliban captured Sheberghan city in Jawzjan, the area's deputy governor confirmed to AFP. It is the second provincial capital to fall to the insurgents over the past 24 hours after Zaranj fell yesterday. A video has emerged on social media which appears to show prisoners fleeing in Shiberghan after the Taliban managed to gain control of the prison. Similarly, another clip on Twitter appeared to show something similar had happened in Zaranj, more than 700 miles away. Members of the anti-Taliban 'Sangorians' militia have been involved in bitter fighting with the Islamic terrorists in Lashkar Gar in Helmund Provice A video has emerged on social media which appears to show prisoners fleeing in Shiberghan after the Taliban managed to gain control of the prison The B-52 bomber can carry up to 32 tonnes of munitions and has a range of 8,800 miles British troops, pictured in 2006 previously patrolled the area around Lashkar Gah, which is now threatened with being over-run by the Taliban Zaranj, Nimroz , Taliban prison breaks at the heart of their military strategy -Taliban sending a strong message to their fighters in village, districts and cities that they wont be left alone. Taliban have been attacking prisons across Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/R5Z812IoZO BILAL SARWARY (@bsarwary) August 7, 2021 The Taliban are also pressing Herat, Lashkar Gah and Kandahar, where British troops were deployed during the Afghan campaign almost a decade ago. Qader Malia, Jawzjan deputy governor said: 'The (government) forces and officials have retreated to the airport.' The Afghan air force is reliant on US supplied aircraft and helicopters which are now running out of spares and trained technicians since the withdrawal of American contractors. US defence sources told The Times that the B-52s and AC-130s are targeting insurgents around Kandahar, Herat and Lashkar Gar in Helmand Province. The B-52s are operating out of Qatar, while the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan is on deployment in the Arabian Sea. The nuclear powered warship has a fleet of F/A-18 Super Hornets. The Afghan Air Force is equipped with some turbo-prop light attack aircraft such as the A-29 Super Tucano, though only 30 pilots have been qualified since 2015. Another clip on Twitter appeared to show something similar had happened in Zaranj, more than 700 miles away Prisoners fleeing from the prison in Shiberghan after Taliban managed to have control of the prison. #Prisonbreak pic.twitter.com/iAC2QDId1X BILAL SARWARY (@bsarwary) August 7, 2021 The AC-130 Spectre gunship has a 25mm Gatling gun, a 40mm Bofors cannon and a 105mm cannon - making it an aerial artillery platform The final US military personnel are due to be withdrawn from Afghanistan on August 31, which has led to the Taliban offensive. The government did not deny politician Mohammad Karim Jawzjani's claim that Taliban fighters had entered Sheberghan, but said the city had not fallen. If the city falls, it will be the second provincial capital in as many days to succumb to the Taliban. Several other of the country's 34 provincial capitals are threatened. On Friday, the Taliban took control of the southwestern Nimroz provincial capital of Zaranj, where the government says it is still battling insurgents inside the capital. Sheberghan is particularly strategic because it is the stronghold of US allied Uzbek warlord Rashid Dostum, whose militias are among those resurrected to aid the Afghan National Security and Defence Forces. Heavy airstrikes were reported by residents of Sheberghan who also said the Taliban had freed prisoners from the city jail. They requested to remain anonymous fearing retaliation from both sides. The Taliban also captured its first regional capital - the city of Zaranj, in Nimroz province near the border with Iran, as it pushed to retake control of the country Taliban fighters have swept through large swathes of Afghanistan at surprising speed, initially taking districts, many in remote areas. In recent weeks they have laid siege to several provincial capitals across the country as the last US and Nato troops leave the country. The US Central Command says the withdrawal is more than 95 per cent complete and will be finished by August 31. The US Air Force continues to aid the Afghan air force's bombing of Taliban targets in southern Helmand and Kandahar provinces as Afghan security forces try to prevent a Taliban takeover. In Helmand's provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan's elite commando forces aided by regular troops were trying to dislodge the Taliban but with little success, said Nafeeza Faiez, a provincial council member. Taliban troops are in control of nine of the city's 10 police districts. Ms Faiez said conditions for residents are desperate as they hunker down inside their homes, unable to get supplies or get to hospitals for treatment. Many of the public buildings have also been badly damaged in the fighting. She said: 'People have no access to any service.' More than half of Afghanistan's 421 districts and district centres are now in Taliban hands. While many are in remote regions, some are extremely strategic, giving the Taliban control of lucrative border crossings with Iran, Tajikistan and Pakistan. The insurgent force on Friday closed one of the country's most lucrative borders with Pakistan at Spin Boldak in southeastern Afghanistan. The Taliban were protesting against a demand from Pakistan that all Afghans crossing the border must have Afghan passports and Pakistani visas. The group said Pakistan was implementing the demands of the Afghan government and demanded that previous procedures in which identities were rarely checked as people crossed the border be reinstituted. As a result of the deteriorating security situation, the Government has advised all UK nationals in Afghanistan to leave the country immediately due to the 'worsening security situation'. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's website was updated on Friday, advising against all travel to Afghanistan. The change in advice comes in the face of growing turmoil in Afghanistan, as Taliban forces sweep across the country. The advice on the website states: 'All British nationals in Afghanistan are advised to leave now by commercial means. Government has advised UK nationals in Afghanistan to leave due to the 'worsening security situation'. Pictured: Afghan militia support Afghanistan security forces against the Taliban 'If you are still in Afghanistan, you are advised to leave now by commercial means because of the worsening security situation. 'The level of consular assistance the British Embassy can provide in Afghanistan is extremely limited, including in a crisis. Do not rely on the FCDO being able to evacuate you from Afghanistan in an emergency. 'In arranging your departure from Afghanistan, ensure your travel documents are up to date and that you have the necessary visas for onward travel.' It added: 'Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Afghanistan. Specific methods of attack are evolving and increasing in sophistication. 'You should note an overall increased threat to Western interests in Kabul. Follow the instructions of local authorities. There is a high threat of kidnapping throughout the country.' Afghanistan was already on the Government's travel red list amid of the country's coronavirus situation, but fighting has also intensified in recent days. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's website (pictured) was updated on Friday, advising against all travel to Afghanistan The change in advice comes in the face of growing turmoil in Afghanistan, as Taliban forces sweep across the country. Pictured: Afghan security forces as site of car bomb blast in Kabul On Friday, the Taliban assassinated a senior Afghan government official inside his car in the capital Kabul as it steps up its bloody drive to recapture the country. Dawa Khan Menapal, head of the government's media information centre, was shot dead near a mosque in the city on Friday, just a day after defence minister Bismillah Mohammadi escaped a bomb and gun attack. Menapal's assassination is the most high-profile killing the Taliban has carried out during the most-recent campaign, and shows it is able to operate within Kabul - one of the few cities that is not yet under direct attack. 'He (Menapal) was a young man who stood like a mountain in the face of enemy propaganda, and who was always a major supporter of the (Afghan) regime,' said Mirwais Stanikzai, a spokesperson of the interior ministry. Late on Tuesday, the attack on Mohammadi in a heavily guarded upmarket Kabul neighbourhood killed at least eight people and wounded 20. The minister was unharmed. Meanwhile, the group's Islamist fighters captured their first regional capital - Zaranj, in Nimroz province near Iran - marking their most-significant battlefield victory against government forces to date. Residents in Helmand's contested provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, said airstrikes destroyed a market in the centre of the city an area controlled by the Taliban. Afghan officials say the Taliban now control nine out of the 10 districts of the city. Social media was also filled with videos of the devastating toll the fighting has taken in the southern city of Lashkar Gah, with posts showing a major market area in flames. Dawa Khan Menapal was shot dead on Friday, after minister Bismillah Mohammadi escaped a bomb attack. Pictured: Afghan security at scene of bomb explosion in Kabul on August 4 Aid group Action Against Hunger said its offices had been hit by an 'aerial bomb' in the city earlier this week, according to a statement released by the organisation on Friday. 'The building was marked from the street and roof as a non-governmental (NGO) organisation, and the office location has been communicated often to the parties involved in the conflict,' said the group, adding that no staff had been harmed. In the western city of Herat, a steady stream of people were leaving their homes in anticipation of a government assault on positions held by the Taliban. 'We completely evacuated,' said Ahmad Zia, who lived in the western part of the city. 'We have nothing left and we do not know where to go,' he told AFP. American forces are now sending B-52 bombers, AC-130 gunships and Reaper drones to try and push the jihadists back from other capitals such as Lashkar Gah, Herat and Kandahar, which have come under heavy attack in recent days. It appears America's hand has been forced after the Afghan airforce all-but collapsed after Joe Biden ordered US forces out of the country earlier this year. The troops took with them an army of contractors that were being used to maintain the helicopters and jets Afghan pilots were hoping to use to defend against the Taliban assault. American forces are now sending B-52 bombers, AC-130 gunships and Reaper drones to try and push the jihadists back from Herat. Pictured Afghan government forces in Herat Residents in Helmand's contested provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, said airstrikes destroyed a market in the centre of the city - an area controlled by the Taliban Afghan government forces in Herat, one of the few regional capitals holding out well against the Islamists who are attacking in force across the country More than a third of the force's 162 aircraft are thought to be out of action due to a repair blacklog and lack of spare parts. Pilots - who have also been targeted for execution by the Taliban - are said to be exhausted and demoralised due to non-stop missions, while munitions are also running low. The Taliban have quickly recaptured much of Afghanistan behind the backs of withdrawing US and NATO forces, who began departing the country earlier this year after two decades of fighting. Due to be complete by the end of August, in fact sources on the ground say the withdrawal is in-effect complete already. President Ashraf Ghani has put the Taliban's rapid advance down to pulling his forces back into cities which are easier to defend and crucial for control of the country. The Taliban already control large portions of the countryside, and are now challenging government forces in several provincial capitals. Ex-British forces interpreters living under Taliban death sentences cry with joy as major breakthroughs are secured to let them live in Britain Former British forces interpreters living under Taliban death sentences wept with joy last night after the Daily Mail secured crucial new breakthroughs from the Defence Secretary to let them live in Britain. In an exclusive interview, Ben Wallace confirmed that ex-Special Forces translators trapped in so-called third countries were cleared to come here. They had been expected to return to Afghanistan to submit their applications a requirement that could prove fatal given their previous employment. In an exclusive interview, Ben Wallace (pictured) confirmed that ex-Special Forces translators trapped in so-called third countries were cleared to come here This news is beautiful Former translators trapped in other countries after fleeing the Taliban said news that their cases will be processed in those places was beautiful, uplifting and right. One, Nabi, has lived as a refugee in Greece since 2018 while his wife and four children are in Afghanistan. The 35-year-old, who spent four years serving with the British military on the front line, said: This solution could save the lives of my family because they are not safe from the Taliban as a result of my work for UK forces. To have my case dealt with in Athens lifts a heavy load from me. Nabi (pictured), has lived as a refugee in Greece since 2018 while his wife and four children are in Afghanistan Advertisement Last night, translators and campaigners welcomed the breakthroughs, which came as the Defence Secretary is poised to personally adjudicate in 88 highly contentious cases under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme. This caseload includes interpreters facing reprisals from the Taliban who were previously rejected under ARAP, and some who were terminated by British forces for minor offences. Mr Wallace, who in recent months has taken action that will see thousands of vulnerable Afghans brought to Britain, told the Mail he would look at these individuals with a sympathetic eye given the countrys dramatically deteriorating security situation. The Taliban has won a series of devastating victories following the withdrawal of US and UK troops. Since the new ARAP guidelines were launched in April, 1,400 Afghans including more than 300 families have arrived in the UK on nine specially chartered freedom flights. A further 14 flights, carrying around 1,700 more Afghans, are due to arrive in the UK in the coming weeks. Following the latest concessions won by the Mail, interpreters who worked for Special Forces will be able to come to Britain. They were previously rejected under the ARAP scheme due to issues with their contracts. They worked at Camp Juno, home to the elite Task Force 444, which worked on top-secret operations that included running spies inside the Taliban. The refusal to grant sanctuary to around a dozen men enraged many UK commanders who recognised their remarkable bravery and skill. The Camp Juno interpreters will be joined by translators previously trapped in third countries. Having fled Afghanistan, they felt it was too dangerous to return there to apply for sanctuary but this stipulation has now been revoked. Mr Wallace said: We have now looked into these cases and we are in a position to bring these people back. I will be putting my signature to a list of those Camp Juno interpreters on Monday. I think six have been approved and six are pending. This was a long process because there was not much paperwork to support their applications and we were required to find British officers who had worked with these interpreters to vouch for them. We have also now changed the law to ensure Afghans are no longer required to go back to the country to submit their paperwork. Credit for this initiative should go to the Home Office. There are around 20 cases which can proceed following this change. This coming week I will also adjudicate personally on 88 contentious cases, including applicants who were previously rejected by ARAP or were terminated from service for a minor offence. I will look at these cases with a sympathetic eye and an understanding of the perilous situation many of them are in and their contribution to us. But I must balance that, as will the Home Secretary, with protecting British security. Last night an interpreter trapped in Greece thanked the Government and the Mail for the removal of ARAP criteria which meant he would have had to return to Afghanistan to submit his application. A matter of life or death The close-knit group of interpreters who worked with Special Forces said news that they will be allowed sanctuary was life-saving. Habib, 39, who worked for the Triple Four group at Camp Juno, Helmand, for 16 months, said: This is wonderful news and could honestly be the difference between life and death. I thank the Defence Secretary for his compassion in making the right decision and especially [the Mail] for raising our voice and never giving up on us. They often operated with the SAS and intelligence officers, making them a high-priority Taliban target. Shane, 34, who worked at Juno from 2007 to 2010, said the UK had recognised its moral obligation. It is understood 12 ex-translators and families are likely to be rescued. Close: The camp interpreters Advertisement Nabi, 35, who has lived there as a refugee since 2018, is one of 20 former translators stuck in Europe. Others are thought to be living in India, Pakistan and Australia. Nabi, who has suffered death threats, said: This is beautiful and uplifting. This solution could save the lives of my family. The moves were also welcomed last night by retired Major General Charlie Herbert, a former commander of UK forces in Helmand who has campaigned for more interpreters to come to Britain. He said: I am absolutely delighted with this decision. It has taken too long to come, and only serves to highlight the injustice of rejecting those who were employed on third party contracts. I am so grateful to the Daily Mail for their support to these men. I am also grateful to the Defence Secretary and Home Secretary for their support they have done far more than their predecessors. But there is still so much more to do; not least for those dismissed and those who the MoD considers to have been in non-exposed roles. The Taliban make no such distinction. Last week dozens of former British commanders wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister asking him to expand the ARAP scheme and warning that the UK would face dishonour if any of its former translators were killed by the Taliban. Seven ex-Coalition translators are feared to have been murdered by the militants this year. But Mr Wallace hit back, suggesting they should share the blame for any ARAP issues because his officials are being forced to adjudicate on cases involving incomplete files and a lack of clarity over the reasons why translators were dismissed. UK forces terminated the employment of 35 per cent of its translators, in many cases without due process or the right of appeal. The Defence Secretary said: Funnily enough, the people in charge of some of those processes were some of those who wrote that letter. Mr Wallace also called on councils to do more to assist vulnerable Afghans. He said 34 local authorities had declined to take part in the ARAP scheme, even though it costs them nothing. A shortage of housing means Afghan families will be put in big hotels, which isnt ideal. Now military officials will review Afghan translator's rejected relocation bid as crucial documents are provided EXCLUSIVE By David Williams and Mark Nicol for the Daily Mail Military officials are to review the rejected relocation bid of an Afghan translator after the Daily Mail provided crucial documents in his favour. Latif Hottak, 36, was denied the right to come to the UK because the Ministry of Defence said he had been dismissed from his job as an interpreter in January 2011. But salary records handed to the MoD raise disturbing questions about the case, and suggest that Latif was still working and being paid a year later. Both Latif and his brother, Rafi, himself a former supervisor of Afghan interpreters who now campaigns from the UK, have maintained that his role as an interpreter did not finish until summer 2012. Front line: Latif Hottak, right, with a colleague in Afghanistan The emergence of the crucial evidence has serious implications for many other ex-translators who are at risk along with their families of Taliban revenge attacks. Rafi, 34, who was blown up in a Helmand raid that killed a British officer, said: I welcome the review, it is an important step but there are many unanswered, unexplained questions about Latifs case which will have devastating and probably ultimately fatal consequences if he is wrongly denied relocation. He is hoping Defence Secretary Ben Wallace will intervene following his promise to personally review contentious claims. In his letter, Rafi told Mr Wallace he represented a final chance of resolving a situation that could lead to my brothers death at the hands of the Taliban. Looking from the outside, something appears very wrong, he wrote. Latif is languishing in the near darkness of a Kabul basement frightened, depressed and convinced he will be left to the Taliban by the country he risked his life for. Rafi is hoping Defence Secretary Ben Wallace (pictured) will intervene following his promise to personally review contentious claims At the heart of the case is a claim by the MoD that his employment was terminated for a serious offence in January 2011 while he was working at a special forces base known as Fort Hunter. The dismissal means he is not entitled to relocate to the UK. But Latif insists he found out about it only last year when he applied to Britain for sanctuary. Latif categorically denies the sacking in January 2011, as does Rafi, who insists it cannot be true as he was working with him until that June. In a claim confirmed by officers in the UK, Latif says he continued to work until the summer of 2012, and left only when Fort Hunter was handed over to Afghan forces. Certificates from the time and a pay log support this, Rafi says. The Daily Mails award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign has highlighted Latifs case. This paper was told his employment was terminated in January 2011 for helping to provide false English test results for Afghan soldiers. Both Latif and Rafi are adamant this is untrue. They have produced certificates from named officers praising Latif and his work, dated July 2011 and January 2012. At the heart of the case is a claim by the MoD that his employment was terminated for a serious offence in January 2011 while he was working at a special forces base known as Fort Hunter. Pictured: File image of the Ministry of Defence building in Whitehall, London These were put to the MoD and remain unexplained, although defence officials insist their records are correct. But the militarys payment files suggest Latif was in fact employed and paid during 2011. His name is the second of 21 on the pay list, verified by his British military identity number, his job and in a column marked UK Top Up Pay the sum of US$850. The last of the forms seen by the Mail is dated November 24 to December 23, 2011, apparently supporting the claim he was employed for a year after he is said to have been sacked. Rafi wrote: For Latif and others this is literally a matter of life and death, for the Government it is a test of their moral responsibility and what Britain stands for. Meanwhile, in Kabul, Latif waits wondering if what he says is the truth will emerge. He said: I feel like giving up. I am depressed, scared and live in hiding, I do not know if I have a future but I want the truth and to know why and how this has happened. I am being punished every day and if I remain in Afghanistan it is a matter of time before the Taliban will come again for me. My blood will be on their hands but some will be spilt on those who turned their backs. An MoD spokesman said: Every dismissal was for a valid reason. The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy allows officials to review all cases of dismissal on a case-by-case basis and relocate them if there are no other concerns. Those who were dismissed for the most serious offences, including those that constitute a crime in the UK, or would be a security concern, will not be eligible for relocation. Britain spent an estimated 500,000 in the past year storing boats used by migrants to cross the Channel. The government has to keep hold of the small boats for 12 months to give the owner the opportunity to claim them - despite no one coming forward to collect one in the past year. The latest figures come after Home Secretary Priti Patel revealed plans to build a 2million processing facility in Dover. According to The Times, many of the boats are disposed of after the 12 months because they are no longer seaworthy or cannot be used for another purpose. Border Force can also hold onto the boats for longer if they are part of an active investigation - such as any potential action against people smugglers. Britain spent an estimated 500,000 in the past year storing boats used by migrants to cross the Channel. Pictured: One of two areas being used at a warehouse facility in Dover, Kent, to store boats They are stored in a large outdoor area in Dover initially before being taken to 'Queen's Warehouses' storage facilities which house seized or detained materials. In a bid to cut down wastage and put the boats to good use, ministers are expected to push forward with a change to legislation so they can be sold or donated. Estimates provided suggest the government has spent 500,000 transporting and storing the boats. As well as plans to alter legislation for storage of the boats, the Home Office has also been given permission for a new processing facility in Dover - which is hoped to be operational by May. The 24-hour centre, which will be set up in a converted welding site, is expected to cost 2million and millions more to run. One source told The Sun: 'This is a clear sign this problem is not over. It shows there is no end in sight for the boat crossings.' In a letter to the Home Affairs Select Committee, the Home Secretary said: 'The Department is determined to deliver a long-term, sustainable solution, with a new facility to be ready next May.' Pictured: A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, on board a Border Force vessel, following a small boat incident in the Channel on Thursday Late last month, drone pictures showed more than 100 small boats piled up in rows in a fenced-off compound in Dover - evidence of thousands of people's journeys to the UK in 2021. The collection of vessels seems to be significantly higher than another set pictured in storage in Dover in 2020. It comes amid a record-breaking year for migrants crossing to the UK - despite vows from the Home Office to make the route 'unviable'. More than 10,000 migrants have officially crossed the Channel by small boat so far this year after almost 500 made the dangerous journey on Wednesday. Then as many as a further 300 are thought to have set sail for Britain Thursday, after a stream of fresh arrivals off the Kent coast. More than 50 migrants were seen disembarking Border Force catamaran Hurricane around 10.30am. Cutter Speedwell then brought in around 50 more - this time including women and sleeping babies - about half an hour later. Slide me Picture one: Vessels stacked up at the warehouse facility in Dover in 2020. Picture two: 2021, a significant increase in vessels seized after a record year for crossings Slide me Picture one: 2020, a small section of a facility for migrant boats. Picture two: 2021, the huge growth in vessels amid a record-breaking year for migrant crossings Slide me Picture one: 2020, a neatly organised storage center in Kent for migrant boats. Picture two: Taken in 2021, a large increase in the number of seized boats Government officials fear that high numbers of crossings will continue as summer goes on, with small boat arrivals this year having already passed the total for the whole of 2020. Airport border staff are 'redeployed to the Channel' to tackle migrant crisis Border officers are being pulled out of airports and relocated to the English Channel to help deal with record numbers in migrants arriving in Britain, it has been reported. Agents from Border Force are having to leave positions at some of the busiest border gates in the UK for Kent, where more staff are needed to process and detain migrants arriving by small boats. However, the move by the Home Office will likely worsen queues at airports, where queues for passport control have already been stretched to hours in length. The Sunday Telegraph reported officers were being redeployed to Dover from airports including Heathrow and Gatwick as well as the ports of Southampton, Portsmouth and Newhaven. Lucy Moreton, of the Union for Borders, Immigration and Customs, told the publication that this could lead to greater delays for passengers, especially during peak times of the day when the passengers from multiple flights arrive at the same time. Advertisement Border officers are being pulled out of airports and relocated to the English Channel to help deal with record numbers in migrants arriving in Britain, it has been reported. Agents from Border Force are having to leave positions at some of the busiest border gates in the UK for Kent, where more staff are needed to process and detain migrants arriving by small boats. Despite this, the UK continues to see fewer boat arrivals and asylum claims than many of its European counterparts. At least 44,230 people have arrived in Europe via the Mediterranean by land and sea so far this year, according to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In recent months, law enforcement agencies have noticed the organised gangs behind the English Channel crossings becoming increasingly sophisticated, launching boats from a wider area of the northern French coast. They will also send out vessels in waves - smaller boats sent out first to tie up the French authorities, while more craft carrying larger numbers of migrants make the crossing later in the day. Officials have been alarmed by the overcrowding in the vessels - one boat last week had 83 people on board - and the safety conditions. They have come across inflatable boats held together with duct tape and migrants with rubber rings or bike tyre inner tubes rather than life jackets. Last week Home Secretary Priti Patel announced an agreement to more than double the number of police patrolling French beaches, with the Government to give France 54 million. But, while efforts to address the problem have been stepped up by Emmanuel Macron's government - with around 2,700 people taken back to France so far this year after being intercepted at sea - there is still some frustration in the Home Office about French policies. The boats are stored after being intercepted in The Channel by Border Force as attempts to make the crossing continue This year has seen record numbers of migrants crossing to the UK despite vows from the Home Office to make the route 'unviable' Government officials fear that high numbers of crossings will continue as summer goes on, with small boat arrivals this year having already passed the total for the whole of 2020 Officials have been alarmed by the overcrowding in the vessels - one boat last week had 83 people on board - and the safety conditions The French authorities will not intercept migrants who offer resistance to being rescued, but the UK has a different interpretation of the law. Priti Patel's plan to pay France 55m to handle migrants trying to cross the Channel: Explained Priti Patel has agreed to give France another 54million to stop the growing number of migrants crossing the Channel. The Home Secretary's controversial agreement with French interior minister Gerald Darmanin will see policing numbers along the French coast more than double to 200 to cover a wider area. There will also be an increased use of aerial surveillance, including drones. The two countries agreed to draw up a long-term plan for a 'smart border' using technology to identify where crossings are being attempted. But the deal failed to impress critics, who accuse the French authorities of not doing enough to stop small boats leaving their territorial waters. With UK support last year, France doubled the number of officers deployed daily on French beaches, improved intelligence sharing and purchased more cutting-edge technology. This resulted in France preventing twice as many crossings so far this year than in the same period in 2020. However, as French interceptions increased, the Home Office said that organised criminal gangs have changed their tactics, moving further up the French coast, and forcing migrants to take even longer, riskier journeys. Charities branded the measures inhumane, while refugee rights campaigner Lord Dubs said Miss Patel's plans were a 'disservice to this country's history'. Advertisement British offers to help board vessels in French waters have so far been rebuffed by Paris, it is believed. The Home Secretary told MPs last week that she had made her views on the situation 'abundantly clear' to her French counterpart. The UK is also helping to fund aerial surveillance along the French coast but legal difficulties in France have meant that the drones are not being used as much as had been hoped. Officials acknowledge there is no silver bullet to tackle the situation, but they have been in contact with counterparts in Australia and Greece to discuss how those countries cope with situations off their coastlines. Previously, it emerged that Albanian criminals are charging up to 20,000 to smuggle migrants to the UK through TikTok and other social media sites. A Mail investigation found popular sites awash with adverts from human traffickers, sometimes mocking attempts by the British authorities to stop them and posting slickly produced step-by-step tutorials to help illegal migrants sneak into the UK. They illustrate the scale of the problem facing Home Secretary Priti Patel, who recently visited Albania to sign a deal speeding up deportations of criminals and failed asylum seekers. One people smuggler, whose TikTok account has been viewed by tens of thousands of people, boasts in his profile: 'All interested who'd like to get to England contact my inbox. Journey secure 100 per cent.' His videos feature pictures of the Union Jack and Big Ben with the comment: 'Secure journey from Albania to the UK. 23K Euro.' Priti Patel previously agreed to give France another 54million to stop the growing number of migrants crossing the Channel. The Home Secretary's controversial agreement with French interior minister Gerald Darmanin will see policing numbers along the French coast more than double to 200 to cover a wider area. There will also be an increased use of aerial surveillance, including drones. The two countries agreed to draw up a long-term plan for a 'smart border' using technology to identify where crossings are being attempted. But the deal failed to impress critics, who accuse the French authorities of not doing enough to stop small boats leaving their territorial waters. With UK support last year, France doubled the number of officers deployed daily on French beaches, improved intelligence sharing and purchased more cutting-edge technology. This resulted in France preventing twice as many crossings so far this year than in the same period in 2020. Officials have come across inflatable boats held together with duct tape and migrants with rubber rings or bike tyre inner tubes rather than life jackets Border Force vessels worked through downpours of rain to bring 378 migrants into the Port of Dover on Sunday, one of the busiest days of 2021. Pictured: One man flashes a 'V for victory' sign as they arrive in port The Government has spent more than 163,000 on Union flags in two years as part of its drive to boost pride in the national symbol. That figure, spent in 2020 and 2021, amounts to 85 per cent of flag purchases over the past four years. Data reported by the Guardian showed spending has increased in virtually every Whitehall department since Boris Johnson became Prime Minister. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) spent 54,420.89 last year alone as worn-out flags were replaced. While the Ministry of Defence has forked out 118,000 on flag purchases since the start of 2018. The Cabinet Office has spent more than 3,000 since the start of 2018, with just under 2,000 of that funding the purchase of eight flags in the most recent financial year. The Government has spent more than 163,000 on Union flags in two years as part of its drive to boost pride in the national symbol The figures, revealed by Freedom of Information Act requests, found the Treasury has spent nearly 1,000 on Union flags since 2018, including three this year at a cost of 607.06. The Department for Transport has spent 1,100 since 2018, including 700 last year, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spent 90.05 on the flags this year, with no record of purchases in other recent years. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy spent 392 this year and last - zero in the years previously - while the Department for Work and Pensions spent 1,045 in the last three years. The Department for International Trade spent 653.05 this year and last. The Department for Education spent 134 in 2019, the Wales Office has spent 824 since 2018. This included 597.50 in 2020-21 and the same amount again on Welsh flags. Figures reported by the Guardian showed spending had increased in virtually every Whitehall department since Boris Johnson became Prime Minister Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the flag was a 'proud reminder of our history and the ties that bind us', and 'people rightly expect it to be flown above UK Government buildings' Robert Colls, professor of cultural history at De Montfort University, told the Guardian: 'I think what we are seeing at the moment from the Government is a kind of pushback against devolution and threats to the Union.' In March, the DCMS published new guidance calling for the flag to be flown every day above Government buildings. At the time, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the flag was a 'proud reminder of our history and the ties that bind us', and 'people rightly expect it to be flown above UK Government buildings'. Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick at the time wrote to all councils in England in a bid to encourage them to fly the flag on their buildings. The move also allowed dual flagging where two flags can be flown on one pole. Exemptions apply when other flags - such as national flags of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, county flags or other flags to mark 'civic pride' - are flown. Union Jacks above government buildings on Whitehall Street. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: 'The Union flag unites us as a nation and people rightly expect it to be flown above UK Government buildings' Advertisement Parts of London have flooded yet again as heavy rain continues to battle the capital while thunderstorms are predicted to bring more lightning, hail and downpours to several parts of the UK. It comes after heavy rain saw tube stations fill with water, along with homes and businesses, at the end of July. Similar scenes have been captured across the capital today, with streets and roads submerged in water as cars attempt to drive through. Video footage shared online shows vehicles cautiously driving through deep water in Battersea while another clip shows a flooded basement at a building in Tower Bridge. Tower Bridge itself has also been filmed filling with water on Saturday morning with more rain predicted throughout the weekend. Stepney Green and Holborn underground stations were also closed due to flooding as well as a platform at Liverpool Street Station. However, experts have said it is likely the weather will clear up for a chance at a drier summer towards the end of August. Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell said: 'It's going to stay quite changeable at least for the next week but as we head towards the end of August, there's a likelihood we'll see hotter spell of weather and drier more settled weather across the whole of the UK.' While it is too early to predict temperatures at this stage, it could 'potentially be in the high 20s'. Ms Mitchell said that even though it may not seem like it, this summer has been 'warmer and drier than average'. She said: 'It's not been wetter on average but we've seen a lot of reports on the news about the flooding. A street in Walthamstow, London, is submerged in water Saturday amid heavy rainfall The Met Office has issued a yellow thunderstorm warning for Northern Ireland, North Wales, northern England and up into central Scotland from 4am Friday until midnight on Saturday - with the wet weather to continue into Monday A basement in Tower Bridge, London, floods on Saturday for the second time after previously filling with water during heavy rain in late July Roads in London were already flooding by Saturday morning with more storms and rain predicted throughout the weekend (Pictured: Queenstown Road in Battersea) Cars and a van cautiously drive through deep water on Queenstown Road in Battersea, London 'That's why it may feel like a bad summer, with not much warmth or sunshine.' She explained that the only exception has been the south east of England, which has been wetter than usual and has already had 111% of its average rainfall for the summer. Ms Mitchell added the cause of the torrential rain and thunderstorms is down to the fact that July was so hot. She said: 'We've had quite a lot of warm weather and there was a heatwave during the middle part of July. 'The end of that heatwave triggered a lot of thunderstorms and heavy and intense rain, which is what brought some of those flooding incidents across parts of the southeast. 'There has been a lot of rainfall in a short amount of time, creating localised flooding events rather than it being a wet period.' The worst-hit places appear to be the City of London, which has had 143% of its average rainfall this summer, the Isle of Wight with 174% of its average summer rainfall, and Surrey with 126%. Ms Mitchell believes the Isle of Wight will only get rainier and imagines the percentage will be 'much higher by the end of summer'. By comparison, Scotland has only has 38% of its average rainfall and Ms Mitchell said 'a few northern areas have been much, much drier'. Dedicated jogger dons an anorak amid a downpour in Greenwich Park in south London on Saturday A cyclist in Wood Green, north London, wears a protective purple waterproof cloak while a woman takes shelter under an umbrella on Saturday morning A woman in Wood Green, London, takes shelter under a newspaper after getting caught in Saturday's downpour Tourists take cover under umbrellas while out punting on the River Cam in Cambridge on Saturday A dog walker jumps over a puddle while dressed in shorts and a polo T-shirt and taking cover under an umbrella on Wimbledon Common, London A cyclist powers through the downpour on Wimbledon Common, south London, on Saturday It comes as the Met Office issued a yellow thunderstorm warning for Northern Ireland, North Wales, northern England and up into central Scotland until midnight on Saturday night, with heavy showers potentially causing travel disruption and flooding in a few places. Forecasters said some areas could be lashed by 20 to 30mm of rain over the space of an hour on Saturday after 40 to 60mm of rain fell in parts on Friday. It comes after revellers braved the damp conditions across the country last night as scores of young Brits headed out on the town. Groups of men and women donned their best summer attire as they took advantage of a break in the rain in Leeds and elsewhere. Meanwhile the heavens have already opened on London this morning with residents seen out jogging in waterproof jackets and walking under umbrellas. And the wet weather will continue into the start of next week. Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst said: 'The reason for this is low pressure is in charge of the UK's weather at the moment - it's a very slow-moving area of low pressure, so it's not going anywhere quickly. 'It's leading to bands of heavy showers and thunderstorms which you have seen through the course of Friday, and we have seen flooding in places too. 'This is going to continue through the weekend, particularly across the northern half of the UK where the showers will be slow-moving compared to southern areas, where it's a little bit windier.' Revellers braved the damp conditions across the country last night as scores of young Brits headed out on the town (Pictured: A group of friends in Leeds, one of whom seems to have grown tired of her heels) Groups of women donned their best dresses and took advantage of a break in the rain in Leeds and elsewhere on Friday night Three pals are all smiles as they take advantage of a break in the rain in Leeds on Friday night Friends don their best summer outfits as they make their way through Leeds city centre Woman offers her friend a drink of water as they make their way to the next bar in Leeds last night Friends blast music from a laptop using a speaker and have a dance in the street in Leeds city centre Woman goes barefoot after getting tired of her white heels as her friends give her the thumbs up Friends rejoice and dance in the street while playing music through a speaker in Leeds on Friday Group of lads are all smiles as they pose for a snap during a break in the rain in Leeds on Friday Woman takes a break from partying as she sits on the ground outside a Wetherspoons in Leeds Two friends in jeans stroll through Leeds on Friday night as they enjoy a pause in the rainfall While there will be sunny spells among the showers, temperatures are set to be on the cooler side for this time of year, predicted to be in the high teens to low 20s. Conditions on Sunday are set to be similar, with further downpours forecast for central and northern areas of the UK, more weather warnings expected and temperatures peaking at 21C to 22C. Southern parts of England and Wales will be drier until later in the day, when heavy rain showers will move in for the evening, according to forecasters. Sunshine and further heavy showers are forecast for Monday but are expected to ease for a drier and brighter Tuesday. Going into the weekend residents had been warned that there was a small chance their homes and business could be flooded by Friday's slow-moving, heavy downpours. The wet and windy weather made an appearance at Sandhurst, Berkshire, yesterday as Prime Minister Boris Johnson attended the Sovereign's Parade at Royal Military Academy on behalf of the Queen. The wet conditions are expected to persist today with some thunder, all of which the Met Office has advised may cause travel disruption. Britons hoping to make the most of their weekend may be met with a washout after the Met Office issued yellow weather warnings for rain and thunderstorms for the north of England (pictured: Manchester) and Scotland One woman was caught in the middle of torrential rain and a thunderstorm in Manchester city centre on Friday as the weather took a turn for the worse A cyclist riding during a heavy rain shower on Wimbledon Common in London, as the forecast is for rain and downpours mixed with sunny spells over the weekend The wet conditions are expected to persist into Saturday with some thunder, all of which the Met Office has advised may cause travel disruption. Pictured: Cars drive through standing water in Gateacre, Liverpool Eager people enjoyed a Friday night drink in Soho, despite the heavy rainstorms hitting the capital on Friday afternoon Britain is set to be battered by flash floods, four inches of rain, lightning and 60mph winds as thunderstorms sweep in today and tomorrow. Pictured: Guests shield themselves from the rain as they arrive at the Sovereign's Parade at Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst Heavy rain and thunderstorms caused flooding and traffic queues on the M8 near Royston, Glasgow, on Friday The thunderstorms will edge west today, no longer affecting Nottingham and parts of the north east, including Hull and Lincoln, and instead spread across to Northern Ireland and to more southern parts of Wales. Parts of Northern Ireland have already started to feel the effects of the stormy weather Friday, with Berry Street in Belfast, beginning to flood - affecting several business. Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: 'We do have a very unsettled weekend in prospect, with a lot of it covered by a thunderstorm and rain warnings. 'We have got an area of low pressure which will be milling around over the UK bringing rain to quite large parts, so I think everywhere can expect to see quite heavy showers.' He added: 'We know the footprint of where we think the heaviest rainfall will be, but it's like a boiling saucepan: you will get bubbles coming up, and trying to pinpoint where the next bubble will be is virtually impossible.' The Met Office issued yellow weather warnings for rain and thunderstorms for the north of England and Scotland which are predicted to edge west on Saturday - instead spreading across to Northern Ireland and to more southern parts of Wales. Going into this evening, the showers will die out for many but continue in the north with a risk of persistent rain across parts of north Wales and northwest England. Pictured: People caught in torrential rain in Manchester city centre on Friday Going into the new week The Met Office predicts heavy showers in the north on Sunday with sunnier spells in the south. Pictured: People caught in torrential rain in Manchester city centre on Friday Business owners of Absolute Beauty Salon and Foggy Brew on Berry Street in Belfast clean up after their premises were flooded following torrential rain The Sun also reports that some areas could see winds of up to 60mph. Going into the new week The Met Office predicts heavy showers in the north on Sunday with sunnier spells in the south. But the heavy rain will make a comback in many areas on Monday before Tuesday is expected to be mostly dry with some spells of sunshine. Guests were seen arriving at Sandhurst shielding themselves from the heavy and blustery downpours with umbrellas while others opted to brave the rain. The Prime Minister, who was also battered with his fair share of rain, decided to ditch his umbrella as he walked along a row of military personnel in the downpour. Meanwhile, in Nottingham, spectators shelter from the rain under large umbrellas during day two of the First LV= Insurance test match between England and India at Trent Bridge. Going into the new week The Met Office predicts heavy showers in the north on Sunday with sunnier spells in the south. Pictured: People out for a Friday night drink in Soho amid storms One woman creatively used her Louis Vuitton handbag as an umbrella in Manchester city centre on Friday after getting caught in the thunderstorms On Saturday, the thunderstorms will edge west, no longer affecting Nottingham and parts of the north east, including Hull and Lincoln. Pictured: Cars are hit with a heavy rain shower in Wimbledon village Forecasts again say 'torrential downpours are likely in some places', while 'there is a risk of strong winds at times for some'. Pictured: People caught in torrential rain in Manchester city centre Some pedestrians caught in the rain showers decided to adopt some more unique methods to protect themselves, with some wearing ponchos and one woman even used what appeared to be a plastic bag (pictured) Business owners of Absolute Beauty Salon on Berry Street in Belfast clean up after their premises were flooded following torrential rain Others decided to adopt some more unique methods to protect themselves from the showers, with some wearing ponchos and sombreros to match. The UK recorded its joint fifth warmest July on record this year after a heatwave that saw the first extreme heat warning. In contrast, the second half of the month saw some areas hit by intense downpours which caused flooding. Met Office forecaster Nicola Maxey stressed the weather may still be under an 'Atlantic influence', with showers in the North and West, adding: 'We are likely to see potential for thunderstorms through much of this week.' The average temperature for August is 70.5F (21.4C) in southern England and 66F (19C) in the UK as a whole. Ms Maxey added: 'There's little signal we're going to see any exceptionally hot temperatures.' Forecasts again say 'torrential downpours are likely in some places', while 'there is a risk of strong winds at times for some'. Miss Maxey said accumulations of rain in areas receiving a couple of thunderstorms could be high. The average temperature for August is 70.5F (21.4C) in southern England and 66F (19C) in the UK as a whole. Pictured: People out for a Friday night drink in Soho despite the heavy summer rain storms Forecasts again say 'torrential downpours are likely in some places', while 'there is a risk of strong winds at times for some'. Pictured: People caught in torrential rain in Manchester city centre on Friday Parts of Northern Ireland have started to feel the effects of the stormy weather, with Berry Street in Belfast, beginning to flood - affecting several business. Pictured: Business owners of Foggy Brew on Berry Street in Belfast clean up after flooding Guests were seen arriving at Sandhurst shielding themselves from the heavy and blustery downpours with umbrellas while others opted to brave the rain (pictured) Pedestrians are caught in a heavy rain shower on Wimbledon Common amid torrential downpours on Friday afternoon In Nottingham, spectators shelter from the rain under large umbrellas during day two of the First LV= Insurance test match between England and India at Trent Bridge Others decided to adopt some more unique methods to protect themselves from the showers, with some wearing ponchos and sombreros to match But she added that it was 'quite usual to receive most of the month's rain in two to three bursts during the summer months'. The thunder could bring more flooding and make driving conditions difficult due to surface water and poor visibility. An improvement in the weather is likely in the second half of next week. Miss Maxey said: 'From the 10th, 11th up to late August, there's some indication that we might see more settled weather as an area of high pressure moves in. 'But we'll continue that Atlantic influence, so it's unlikely to be a situation where temperatures build day by day, as happened in July. It could mean dry conditions become more prevalent but with the risk of showers and thunderstorms. 'Temperatures are due to turn higher than average but there's little signal we're going to see any exceptionally hot weather for the second half of the month.' Miss Maxey said it was too early to give further details about the warm conditions. Temperatures over the coming days are only set to reach highs of 70F (21C) to 72F (22C) in northern and southern areas of England and Wales. A regional city in Victoria is setting the pace in Australia's race towards immunisation and emerging from the Covid pandemic. New figures reveal more than half - 52.6 per cent - of the eligible population in Bendigo, 150km north of Melbourne, have received their first jab of a Covid-19 vaccine. The town, known for its stately buildings from the gold rush and quality healthcare, has a population of 153,000 people. The average vaccination rate for the rest of Victoria in terms of people receiving their first jab is 42.58 per cent while the national average for those over 16 is 41.4 per cent. Bendigo in central Victoria, about a two hour drive north of Melbourne, with a population of 153,000 locals is among those leading the country in vaccination rates New figures reveal more than half - 52.6 per cent - of the eligible population in Bendigo, have received their first jab of a Covid-19 vaccine More than a quarter of Bendigo's resident's are also fully vaccinated at 25.1 per cent with local health bosses saying even more would be rolling up their sleeves for the jab if the supply was there. 'Our issue has never been about hesitancy because there's a whole lot of people who want to get the vaccine or will get it,' Bendigo Health chairman Bob Cameron told The Age. They key to the city's success seems to be a combination of trusted and efficient local health organisations, along with bringing workplaces on board and tailoring information campaigns to multicultural groups. A vaccine hub opened in the town in May and is capable of vaccinating up to 1,000 people a day with 80 car parking spaces nearby. 'The building used to be a supermarket and then it's been used as a call centre. So this is a perfectly suited location,' Bendigo East MP Jacinta Allan told the ABC. She said the central CBD location with public transport nearby would 'make it easy for people to come, get their vaccine dose and be part of the program to keep our community safe'. A vaccine clinic for the local community of Karen refugees from Burma (pictured) AUSTRALIA'S VACCINE ROLLOUT AT AUGUST 7 Per cent of the population over 16 who have had their first or second dose. AUSTRALIA first dose 43.60 second dose 21.95 ACT first dose 50.44 second dose 25.64 NSW first dose 45.46 second dose 22.29 NT first dose 44.16 second dose 26.83 QLD first dose 39.35 second dose 21.12 SA first dose 43.37 second dose 21.83 TAS first dose 50.48 second dose 27.20 VIC first dose 44.01 second dose 21.87 WA first dose 39.22 second dose 18.97 Advertisement The hub, currently delivering about 600 doses a day, is also the only place in central Victoria administering the Pfizer vaccine to eligible groups. About 6,000 doses have also been delivered by Bendigo Health's outreach program, mostly to workplaces and multicultural communities. Bendigo has a large Karen refugee population of more than 1,100 people or 375 families. Three vaccination clinics have been held with interpreters present at the town's Buddhist monastery for the ethnic group originating from Burma. 'Another successful COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic for the Karen community completed,' the health service wrote to Facebook on August 2. 'It's such an honour to help our refugee communities learn about and get the COVID-19 vaccine.' A Karen translator is on staff at Bendigo Community Health Services, and posts videos on the organisation's page explaining lockdown restrictions and the vaccine rollout in their language. There has also been a phone helpline setup to support the community by answering questions in the native language. 'The hotline plays a very important role in engaging people to come forward to have their vaccine,' refugee project worker Nido said. The local Afghan refugee community also has two similar clinics. Adding to Bendigo's impressive vaccination rates is the fact a large proportion of the local population works in the healthcare industry. Staff from Bendigo Community Health Service hold up an award for reaching 2,000 doses of Covid vaccine administered 'Everybody knows someone who works at the hospital or works in health and was involved in the second wave last year. I think that brings a realness and humanity to it,' Loddon Mallee Public Health Unit director Casey Nottage said. The other leading areas in Australia having at least one dose of the vaccine are the suburbs of North Sydney and Hornsby at 51.9 per cent. Darwin is at 43 per cent, South Adelaide at 46.1 per cent, and West Brisbane at 46.2 per cent. While in Tasmania, Hobart has a 50.8 vaccination rate for the first dose and inner Perth leads the way in WA at 48.9 per cent. Former nanny Louise Woodward has been pictured for the first time in years as it was revealed that Channel 4 are making a major documentary about her conviction for killing a baby. The 43-year-old whose case made headlines around the world in 1997, clutched her mobile phone in her hand as she left her home this morning. Dressed in blue top and a black cardigan, she placed her keys in her mouth while getting into her car in Bridgnorth, Shropshire. It is not known if Woodward now known by her married name Louise Elkes has been interviewed for the three-part documentary series which will reanalyse her case. While she is now a happily married mother with a seven-year-old daughter, there is still a huge amount of notoriety surrounding her case, and she remains a household name on both sides of the Atlantic. Former nanny Louise Woodward has been pictured for the first time in years as it was revealed that Channel 4 are making a major documentary about her conviction for killing a baby While she is now a happily married mother with a seven-year-old daughter, there is still a huge amount of notoriety surrounding her case, and she remains a household name on both sides of the Atlantic Woodward was aged just 19 when she was found guilty of the murder of eight-month-old Matthew Eappen while working as an au pair for his parents in the United States. Her conviction for second degree murder was reduced to involuntary manslaughter just ten days later, and she was freed after 278 days behind bars. 'Killer' nanny's controversial murder trial to be re-examined It was a murder trial that made headlines around the world, after a British teenage nanny was jailed over the death of an American infant in her care. In 1997, Louise Woodward, then 19, from Wirral, was found guilty by a jury of killing eight-month-old Matthew Eappen while working as an au pair for his family in Newton, Massachusetts. The baby died of brain injuries just 10 weeks after she started the job, with prosecutors alleging Matthew had shown classic symptoms of shaken baby syndrome. However, the defence team argued his death had been caused by an injury he sustained weeks before, and Woodward, who is now mother to her own young daughter and goes by Mrs Elkes after taking her husband's name, has always maintained her innocence. She was initially found guilty of second-degree murder and given a life sentence but after an appeal, her conviction was reduced just 10 days later to involuntary manslaughter and she was released after serving 279 days in jail. Now, the controversial trial is to be re-examined in a new three-part documentary titled Louise Woodward: Villain or Victim? by Channel 4, set to air later this year. Woodward was 18-years-old when she travelled 3,100 miles to work as an au pair for an agency in Boston after finishing her A-levels in 1996 and wanting to take a gap year. She was soon hired by Sunil and Deborah Eappen, both 30-year-old doctors, to take care of their young son Matthew. However within two months, the concerned parents reportedly cautioned Woodward against her late nights staying out and drew up a list of expectations in January 1997 to ensure the safety and well-being of our kids, according to the Irish Times. But on February 4, Woodward called an ambulance to the Eappens' home after Matthew stopped breathing and he was put on a life-support machine at Boston Children's Hospital. He died of a brain haemorrhage on February 10. Woodward was arrested five days earlier, with police saying she admitted to having shaken Matthew and thrown him on a pile of towels - but she pleaded not guilty to battery of a child. On March 5, a grand jury decided Woodward must face a murder charge, and in October that year, a jury finds her guilty of second-degree murder, with the British teenager collapsing into tears when the verdict is given. She was jailed for 15 years, but released after just 279 days when she won an appeal to reduce her conviction to involuntary manslaughter. During her trial Woodwards expressionless demeanour led to vitriolic criticism about her supposed coldness and lack of emotion. And feelings about the case still run high in America; a decade after her case Woodward was dubbed the most notorious criminal in Massachusetts by an American magazine - beating a drug dealer who had topped the FBIs most wanted list. Woodward has always maintained her innocence, and her claims have been backed by various medical experts in recent years. Advertisement Channel 4 is promising that its upcoming documentary called Louise Woodward: Villain or Victim? will provide fascinating insights into a trial that gripped the publics attention on both sides of the Atlantic. Woodward set her heart on a gap year adventure after finishing her A Levels in 1996 and left her family home in Elton, Cheshire, to travel 3,100 miles to the United States to work as an au pair. She was taken on by an agency in Boston, Massachusetts, and was initially placed with a family, but she left after reportedly becoming unhappy with the 11pm curfew they had placed on her. Woodward was then hired in November 1996 by Sunil and Deborah Eappen, both 30-year-old doctors, to care for their baby son Matthew at their home in Newton, Massachusetts. She was said to have been cautioned by the parents for staying out late within two months of taking on her role. The couple reportedly drew up a list of expectations which they presented to her in January 1997 to ensure the safety and well-being of their baby children. Woodward called an ambulance to their home four days later after Matthew stopped breathing while in her care. He was found to have a fractured skull, a fractured wrist and internal bleeding, and was put on a life support machine at Boston Childrens Hospital. Woodward was arrested and charged with battery of a child, but tragically the youngster died from a brain haemorrhage just six days after being admitted to hospital. Police charged Woodward with first degree murder after she allegedly told them that she had shaken Matthew and thrown him on a pile of towels. The prosecution claimed during her trial that she had killed the baby in a frustrated, unhappy and relentless rage. But her lawyers strongly rejected the claim and Woodward constantly insisted she was innocent while facing criticism that she appeared cold and remorseless. Woodward stated under cross examination that she had popped baby Matthew, rather than having dropped him as police officers had previously claimed. She admitted to having played a little roughly with him a few days earlier, and explained that to 'pop' was an English term meaning to lay or to place. Experts claimed that Matthew was a victim of Shaken Baby Syndrome where a baby suffers brain damage from being forcefully shaken, usually by someone in rage or frustration. But Woodwards defence team and brain surgeon Joseph Medsen argued that his death could have been due to a head injury suffered two weeks earlier. She wept as she was found guilty of a lesser second-degree murder charge in October 1997 before later being jailed for life and told to serve a minimum term of 15 years. Her mother Sue Woodward who had strongly supported her said outside the court: Theyve made a horrendous mistake and they need to put it right. It emerged two days after her conviction that jurors had been split before they finally found her guilty. One jury member disclosed at the time that none of the jurors thought she tried to murder Matthew. Woodwards conviction provoked a wave of sympathy for her plight in the UK and across the world, and well-wishers donated thousands of pounds to help her and her parents who had travelled to the US to support her. The jurys verdict was overturned by Judge Hiller Zobel ten days after she was sentenced to life in prison. The judge ruled instead that she was guilty of involuntary manslaughter and jailed her for 278 days the amount of time she had already spent behind bars. He said in his judgement: Viewing the evidence broadly, as I am permitted to do, I believe that the circumstances in which the Defendant acted were characterised by confusion, inexperience, frustration, immaturity, and some anger, but not malice (in the legal sense) supporting a conviction of second degree murder. Frustrated by her inability to quiet the crying child, she was `a little rough with him' under circumstances where another, perhaps wiser, person would have sought to restrain the physical impulse. The roughness was sufficient to start (or re-start) a bleeding that escalated fatally. The controversial trial is to be re-examined in a new three-part documentary titled Louise Woodward: Villain or Victim? by Channel 4, set to air later this year. Pictured, Woodward on trial Matthew (pictured) died of brain injuries just 10 weeks after Woodward started the au pair job Judge Zobel went on: The sad scenario is, in my judgement after having heard all the evidence and considered the interests of justice, most fairly characterised as manslaughter, not mandatory-life-sentence murder. I view the evidence as disclosing confusion, fright, and bad judgement, rather than rage or malice. Prosecutors insisted they would pull out every stop to get Woodward back behind bars, although her lawyers said the judgement represented total vindication. Judge Zobels decision was overturned in June 1998 after it was claimed that he had abused his statutory discretion. The case then went to the Supreme Court which upheld his verdict of involuntary manslaughter and the reduced sentence, which allowed Woodward to finally fly home. She continued to protest her innocence in a special edition of the flagship BBC programme Panorama when she talked to Martin Bashir who was recently discredited over the deceptions he used to secure his Princess Diana interview. Prosecutors claimed the baby showed classic symptoms of shaken baby syndrome - which was denied by Louise Woodward's team Woodward stated that she hoped to go to university and live an ordinary life, saying: Id like to do what any other 20-year-old would do, Id like to get a part-time job and just do normal things. She described her manslaughter conviction as a conviction I dont deserve, and said she held out hope that in time the truth will come out and she would be cleared of any wrongdoing. In a later interview, Woodward admitted to lightly shaking the unresponsive baby. Woodward went on to study law at London South Bank University where she graduated with a 2:2 (Hons) degree in July 2002. She began a training contract two-years-later with law firm Ainley North Halliwell, in Oldham Greater Manchester, describing her law career as a crusade. But she dropped out of the contract the following year to become a ballroom and Latin dance teacher in Chester. It was reported at the time that she wanted to release a series of instructional videos with her then boyfriend Richard Colley, a qualified dance instructor. Justice protest rallies followed in both the UK and US, on separate sides of the argument. Pictured, supporters of Louise Woodward marching through the village of Elton, Cheshire Woodward married truck hire company boss Anthony Elkes in May 2013 after moving to Bridgnorth and continuing her career as a dance teacher. Before her daughter was born, she told The Daily Mail: 'I know there are some people waiting for me to have a baby so they can say nasty things. 'It upsets me but that is not going to stop me leading my life. I am innocent. I have done nothing wrong. I am entitled to enjoy my life. I am not going to apologise for being happy.' After her pregnancy was announced, Matthew's aunt Mary Wong said she had a 'right to have a child', but called for her to take parenting classes and learn to control her temper. She said: 'For the sake of her family I hope her parenting skills have come a long way. I think that she needs to have parenting skills and support for her baby. I hope no harm comes to the child.' Feelings about Woodwards case still run high in America. A decade after her trial, she was named as the most notorious criminal in Massachusetts by Boston law magazine Exhibit A, beating a drug dealer who had topped the FBIs most wanted list. Her case was reported to have played a major part in ensuring that legislation to restore capital punishment in Massachusetts was defeated. The states House of Representatives was deadlocked 8080 on a bill to restart the practice in November 1997 before throwing it out One politician Rep. John P. Slattery said he switched from support to opposition of the bill because of the Woodward case. He said at the time that he didn't want to be the one lying in bed some night wondering if the wrong person is being put to death. Further doubt was cast on Woodwards conviction by Patrick Barnes, a paediatric radiologist at Stanford University, and a key prosecution witness in the trial. He said in 2011 that he would not give the same testimony today, claiming there had been a revolution in the understanding of head injuries in the past decade, partly due to advances in MRI brain scanning technology. He said it was now understood that other medical conditions could affect a baby's brain and look like findings that used to be attributed to Shaken Baby Syndrome or child abuse, such as infections and strokes. Councils could refuse to licence bars and clubs in a bid to reduce the number of alcohol-related hospital admissions. The Local Government Association (LGA) has called for the public health issue to be added to the factors councils consider when granting licences. It would see councils consider whether to grant a licence based on whether it would contribute to, or exacerbate, 'existing public health issues'. The LGA has also called for councils to have access to hospital admission and ambulance call-out data to make better informed licensing decisions. Councils could refuse to licence bars and clubs in a bid to reduce the number of alcohol-related hospital admissions Alcohol misuse is estimated to cost the NHS 3.5billion a year and there are fears consumption is on the rise due to 'lockdown drinking' Alcohol misuse is estimated to cost the NHS 3.5billion a year and there are fears consumption is on the rise due to 'lockdown drinking'. The LGA said additional costs caused by overconsumption fell on services, police, and businesses, the Telegraph reported. The LGA has also called for the possible spread of infectious diseases to be added to the list under public health as part of an overhaul of the the Licensing Act. Councils currently consider four issues - public safety, prevention of public nuisance, protection of children from harm, and the prevention of crime and disorder. The LGA said councils do not want to 'refuse every application' but highlighted the importance of being 'better prepared to deal with a future pandemic'. The Local Government Association (LGA) has called for the public health issue to be added to the factors councils consider when granting licences for bars and clubs Councils currently consider four issues when granting bar licences - public safety, prevention of public nuisance, protection of children from harm, and the prevention of crime and disorder Defending the call, LGA Chairman Nesil Caliskan said: 'Councils want to support businesses and enable them to be successful, but they also have a duty to protect their communities from infection and ill-health.' She added councils are currently discouraged from considering public health when granting licences. 'Being able to consider the public health impact of new licensed premises would allow them to take a more balance view in line with their other priorities such as creating vibrant and safe town centres and protecting people from harm', she added. The LGA also called for the Licensing Act to include provisions for action against premises which 'fail to protect the health of their communities'. It comes after it emerged in April pubs could be forced to slap calorie counts all alcoholic drinks as part of the Governments crackdown on obesity. Under plans being drawn up by Matt Hancocks Health Department, larger chains would need to disclose the amount of calories in every beer, wine and spirit ordered in their bars. The scheme, thought not to apply to local establishments, would see calories advertised on pump labels and menus at places like Greene King and Fullers. All alcohol sold in shops could also be legally-bound to publish the same information as well as a health warning in the latest bid to tackle Britain's obesity crisis. Documents in April revealed health chiefs want to force larger chains to disclose the amount of calories in every beer, wine and spirit ordered in their bars Liquid lunch! These friends wrap up in coats and perch on a table outside a pub in Bath on a Tuesday afternoon in April As well as details of how fattening the booze can be, the plans would additionally see labels include information on the dangers of drink-driving. Public health minister Jo Churchill is said to be arguing that around a twelfth of drinkers' calorie intake comes from alcohol and that the poorest and most overweight could be better off as a result. While ministers have not yet calculated the wider benefits to consumers, there are fears that the plans will strike a 92million blow to an industry already decimated by the Covid crisis over the last 12 months. Advertisement British fire experts have been sent to Greece to help tackle wildfires that are devastating the country, forcing thousands of tourists and locals to be evacuated. Teams from Merseyside, Lancashire, South Wales, London and West Midlands fire services will fly to Athens this weekend. The deployment follows a request from Home Secretary Priti Patel, who visited Greece this week. The teams sent by the National Fire Chiefs Council( NFCC) will be deployed alongside their Greek counterparts. Ms Patel said: 'I've seen first-hand this week the devastating wildfires ripping through Greece and the UK stands shoulder to shoulder with our Greek friends at this difficult time. 'I've asked the National Fire Chiefs Council to send out a specialist team to provide support in responding to this emergency. I am immensely grateful to the brave firefighters for stepping forward and volunteering to help and their expertise will be invaluable in supporting the Greek emergency services.' NFCC chairman Mark Hardingham said: 'The UK Fire and Rescue Service will be offering support to our colleagues in Greece, along with their communities who need assistance during these devastating wildfires. 'NFCC's national resilience function is in place to deploy both in the UK and overseas - and the team is highly skilled at responding to extreme events such as these. 'We can offer professional and technical skills to our fire family in Greece at a time when help is needed; it is ingrained in the professional nature of FRS staff to assist.' There were dramatic scenes as ferries evacuated 1,153 people from a seaside village and beaches on Evia after flames from a massive wildfire burning for days cut off all other means of escape. A fire threatening Athens' most important national park killed one volunteer firefighter, while at least 20 people have been injured in blazes during the country's worst heat wave in 30 years. At least 1,450 Greek firefighters were battling the infernos along with 15 aircraft, with reinforcements arriving from other countries, the fire service said, with the blazes set to continue over the weekend with strong winds and temperatures of up to 38C (100F). Greece and Turkey have been fighting devastating fires for more than a week as the region suffers its worst heatwave in decades - officials and experts linking such intense weather events to climate change. GREECE: Thousands of residents and tourists were evacuated from Thrakomakedones, north of Athens, early on Saturday as wildfires continued to spread across the country Thousands more tourists and residents have been evacuated across Greece as the country continues to be ravaged by wildfires during its worst heatwave in decades GREECE: A thick cloud of smoke and ash hung over Athens and the island of Evia, about 160km outside the capital, as forests fires that have already killed two people continued to rage on Saturday At least 1,450 Greek firefighters were battling the infernos along with 15 aircraft, with reinforcements arriving from other countries as blazes continued across Greece fanned by strong winds and hot weather GREECE: Residents helped firefighters overwhelmed by fast spreading wildfires as strong winds and hot weather continued into Saturday GREECE: A helicopter drops water over fire in Thrakomacedones area, in northern Athens, on Saturday after thousands of tourists and residents were evacuated overnight GREECE: Smoke rises over Thrakomakedones, near Mount Parnitha, north of Athens, on Saturday after wildfires burned through the night GREECE: Thousands of residents were evacuated from Evia Island as wildfires spread on Saturday. They are being houses in an sports hall in Chalkida in the island's capital Flames rise as a wildfire burns near the village of Metochi, on the island of Evia, Greece Forest firefighters operate during a wildfire in the area of Flabouri atop Parnitha mountain near Athens, Greece A firefighter from the 1st Special operations disaster management unit operate during a wildfire in the area of Flabouri atop Parnitha mountain near Athens, Greece ASikorsky S-64 Skycrane firefighting plane operates in the area of Flabouri atop Parnitha mountain near Athens, Greece Forest firefighters operate during a wildfire in the area of Flabouri atop Parnitha mountain near Athens, Greece A firefighter from the 1st Special operations disaster management unit operate during a wildfire in the area of Flabouri atop Parnitha mountain near Athens, Greece Firefighters from the 1st Special operations disaster management unit operate during a wildfire in the area of Flabouri atop Parnitha mountain near Athens, Greece Firefighters from the 1st Special operations disaster management unit operate during a wildfire in the area of Flabouri atop Parnitha mountain near Athens, Greece The Greek fire service said on Saturday blazes were raging in the Attica peninsula that includes Athens, in Evia, the country's second largest island and located east of the capital, and the Peloponnese region in the southwest. One of two people killed in Greece was named as Konstantinos Michalos, the president of the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He was found unconscious in a factory in Krioneri and was later confirmed dead in hospital. On Friday, a 38-year-old man from Ippokrateio, a town north of Athens that has been ravaged by the flames, died in hospital after being hit by a falling electric pole as he was riding a moped. A further 18 people have been injured, most with respiratory problems or minor burns, and two volunteer firefighters have been hospitalised in a critical condition, local media reported. It is the latest in a disaster that officials and experts have linked to increasingly frequent and intense weather events caused by climate change. A UN draft report seen by AFP has warned that the Mediterranean region, which it called a 'climate change hotspot,' will be hit by fiercer heatwaves, droughts and fires supercharged by rising temperatures. GREECE: Locals evacuated the suburb of Thrakomakedones, north of Athens, early on Saturday as wildfires that have been burning across the country for eleven days reached the town GREECE: A car is engulfed in flames as a wildfire rages in the suburb of Thrakomakedones, north of Athens, early on Saturday as the death toll from the blazes hit two GREECE: Firefighters tackled the wildfires into Friday night as thousands more tourists and residents were evacuated as the blazes continue to rage, fanned by strong winds GREECE: The Greek fire service said on Saturday blazes were raging in the Attica peninsula that includes Athens, in Evia, the country's second largest island and located east of the capital, and the Peloponnese region in the southwest GREECE: A further 18 people have been injured, most with respiratory problems or minor burns, and two volunteer firefighters have been hospitalised in a critical condition following wildfires At least 1,450 Greek firefighters were battling the infernos along with 15 aircraft, with reinforcements arriving from other countries, the fire service said, with the blazes set to continue over the weekend with strong winds and temperatures of up to 38C (100F) GREECE: Firefighters tackled wildfires burning in Thrakomacedones, north of Athens, on Saturday morning after they burned through the night helped by strong winds and hot weather GREECE: North of Athens, a fierce blaze tore through vast areas of pine forest, forcing yet more evacuations of villages overnight and blowing thick, choking smoke and ash all over the Greek capital GREECE: Part of a motorway linking Athens to the north of the country has been shut down as a precaution and migrant camps were evacuated GREECE: At least 1,450 Greek firefighters were battling the infernos along with 15 aircraft, with reinforcements arriving from other countries GREECE: A burnt out church is seen on the in Limni village on the island of Evia, about 160km outside Athens, as wildfires continue to ravage the country GREECE: Religious murals are seen in a burned church in Limni village on the island of Evia as wildfires, helped by strong winds and hot weather, continued to sweep the country GREECE: North of Athens, a fierce blaze tore through vast areas of pine forest, forcing yet more evacuations of villages overnight and blowing thick, choking smoke and ash all over the Greek capital GREECE: A firefighter tries to extinguish a burning embers on a house, in Thrakomacedones area on Saturday after blazes continued through the night TURKEY: An aerial picture shows burnt trees in a forest in Mugla district of Turkey as mass wildfires raged on into Saturday TURKEY: Firefighters battle a wildfire near Milas, Mugla, Turkey on Friday as blazes continue to ravage the south of the country, fanned by strong winds North of Athens, a fierce blaze tore through vast areas of pine forest, forcing yet more evacuations of villages overnight and blowing thick, choking smoke and ash all over the Greek capital. Part of a motorway linking Athens to the north of the country has been shut down as a precaution and migrant camps were evacuated. In the Evia village of Limni, more than 1,300 people fled the fires on ferry boats. Another 23 were evacuated Saturday morning from the beach at Rovies. Local authorities on the island called for more air support in the firefighting efforts. Images taken on the Greek island of Evia on Friday showed residents desperately making their way with their families to evacuation ferries to take them to safety. Images taken on the Greek island of Evia on Friday showed residents desperately making their way with their families to evacuation ferries to take them to safety GREECE: A mother carrying a young child makes her way onto an evacuation ferry in Greece earlier today as people are taken away from Limni village GREECE: People make their way onto a ferry during an evacuation from Kochyli beach as a wildfire approaches the village of Limni earlier today GREECE: Flames rise high in the sky near the Greek village of Kirinthos, on the island of Evia as firefighters block the road Around 5,000 tourists and residents were also forced to flee another fire in the Peloponnese region. Eleni Drakoulakou, the mayor of of East Mani, told ERT TV on Saturday that 50 percent of the Peloponnese town has been burnt, blaming a lack of water-dropping air support during the critical first hours of the wildfire. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Saturday pledged the swift restoration of the affected areas. 'The burnt areas will be marked out for reforestation,'he told reporters. 'When this nightmarish summer ends we will reverse the damage as soon as possible'. The ANA news agency said two people were held on suspicion of arson. In Athens, police arrested a woman in a park on Friday as she was carrying two lighters, petrol and flammable materials, a few minutes after a fire broke out there. Authorities have banned visits to parks and forests through Greece, according to ANA. Meanwhile, a 43-year-old man was arrested in the area of Krioneri near Athens and charged with arson, according to ANA. GREECE: Officials help carry a woman onto the evacuation ferry on the island of Evia today as evacuations from wildfire-hit areas continues GREECE: Large numbers of people were helped onto an evacuation ferry on the Greek island of Evia this evening as officials attempt to move residents of Lemni village to safety before a wildfire reaches the area Fires raging in Greece claimed their first two lives today during a punishing heatwave, while devastating wildfires in neighbouring Turkey piled pressure on the Turkish government. Pictured: A man tries to extinguish a wildfire in the village of Akcayaka in Turkey earlier today Greece and Turkey have been fighting blaze upon blaze over the past week, hit by the region's worst heatwave in decades, a disaster that officials and experts have linked to increasingly frequent and intense weather events caused by climate change. Pictured: Flames burn through a forest in Akcayaka in Turkey earlier today A 38-year-old man from Ippokrateio, a town north of Athens hit by giant flames, died in hospital on Friday after being hit by a falling electric pole as he was riding a moped, the health ministry said. Pictured: People attempt to fight the wild flames spreading towards their village in Turkey earlier today In the nearby town of Krioneri, Konstantinos Michalos, the president of the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was found unconscious in a factory and was transported to hospital where he was also confirmed dead, a hospital source said. Pictured: A man holds a hand up to his head with the wildfire burning fiercely ahead of him in Turkey earlier today In Turkey, some eight people have been killed and dozens more hospitalised during 10 days of fire. 'Our country is facing an extremely critical situation,' Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. 'We're facing unprecedented conditions after several days of heatwave have turned the country into a powder keg.' Meanwhile, 18 people have been injured in Greece, most with respiratory problems or minor burns. Two volunteer firefighters have been hospitalised in a critical condition, local media reported. Pictured: People work to try and extinguish the wild fires in Turkey earlier today In Turkey, some eight people have been killed and dozens more hospitalised during 10 days of fire. Pictured: People work together to try and put out the spreading wildfires in Turkey earlier today North of Athens, a fierce blaze tore through vast areas of pine forest, forcing yet more evacuations of villages overnight and blowing thick, choking smoke all over the Greek capital on Friday. Text alerts were sent out to people in Athens warning of 'extreme fire danger in the coming days'. In the small town of Afidnes, 30 kilometres (12 miles) north of the capital, firefighters were seen standing on their truck in the dead of night, dousing flames that leapt high above them. In the morning, the fires had left desolation in their wake - burnt cars, trees, and houses destroyed. In nearby Krioneri, the fire scorched homes, businesses and factories. 'The fire is uncontrollable,' said resident Vassiliki Papapanagiotis. 'I don't want to leave, my whole life is here.' GREECE: Exhausted firefighters take a break in the Afidnes area in northern Athens after having battled wildfires which continue to spread GREECE: One firefighter in northern Athens seeks shelter from the sun beneath a rucksack as he takes a break from battling the wildfires GREECE: A helicopter helping to battle the wildfires drops water on a burning forest in northern Athens, after residents were evacuated from their homes as the blazes continue to spread Part of a motorway linking Athens to the north of the country has been shut down as a precaution. Around 5,000 residents and tourists were evacuated in the southern Peloponnese town of Gytheio, the ERT channel reported. Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias said that out of 99 fires reported on Thursday, 56 were still active. At least 450 Greek firefighters were fighting the blaze, along with water-dropping air support and reinforcements from France, Switzerland, Romania, Sweden, Israel and Cyprus. In Turkey, 208 fires have flared up since July 28, and 12 were still ablaze on Friday, according to the presidency. In one particularly critical event earlier this week, winds whipped up a flash fire that subsumed the grounds of an Aegean coast power plant in Turkey storing thousands of tonnes of coal. Text alerts were sent out to people in Athens warning of 'extreme fire danger in the coming days'. Pictured: An aerial picture shows smike rising from a ravaged area of a burned village called Ikizce in Turkey earlier today More evacuations took place on Friday in five Turkish provinces, including tourist hotspots Antalya and Mugla, according to NTV. Pictured: An aerial shot captures the devastation caused by wildfires in the Mugla district of Turkey, earlier today GREECE: A burnt Greek Orthodox chapel on the island of Evia, north of Athens, lies in ruin after wildfires tore through the building GREECE: A group of people sit on the beach as wildfire approaches the village of Limni on the island of Evia earlier today More evacuations took place on Friday in five Turkish provinces, including tourist hotspots Antalya and Mugla, according to NTV. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has come under withering criticism for being slow or unwilling to accept some offers of foreign assistance after revealing that Turkey had no functioning firefighting planes. The Turkish government is also facing pressure after the opposition referred to a report which showed only a fraction of the budget for forest fire prevention had been spent. The General Directorate of Forestry (OGM) spent only 1.75 percent of nearly 200 million Turkish lira ($23 million) allocated for forest fires in the first six months of 2021, main opposition party MP Murat Emir said, referring to numbers apparently from the state agency's own report. 'This is a situation that one could go as far as to describe as treachery,' he told AFP. Extreme fires like those in Greece and Turkey will become even worse, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned in a draft report due out next year seen by AFP. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has come under withering criticism for being slow or unwilling to accept some offers of foreign assistance after revealing that Turkey had no functioning firefighting planes. Pictured: Flames tear through the village of Ikizce in Turkey earlier today The Turkish government is also facing pressure after the opposition referred to a report which showed only a fraction of the budget for forest fire prevention had been spent. Pictured: The front of the wildfires in Turkey's Mugla region continue to rage, earlier today TURKEY: Firefighters look off into the distance to plan on how to extinguish a wildfire near Ikizce, a village in Mugla province, Turkey, earlier today 'Climate change is forcing Mediterranean landscapes into a flammable state more regularly by drying out vegetation and priming it to burn,' said Matthew Jones, research fellow at the University of East Anglia's Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. It comes after firefighters last night battled to bring under control two massive blazes which raged near the ancient site of Olympia, on the western Peloponnese peninsula, and on the island of Evia, around 100 miles north of Athens. Around 200 firefighters, 50 fire trucks, six helicopters and water-bombing planes were sent to douse fires encircling the archeological site where the Olympics were first held in 776 B.C. Thousands more people were fleeing to safety as a wildfire north of Athens caused the shutdown of major motorways as firefighters sought to prevent the blaze from reaching houses, power plants and historic sites. On Evia, the Greek coast guard rallied an flotilla of patrol boats and private vessels to evacuate hundreds of residents and vacationers by sea after several fires combined to block land routes off the island. In Turkey, eight people have been killed in the fires which have ripped through the country's southwestern coastal regions, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people including tourists and briefly threatening to engulf a power plant. GREECE: People swim in the sea off the island of Evia, north of Athens, on Tuesday as a fire rages in the hills above their coastal villas. The Greek coast guard rallied an flotilla of patrol boats and private vessels to evacuate hundreds of residents and vacationers by sea after several fires combined to block land routes off the island. TURKEY: A rescuer carries an old woman away from her home as the Milas district of Mugla province was evacuated due to fires TURKEY: A helicopter dumps water onto the burning forests in Mugla. In coastal Mugla province, where the tourist destinations of Bodrum and Marmaris are located, fires continued to burn in three areas on Friday, officials said. GREECE: An aircraft drops water during a wildfire in Kryoneri area, northern Athens on Thursday GREECE: A firefighter douses flames from the top of a truck as a fire spreads around the village of Afidnes, some 20 miles north of Athens Deadly wildfires in Greece and Turkey have forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes as a relentless heatwave continues to spark infernos in tinder-dry forests In coastal Mugla province, where the tourist destinations of Bodrum and Marmaris are located, fires continued to burn in three areas on Friday, officials said. Blazes in Marmaris were largely contained by Friday, according to its mayor. Fires also raged in some districts of Antalya province, another tourism spot. Mamaris hit a record 114F (45.5C) this week amid growing evidence of what scientists say is man-made climate change. Strong winds drove one of the fires toward the compound of the coal-fueled Kemerkoy power plant near the town of Milas, in Mugla province late on Wednesday, forcing nearby residents to flee in navy vessels and cars. It was contained on Thursday after raging for some 11 hours and officials said its main units were not damaged. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis last night gave a televised address to lament 'the reality of climate change' as he vowed that his government was doing everything in its power to prevent loss of life and damage to property. 'Unfortunately, under these circumstances, achieving all these aims at the same time is simply impossible,' he added. Several firefighters and volunteers were hospitalized with burns, health officials said. Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias said nine people had been taken by ambulance to hospitals in Athens from the fire north of the Greek capital, three of them suffering breathing problems, while 11 more were being treated in a health center on Evia. 'We are going through the 10th day of a major heat wave affecting our entire country, the worst heat wave in terms of intensity and duration of the last 30 years,' Fire Service Brig. Gen. Aristotelis Papadopoulos said. GREECE: Firemen battle to extinguish a wildfire in the area of Skepasti in Evia island GREECE: A desperate battle to save Greek villages continued through the night with those who did not flee helping emergency crews GREECE: Some residents of Afidnes, around 30km (18.6miles) north of Athens stayed behind to assist emergency crews as fires ravaged tree-covered hills into the night GREECE: Emergency services lined the streets as enormous flames lit up the night in an orange glow GREECE: A burnt hotel during a wildfire in Lalas village, near Olympia town, western Greece, Thursday GREECE: A burnt hotel during a wildfire in Lalas village, near Olympia town, western Greece, Thursday GREECE: A wildfire approaches the Olympic Academy in ancient Olympia in western Greece on Wednesday night At least three significant fires were burning, on the island of Evia, in southern Greece and on the outskirts of Athens where a major forest blaze rekindled, and at Olympia where people have been ordered to evacuate. No deaths or severe injuries have been reported, but there has been widespread destruction to buildings and to Greece's quick-shrinking forests In the Drosopigi area north of Athens, resident Giorgos Hatzispiros went Friday morning to check on his house after being ordered to evacuate the previous afternoon. Only the charred walls of the single-story home remained, along with his two children's bicycles, somehow unscathed in a storeroom. Inside, smoke rose from a still-smoldering bookcase. 'Nothing is left,' Hatzispiros said. He urged his mother, who was accompanying him, to leave, to spare her the sight of their destroyed home. In southern Greece, nearly 60 villages and settlements were evacuated Thursday and early Friday, with weather conditions expected to worsen as strong winds were predicted in much of the country. Fires were raging on the island of Evia, northeast of Athens, and at multiple locations in the southern Peloponnese region where a blaze was stopped before reaching monuments at Olympia, birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games. A summer palace outside Athens once used by the former Greek royal family was also spared. TURKEY: Health officials help out people to be evacuated due to approaching fire that broke out in Milas district of Mugla province on Thursday TURKEY: Ground and aerial fire extinguishing operations continue to contain the fire in Milas district of Mugla TURKEY: Flames illuminate the sky as people in Yumakli area evacuated due to an approaching fire in Mugla's Mentese district TURKEY: A Turkish volunteer runs as they head to fight wildfires in Turgut village, near tourist resort of Marmaris, Mugla TURKEY: People watch an advancing fire that rages Cokertme village, near Bodrum TURKEY: Ground and aerial fire extinguishing operations continue to contain the fire in Milas district of Mugla TURKEY: Ground and aerial fire extinguishing operations continue to contain the fire in Milas district of Mugla In Evia, the coast guard said its patrol boats, private vessels and tourist boats had evacuated 631 people overnight and by early Friday morning from beaches on the northeastern coast of the island. Coast guard patrols were continuing along the coast. Fire crews, water-dropping planes, helicopters and vehicles from France, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland were arriving Friday and through the weekend to help. Fire crews and planes from Cyprus were already in Greece, as the European Union stepped up support to fire-hit countries in southeast Europe. More than 1,000 firefighters, joined by the army and teams of volunteers, as well as nearly 20 water-dropping planes and helicopters were fighting five major fires across the country, the fire department said. A heatwave described as Greece's worst since 1987 has baked the country for more than a week, sending temperatures spiralling to 45 degrees Celsius (113 F) and creating tinder-dry conditions in shrubland and forests. Nearby countries are battling similar conditions, fuelling wildfires in North Macedonia and blazes in Italy and across the Mediterranean region. Officials in Albania said one person died of smoke inhalation this week near the southern city of Gjirokaster. Advertisement Holidaymakers returning from Mexico spoke of their anger at having to spend thousands of pounds to flee the country before it is placed on the red list and forcing them to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days. Many had cut short dream trips to the popular tourist destination of Cancun and spoke of the panic to try and book one of the few remaining airline seats to the UK before Sundays 4am deadline. Clutching a Sombero hat as a memento of her visit Zoe Evans said she was absolutely gutted at having to end her holiday to make sure she would not have to spend ten days at an airport hotel in self isolation. With her son Daniel, 28, and his girlfriend, they had paid 2,100 to make sure they were on one of the last British Airways flights back to Gatwick Airport. When we tried to book the flight home the price was an extra 500 and then suddenly it went up to more than a 1,000 each, said Zoe, 50. We were able to get three tickets for 700 each. We only lost one day of our holiday but I could not afford to spend 10 days in an hotel in quarantine as I have business to run. Brits on the last flight from Cancun revealed their anger at having to cut their dream trips short and fork out thousands for tickets to beat tomorrow's 4am red list deadline. Zoe Evans holiday with son Daniel and his girlfriend Elena Alberghini was cut short by one day (pictured wearing sombreros in Gatwick airport) It was a real panic to get on the flight as I knew I could not afford to miss another ten days of work. Elena Aberghini, 26, said she had been sad to end her holiday early and said there had been an anxious wait to see if they could get on the British Airways flight. It was touch and go if we could get a ticket. The price kept on going up all the time. Advertising executive Peter Howlett, 53, cut short his planned five week stay in Mexico to spend time with his wife Ivonnes family. He said: We had intended to spend five weeks in Mexico, but had only been there two weeks when we heard the announcement that it was on the red list Like many others I had to re-book the tickets. It just seems incredible that people have been given three days notice to get out of the country. I had to get back as I have to work and could not afford to spend my time in a hotel in quarantine. Peter, from Herne Hill, south London, said many others of BA2022 from Cancun had similar tales of a mad rush to make sure they could secure a flight home. Peter Howlett, 53, cut short his planned five week stay in Mexico to spend time with his wife Ivonnes family. Pictured: Peter, wife Ivonne and their daughter Many had cut short dream trips to the popular tourist destination of Cancun and spoke of the panic to try and book one of the few remaining airline seats to the UK before Sundays 4am deadline. Pictured: People arrive back to the UK at Gatwick airport from Mexico Students William Coatman and his girlfriend Demee Elliott paid 2,000 to guarantee a ticket on the BA flight. I think everyone who has had to come home is angry, It just seems so unnecessary and there did not need to be the panic that was caused. We had been travelling around Mexico for six weeks, We were due to fly back on Thursday, but cannot afford to pay over 2,000 for a stay in a hotel here in the UK. Luckily we had managed to get most of our trip completed, but Im not happy at having to pay out all that money to come home early. Other passengers were scathing of the Governments decision to put Mexico on the red list over fears of the spread of the virus. It just makes me so angry, said a holidaymaker in her 50s. Holidaymakers embraced other as they arrived back in the UK from their trip to Mexico and spoke of their anger at having to spend thousands of pounds to flee the country Students William Coatman and his girlfriend Demee Elliott (pictured) paid 2,000 to guarantee a ticket on the BA flight I just dont get it why Mexico has been singled out. Everyone we spoke to, all the taxi drivers, have been vaccinated. I felt very safe. There just does not seem to be any reason why Mexico had suddenly gone on the red list. It is a bit like the decision to stop people travelling to France by making them isolate when they came back. Why did they have to give just a few days' notice. If they had said there is a week to return it would have made it much simpler. An estimated 5,000 British holidaymakers are thought to be in Mexico, with the resort of Cancun a favoured destination. British Airways has scheduled extra flights to bring home holidaymakers before the 4am deadline on Sunday. There are two remaining flights out of Mexico - one at 2.25am from Mexico City and another at 3.05am from Cancun. One flight that was due to land past the 4am deadline has had it landing time brought forward so it touches down at Gatwick 55 minutes before travellers have to comply with the red list rules. An estimated 5,000 British holidaymakers are thought to be in Mexico, with the resort of Cancun a favoured destination. Pictured: Holidaymakers enter Gatwick Airport after landing from Mexico One flight that was due to land past the 4am deadline has had it landing time brought forward so it touches down at Gatwick 55 minutes before travellers have to comply with the red list rules. Pictured: Arrivals from Mexico in Gatwick today The BA flight arriving at Gatwick was a scheduled service and was packed with every seat taken, according to passengers. One said: There were many on the flight who had already been booked to leave, but there were others just relived to be getting out. People were swapping stories and I was told there was one couple who had only been in Mexico about two days when they decided to leave. It is crazy, and I dont know how the Government get away with messing people around so much. They really do not want anyone to go on holiday. A businessman who gave his name as Foud said he had paid 1,000 to leave Cancun and return to his home in London. A businessman who gave his name as Foud (pictured) said he had paid 1,000 to leave Cancun and return to his home in London The BA flight arriving at Gatwick was a scheduled service and was packed with every seat taken, according to passengers. Pictured: Arrivals from Mexico in Gatwick Airport today I had originally planned to fly back through Canada, but then a seat came up on the BA flight so I decided to pay the 1,000 for the ticket. I cannot afford to be off work for 10 days and the thought of staying in a hotel with the rubbish food did not appeal to me. Foud, who works in investment, said he had cut his holiday short by two days. I just dont get it. Im double jabbed and so were most people I met in Mexico, What is the problem,? Are we ever going to get back to normal and just live with the virus or keep on running away all the time. Mother of two Alice Langmead said she was relieved to have left Cancun as the thought of spending two weeks in an airport hotel with her two children filled her with dread. I have seen the stories and seen pictures of the food, and I could just not stand that. I think it us cruel to be forced to stay in a hotel room for 10 days when they could easily just get people to stay at home and get tested every day, Mother of two Alice Langmead said she was relieved to have left Cancun as the thought of spending two weeks in an airport hotel with her two children filled her with dread. Pictured: Arrivals from Mexico in Gatwick Airport today It makes me so angry that people are still having their lives disrupted so much. British Airways has slashed ticket prices from Mexico to London to just 257 as thousands of Britons are scrambling to get home before 4am on Sunday to avoid a ten-day stay in a UK quarantine hotel costing 1,750 per person. The airline has cut the prices of two flights landing at London Gatwick at 12.35am and 3.05am on Sunday, just hours before the 4am deadline, to a mere 257 'rescue fare' amid the rush for Britons to return home. Around 6,000 panicked British holidaymakers scrambling to get home before 4am on Sunday, when Mexico will be placed on the red list, to avoid a ten-day stay in a UK quarantine hotel costing 1,750 per person. To make matters worse, the cost of hotel quarantine will increase from August 12, with the price for single adult travellers rising from 1,750 to 2,285 and a second adult paying 1,430 more than double the current rate of 650. British Airways slashed the prices of their tickets from Mexico to London to just 257 as thousands of Britons are scrambling to get home before 4am on Sunday. The flights are advertised at 95 ($140), totalling 257 with tax added at checkout As well as slashing the costs of the flights arriving in on Sunday morning, British Airways raised the costs of other available flights from 800 to around 1,000 while rebooking existing customers. Pictured: Passengers arrive at Heathrow on Friday The decision to place Mexico on the red list also reflects worries about a new variant which originated in Colombia and which has concerned British scientists. On the British Airways website, the two last Saturday night flights are advertised at just 95, with this cost rising to a total of 257 after tax is added, a considerable discount from the usual 800 fares. A source told MailOnline: 'We want to help other people who are stranded so rolled out a rescue fare.' As well as slashing the costs of the flights arriving in the early hours of Sunday morning, British Airways also raised the costs of other available flights from 800 to around 1,000 while rebooking existing customers. Before cutting the costs, the airline raised the flight prices to make sure the customer service teams could rebook existing passengers free of charge, without the seats being snatched up by other eager travellers looking for a bargain trip. The British Airways flight from Cancun arriving in Gatwick at 3.05am was originally due to land at 9am on Sunday, after the 4am deadline, but the airline altered the arrival time in a bid to get customers home before the cut-off time. Around 6,000 UK holidaymakers are scrambling to get home before 4am on Sunday, when Mexico will be placed on the red list, to avoid a ten-day stay in a quarantine hotel costing 1,750 per person. Pictured: Passengers arrive at Heathrow on Friday A spokesperson for British Airways said: 'We have kept our prices on rescue flights from Cancun to London higher than usual over the last day or two, to allow our customer service teams time to prioritise and re-book as many of our existing British Airways and BA Holidays customers free of charge, as possible. 'We still have two flights scheduled to land into Gatwick tomorrow which are timed to arrive before the Government's 4am deadline and there are some seats available. 'We would like to now help as many Britons as possible to get home to the UK, so we have introduced an emergency 'rescue fare' dropped to the lowest possible price to cover our costs. 'Our remaining seats are now selling on our website for $358 (equivalent to 257 approximately).' Meanwhile, a nurse today revealed how her dream 8,000 holiday to Cancun turned to disaster as she landed in Mexico after other panicked passengers told her the Government had decided to turn the country red as they crossed the Atlantic. Speaking from Cancun, where she is with her family, Mrs Dean told Good Morning Britain: 'There was nothing to suggest that Mexico would be going on the red list and we found out after a really long flight from other passengers. It was complete devastation'. The airline has cut the prices of two flights landing at London Gatwick at 12.35am and 3.05am on Sunday, just hours before the 4am deadline, to a mere 257 'rescue fare' amid the rush for Britons to return home (stock image) When asked if she had taken the risk to go abroad on holiday she said: 'I understand, but we've had this holiday booked for over a year and have been keeping an eye on the situation daily in terms of cases. Yes we could have gone closer to home but this was our dream holiday and there was nothing to suggest this would happen'. Her young son Jack said: 'I was in complete shock. Before that I was really excited'. Aaron Stewart, from Glasgow, is in Mexico City with his wife and newborn baby until August 20 - but says the rule change means he is stuck. Mr Stewart, a self-employed networking engineer, told the i newspaper: 'It's time that I can't take off work because it's going to cost me much more than that figure. I might have to pay clients back, and I'm talking about 10,000 here. Or I just hang out in Mexico and hope that the restrictions might be lifted.' He added: 'The whole thing's absolutely ridiculous and I am so bitterly angry because there's no logic in this whatsoever'. British Airways said its teams had been 'working through the night to arrange as many additional seats out of Mexico as possible to help get Britons home'. But there is unlikely to be enough seats for all those desperate to return as is the case of trust officer Claudia Rattray. Mrs Rattray, 44, told of 'shock and devastation' after landing in Mexico to discover the country had been placed on the red list while she was flying. She and her daughters Ivanna, 15, and Summer, 14, had travelled from their home in Jersey in order to visit family. She said: 'My husband spoke to British Airways to see if we were able to get flights for tonight or tomorrow... and there's no seats available, nothing.' Rebecca Dean and her family are among the thousands of British holidaymakers now scrambling to get home before 4am on Sunday to avoid a ten-day stay in a UK quarantine hotel Pictured: Claudia Rattray talks to BBC via video alongside her daughters. Claudia and her two daughters arrived in Mexico city today to learn the country had been upgraded to the red list Ayo Faley (left), a call handler of NHS Test and Trace in London, arrived in Cancun, Mexico, on Thursday morning for her holiday, and plans to continue her trip as planned and pay for quarantine when she returns to the UK. Aaron (right) is relocating his family to Edinburgh in late August and will now have to pay for them all to quarantine on arrival Covid test centers are seen around the Mexican resorts of Tulum and Cancun as the UK is set to place the country on its red list from Sunday. Welcome home: Families reunited at Heathrow today as thousands race home to the UK to beat Sunday's 4am deadline after which they would be forced to stay for 10 days in a quarantine hotel at a cost of up to 2,285 Thousands of British holidaymakers in Mexico are scrambling to get home after travel restrictions changed at short notice. From 4am on Sunday, those returning home from Mexico will have to quarantine in a designated hotel for ten days. UK delayed asking EU to accept NHS vaccine passport app By DAILY MAIL REPORTER UK tourists may face further travel issues in Europe this summer after officials waited until last week to ask the EU to accept the NHS vaccine passport app. UK diplomats in Brussels have been briefing for weeks that both sides were edging closer to a deal. But senior European Commission sources said that Britain only formally applied for the app to be recognised across the 27-member bloc on July 28. It should take a few weeks for the process to be completed, but I have no crystal ball, said one EU official. A British government spokesman refused to deny the July 28 date. EU certificates are not automatically available to UK nationals due to Brexit. A deal with the EU executive would legally oblige all 27 EU countries to recognise the NHS Covid app, with Britain accepting the EUs digital Covid certificate in return. The UK Government said there were constructive technical talks between our experts and the EU before the application. Advertisement The cost of a flight back to Britain was being sold for between 2,000 and 4,000 yesterday as many tried to beat the deadline. There are between 5,000 and 6,000 British holidaymakers in Mexico currently. In a further blow, the cost of hotel quarantine will increase from August 12, with the price for single adult travellers rising from 1,750 to 2,285 and a second adult paying 1,430 more than double the current rate of 650. One couple have been forced to cut their honeymoon from two weeks to two days. Student Joe Coward, 29, said: 'We feel... incredibly sad and frustrated that the time that should've been spent enjoying being newlyweds has been ruined.' NHS worker Ayo Faley, 24, also only discovered she had just three days left to return home to avoid quarantine after landing in Cancun yesterday. She said she was 'absolutely distraught' but plans to complete her holiday. She asked: 'How are [the Government] planning to help individuals who have found themselves in a situation like this?' Claire, 30, from south London, said: 'I had access to the Wifi so I found out in mid air. 'I just wanted to grab the tannoy and tell everyone because I could see all these families looking forward to their holiday and it was obvious they didn't know. 'It's crazy the lack of notice. I had no inkling Mexico was about to go on the red list.' Another tweeted: 'Landing in Mexico to find out it's been added to the red list whilst I was up in the air, has got to be one of the worst things I've ever experienced.' Father-of-two David Hing, 40, arrived in Mexico with his wife and children aged four and seven on July 31. They were supposed to stay until August 21 - five days before the travel list is looked at again. Mr Hing told MailOnline: 'We knew the risks and while at the moment it seems like a bad dream and is very stressful and I've been up all night looking at alternative options, we are just going to try to enjoy the holiday. 'It broke my heart when my two little ones said they wanted to stay on holiday and would lend us money if we needed it. 'The notice period doesn't really give long enough to make changes especially when it's hard to get through and talk to anyone at the airlines. The slog back home: Grant Shapps said up to 6,000 Britons are currently in Mexico, after ministers warned they would place the country onto its travel red-list at 4am on Sunday. Those who have received both doses have unrestricted entry - meaning they do not have to quarantine or provide a negative test result - when travelling to Germany, France, Spain, Latvia, Romania and Georgia. But those who are not double-jabbed are still subject to some regulations upon arrival and, in the cases of Germany and Slovakia, can be denied entry The price of the only direct flight from Mexico City to London before Mexico moves to the red list has soared to a staggering 6,878 'The images of the food and hotels do not seem like they are worth the cost so that's why we are going to try and fly back somewhere else first. I feel sorry for the people who were already on the flight from the UK and hope they can make alternative arrangements.' A young couple cut short their honeymoon in Mexico from two weeks to two days, after they discovered the new restrictions upon landing in Mexico early on Thursday morning. Joe Coward, 29, said: 'Basically we touched down to find that our two-week honeymoon, which had already been rearranged several times, was going to be a two-day visit. We've arranged a flight for tomorrow and will be spending today getting ready to turn right around and go home.' Mexico is in the grip of a third wave of Covid and on Wednesday another 611 deaths were reported taking the total number of deaths due to the virus to 242,547. Another 611 deaths were also reported and the country has recorded a total of 2,901,094 infections and 242,547 deaths. The government has said the real number of cases is likely significantly higher, and separate data published recently suggested the actual death toll is at least 60% above the confirmed figure. Seven European countries: Austria, Germany , Latvia, Norway, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia will turn green from Sunday 4am. India , Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will switch from red to amber, meaning arrivals from those countries will no longer have to spend 11 nights at pricey quarantine hotels; But Mexico, Georgia and the French overseas territories of La Reunion and Mayotte are joining the red list. Up to 6,000 Brits are on holiday in Mexico and now scrambling to get back this weekend to avoid quarantine hotels - with not enough seats to get them home; Hotel quarantine costs are to soar to more than 200 a night from a week today. From next Thursday, the price will jump to 2,285 for a single person. Additional adults and teenagers will be charged 1,430 more than double the current 650 rate; The decision to place Mexico on the red list also reflects worries about a new variant which originated in Colombia and which has concerned British scientists. Passengers arriving from Mexico City at Heathrow Terminal 5 today slammed the new rules. Leidy Corrales, 35, a dental assistant, who was travelling back to Switzerland from Playa de Carmen in Mexico, said: 'I'm travelling back to Geneva with my two children Joshua and Carla and my husband. 'Putting Mexico on the red list is not logical because when you go there, everything is normal, they are taking all the same protections - masks, hand sanitisation and social distancing. 'The quarantine costs are just unreasonable - I think when people go on holiday, they should just have to do two tests and only quarantine if it's positive. 'Mexico is a tourist hotspot and people here like going to hot places, but the government doesn't want people to go on holiday, they want to control them. 'It's like a dictatorship of security in a democracy, because they keep changing the rules and no-one can afford that.' Her husband Denys added: 'We're so happy to have been able to enjoy our holiday without having to pay for a hotel on the way back, thank God.' Changing travel rules: What you need to know There have been more changes to the rules for international travel, with some popular destinations climbing the ladder to the green list and others sliding down on to the red. The Government has also hiked the price of hotel quarantine, meaning a trip to a red list country is a pricey affair. Here is the state of play for your summer holidays. Is there any good news? Seven countries will be added to England's green travel list from 4am on Sunday, the Government announced on Wednesday. Anyone returning from Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Latvia, Romania and Norway will no longer need to quarantine on arrival. France has also lost its confusing 'amber plus' status, which meant all travellers and not just those who are not fully vaccinated had to self-isolate for 10 days upon return. Our nearest neighbour had been in a category all by itself because of concerning levels of the beta variant of Covid-19 there. Is that it? Sadly yes, but it just got slightly easier to visit India, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as they have been downgraded from the red to the amber list, meaning arrivals will no longer have to spend 11 nights in a quarantine hotel. There are currently 24 countries on the green list, including the popular holiday destinations of Barbados, Croatia and Malta - unfortunately 16 of these are on the 'green watch list' meaning they could be suddenly be shunted up to amber. Australia and New Zealand are both unambiguously green - unfortunately neither are welcoming British travellers at the moment. Has anyone joined the red list? Yes - Mexico, Georgia and the French overseas territories of La Reunion and Mayotte are joining the red list. If you have a holiday to one of those destinations already booked and want to press ahead, bear in mind the cost for solo travellers in a quarantine hotel in England will be ramped up from 1,750 to 2,285 from August 12. The charge for an additional adult sharing a room will more than double from 650 to 1,430 to 'better reflect the increased costs involved', the Government said. Is my trip to Spain safe? There were fears in the travel industry that Spain - the most popular overseas destination for UK holidaymakers - could be added to England's red list. The Government announced it would keep its amber status, but urged travellers arriving in the UK from Spain to take a PCR test for the mandatory pre-departure test 'as a precaution against the increased prevalence of the virus and variants in the country'. Many travellers have been relying on the cheaper lateral flow test kits which are less reliable than PCRs. Things keep changing - what do I have to do when I get home again? There are different rules for countries on the red, amber and green lists that also differ according to a traveller's vaccination status. Passengers to England returning from a red list country must have proof of a negative Covid-19 test before departure and must book a hotel quarantine package including two Covid-19 tests even if they have had both jabs. They must also complete a passenger locator form. If you have come from an amber list country, you need proof of a negative test before travel and those who are not fully vaccinated must self-isolate 10 days upon arrival and take a PCR test on day two and day eight. You might be able to get out of quarantine early if you pay for a private PCR test to be taken on day five under the Test to Release scheme. Those with two vaccines only need to take a PCR test on day two of their arrival and can skip self-isolation - the same rules apply to those who are under the age of 18 regardless of their vaccination status. Anyone returning from a green list country need only have proof of a negative Covid-19 test before travel, fill in a passenger locator form and take a test on day two after arrival. Do these changes apply elsewhere in the UK? The devolved nations have control over their own amber, red and green lists of countries as well as the rules around quarantine upon return, and the recent changes have attracted criticism from some quarters. The Welsh Government is still advising against 'all but essential' travel abroad, and those who have been to a red list country cannot even enter until they have completed 10 days of quarantine in England or Scotland first. In a statement, a spokesman for the Welsh Government said: 'We have long called for a clearer system of rules regarding international travel. 'The ad-hoc nature of the decisions made by the UK Government on the issue does little to instil confidence or provide clarity for travellers. 'We continue to advise against all but essential travel abroad because of the continuing risk of infection, including with new variants of coronavirus which may not respond to our vaccines. 'We will consider the latest changes announced by the UK Government.' Advertisement Amy Perez, 39, a marketing director from Putney, south west London, who has been travelling around Mexico with her family, said: 'It's inconvenient and expensive and there seems to be an entire industry surrounding Covid testing. 'We were on holiday for two weeks and are really chuffed that we don't have to quarantine for 10 days. 'We would have been locked up in a hotel with these two little monsters - Maxi, 18 months, and Emilia, who just turned four yesterday.' Her husband Jorge said: 'The government wants people to get vaccinated, but then people don't see the benefits. 'It would have made more sense for us to take the fine rather than shell out thousands of pounds, not be able to work and be locked up with our children.' Alejandro Seama, 42, a filmmaker from London, said: 'I think it's terrible and stupid, because it seems they just want rich people to be able travel. 'Look at my dad, he's 72, he's been double vaccinated, he's absolutely fine, but for some reason they don't accept his vaccines here. 'I had to spend 600 on mandatory Covid tests just to get my parents here. 'If the rules had already changed, they would not have been able to visit and I would have never left. 'I had no clue that Mexico was going on the red list, but thank God we came back today.' Returning from Mexico after the deadline will see Britons face a steep hotel quarantine bill after the government raised the price to 'reflect increased costs involved'. A single person will have to stump up 2,285 from next Thursday during their isolation - while additional adults and teenagers will be charged 1,430 more than double the current 650 rate. The price for children aged five to 12 will remain at 325, while under-fives will continue to stay for free. It means that, for a family of four with two teenage children, the cost will jump from 3,700 to a staggering 6,575 a rise of 78 per cent. Mr Coward said if the couple do not receive a refund from British Airways for their holiday, based near Cancun, they will be 'several thousand pounds out of pocket'. He said staying is not an option due to the cost of quarantine hotels - which from August 12 will rise to 2,285 for a solo traveller, plus an extra 1,430 for additional adults sharing a room. Ayo Faley, a call handler for NHS Test and Trace in London, also landed in Cancun on Thursday morning but she plans to stay for her holiday as planned and pay for quarantine. She is returning on August 11 so will pay the lower rate of 1,750, but said she is 'absolutely distraught'. The 24-year-old said: 'I only found out (travel restrictions had changed) the minute I was able to connect to wifi at the airport... I went into a state of panic. '(I tried) to locate other Brits and see whether they knew and what their next plan of action was... you could see the look of confusion, fear and regret all in their faces. 'I am absolutely distraught... I've decided to just stay and enjoy the time here... I'll just have to face the consequences when I arrive.' Ms Faley works from home and had planned to do so on her return from Cancun, but said she will not be able to access her equipment in quarantine. She added: 'How are (the Government) planning to help individuals who have found themselves in a situation like this? 'Leaving the UK thinking their country of destination was safe to then land and find out they better return ASAP or risk being stuck in a hotel for 11 days.' Aaron, who did not wish to share his second name, is relocating his family to Edinburgh in late August and will now have to pay for them all to quarantine on arrival. The 43-year-old arrived in Mexico in early July to witness the birth of his son, Aviv, and his wife, who is from Sinaloa, had her UK visa approved on July 28. '(Aviv) was due to be born July by C-section, but they brought the date forward, so I arrived in the airport at 3am and just made it to the hospital before my wife went to surgery,' Aaron told PA. Aaron is a self-employed data and audiovisual engineer and said he 'can't quantify' how much quarantining will cost his business. 'I have previously taken out a bounce-back loan to keep my business afloat,' he added. 'I have no idea why I should have to pay to isolate in a hotel when I've had both (Astrazeneca) vaccinations in Edinburgh, proof of vaccination, took a test on my way here and will take one on arrival in Scotland.' James Dean, 38, from Bournemouth had already spent 8,000 on a fortnight in Cancun with wife Rebecca and their four children Lilly, 16, Jack, 13, Isabella, nine, and Fred, six. The office manager told the Mirror: 'That has just shocked me. I'm gutted to be honest. 'I'm going have to pay for us all to go in to quarantine as well. I'm still digesting it. I'm just gobsmacked.' John Soones, 62, from south west London, was travelling to Mexico with his wife and their 18 year old daughter. He said: 'It's just incredible. It's terrible to get no notice that this is likely to happen and no time to change plans.' In more positive news, it was announced that double-jabbed tourists returning from France will be spared quarantine from Sunday and seven European countries including Germany and Norway were added to the green list of destinations. Spain has also been spared being given red status - potentially forcing thousands into 2,285-a-stay quarantine hotels - but the Government is urging travellers to take a PCR test before they fly home from the Iberian country. Grant Shapps said today that people can travel without 'looking over their shoulders' for the next three weeks as countries will not move lists 'unless something exceptional and unexpected happens'. But the Transport Secretary added that full vaccination for travel will be a feature for Britons 'forever more' and admitted that countries could turn red again by the end of the month. Tens of thousands more Britons are now expected to head to France for August - although tourism chiefs have warned millions more Frenchmen are staying in the country this summer so there is serious a lack of accommodation if the traveller is without a second home. There is a particular shortage of gites, camp sites and hotel rooms in the south of the country, especially near beach resorts such as Biarritz, Narbonne, Ile de Re and Saint-Tropez, while experts have said there are much larger numbers of tourists from Holland, Belgium and Germany in the country this year. Austria, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia will all move to the quarantine-free tier at the end of the weekend, in a huge boost for those looking to book a late summer getaway on the continent. But while there is no quarantine people will still have to take a negative test before returning and a PCR test on day two back in the UK. Meanwhile, the status of India, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will switch from red to amber, meaning arrivals from those countries will no longer have to spend 11 nights at pricey quarantine hotels. While Spain avoided joining them, those flying back will soon face higher testing costs after ministers urged holidaymakers to take a PCR for the mandatory pre-departure test, rather than the cheaper lateral flow alternatives, 'as a precaution against the increased prevalence of the virus and variants in the country'. Queues at St Pancras International this morning as France was opened up both ways for British tourists and people jumped on the Eurostar Not wearing a face mask on the Tube should be a CRIMINAL offence says Sadiq Khan Sadiq Khan has said that failing to wear a face mask on the Tube should become a criminal offence. The London Mayor has been pushing the the government to allow Transport for London (TfL) to impose a by-law requiring face coverings on the capital's transport network. Since the easing of restrictions on July 19 'Freedom Day', passengers have only been required to wear a covering as a 'condition of carriage' rather than a legal requirement. This means TfL staff can tell non-compliant customers to leave a bus or train but are powerless to impose fines. But Mr Khan now wants a bye-law put in place to effectively bring back the rule that was dropped on July 19. The rule change would also mean British Transport Police officers could be used to enforce it. Speaking to the BBC's Newscast podcast Mr Khan said: 'We are trying to lobby the Government to allow us to bring in a bye-law, so it will be the law again, so we can issue fixed penalty notices and we can use the police service and BTP to enforce this.' Advertisement With the guidance being advice, rather than law, many travellers may feel entitled to refuse to take the gold-standard test, which can cost as much as 175 per person. French tourism chiefs have welcomed the news that Britons can more freely come and go from Sunday - especially because Britons are by far the biggest spenders in the country but only around ten per cent of the usual number of UK tourists are in the country this summer. But in the past month Mr Macron has enforced a 'high alert' covid-19 level hit in 37 departments in France because of rising cases of the Delta variant and increasingly busy hospitals. In Occitanie, in south-west France, a 'white' alert has been imposed meaning medics on holiday can be forced to return to work because of increasingly packed covid wards. Changes to the traffic light system are a 'positive step forward' but the Government needs to make faster progress in opening up international travel, industry experts have warned. Four countries are being removed from England's red list as part of the latest update to the international travel system, while seven more, including Germany are being added to the green list. It has also been confirmed that arrivals from France will no longer need to self-isolate, aligning the nation with other countries on the amber list, from which arrivals only need to quarantine at home if they are not fully vaccinated. Scotland and Northern Ireland have followed England in introducing the same travel relaxations. However, the changes have attracted criticism from the Welsh Government which has continued to advise against 'all but essential' travel. Confirmation that France is joining the amber list is 'positive' especially during the 'critical' school holiday period, said Mark Tanzer, head of Abta, the travel association. But he warned the Government is 'failing to capitalise fully on the success of the vaccine rollout' with a 'very cautious' approach to the green list and 'failure to relax restrictions on travel, including requirements for multiple tests even when visiting low risk destinations.' Karen Dee, chief executive of the Airport Operators Association, said the extension of the green list is 'a positive step forward' but warned that the UK remains 'a long way off a full and meaningful restart of international travel'. Tim Alderslade, boss of Airlines UK, the industry body representing UK-registered carriers, described the announcement as 'another missed opportunity'. Covid cases in the UK and France look set to pass each other in the coming days as a wave of delta cases in Britain drops while it is on the rise across the Channel He added that the travel industry has not had 'anything like the reopening it was hoping for'. Meanwhile, Rory Boland, travel editor at Which?, welcomed the addition of more green list countries, but warned that the constant chopping and changing would cause further disruption for many. 'The cost for travellers can be significant,' he said. 'Some holidaymakers whose countries have now been placed in the red category will find that their airline or tour operator is unwilling to give them a refund. Other providers won't refund or even facilitate rebooking if a country is moved from green to amber.' Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: 'While there's some welcome progress, the Government is still being too cautious at a time when they should be opening up travel faster to help the sector's recovery.' Johan Lundgren, chief executive of easyJet, said: 'Now summer is fully under way, this provides some reassurance to consumers by keeping the status quo for key holiday destinations, as well as adding some Green list destinations for last-minute bookers where there are still great flight and holiday deals available. 'But we remain disappointed at the double standards applied to travel versus the domestic economy. With infection rates remaining lower in much of Europe and the high vaccination levels in the UK, if not now, it is hard to know when the time is for much of Europe to genuinely turn Green. 'And Government urgently needs to tackle this expensive testing regime which is adding unnecessary cost, especially for the fully vaccinated. No one wants to see flying become a preserve of the rich again - particularly when so many need to get away or reunite after such a long time.' Is pingdemic mayhem finally easing? Number of alerts sent by NHS Covid app plunged by 43% last week... and that was BEFORE software was tweaked The number of alerts given out by the NHS Covid app fell by 43 per cent in a week before it was made less sensitive, official data has shown. NHS figures show 395,971 alerts in England and Wales were sent in the seven days up to July 28, down from 690,129 the week before, in a sign that pingdemic mayhem may finally be easing. Thousands of people have deleted the app in recent week to avoid the alerts, which tell people they have been in close contact with someone who had tested positive for coronavirus. The alerts have forced millions into self-isolation across the country despite not testing positive themselves leading to chaos as supermarket shelves were left barren with workers having to stay home. Earlier this week it was announced that the app is being updated so fewer contacts will be instructed to isolate. Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group (Spi-M) advising ministers, insisted the app is still 'incredibly useful', despite the swathes of people being asked to isolate. But the changes were made after the latest data suggesting another reason is behind the drastic fall in alerts. Britain's Covid cases began falling on July 21 but did not reach the rate of the drop off in alerts until July 28, the last date included in the most recent data. It comes after academics claimed Britain's Covid self-isolation sentence could be halved to just five days and be as effective. Data suggests 98 per cent of transmission occurs either before people become ill, or within five days of symptoms starting. NHS figures show 395,971 alerts in England and Wales were sent in the seven days up to July 28, down from 690,129 the week before The number of alerts given out by the NHS Covid app fell by 43 per cent in a week before it was made less sensitive, official data has shown The NHS data today showed the number of venue check ins made with the Covid app dropped from 6.6million to 2.3million in the most recent week a drop-off of 65 per cent. People are no longer required to use the app to check into venues since restrictions were lifted on July 19, but the trend gives an indication in the fall in usage. Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group (Spi-M) advising ministers, described the app as 'incredibly useful', despite large numbers of people being asked to isolate Earlier this week, Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said the 'logic' behind the app was tweaked, although the sensitivity and risk threshold will remain unchanged. Instead of checking contacts for five days before a positive test, the app will only go back two days. Dr Tildesley told Sky News: 'I know there have been some challenges in terms of particularly at the moment the so-called 'pingdemic', but in terms of being able to detect contact, it has been extremely valuable. 'Obviously the challenge with that is that a lot of people are going into isolation and over the last few days the app has been made less sensitive.' Dr Tildesley said there is a worry that if too many people are pinged, fewer may be willing to comply, but he added that the tweak will 'hopefully guarantee higher levels of compliance'. Fresh data from Oxford University's Pathogen Dynamics Group shows up to 40 per cent of transmission occurs before symptoms emerge. But most of this happens during the two days before people fall ill, which prompted the alteration of how the NHS Covid app works. Around 35 per cent of transmission occurs within the first two days of people having symptoms. However, the data came from September before the highly-infectious Delta variant took off. Oxford University data suggests 98 per cent of transmission occurs either before people become ill, or within five days of symptoms starting Ministers are keen to replace quarantine rules with daily testing, with scientists now investigating if it is safe to make the drastic move. Dr Muge Cevik, an infectious disease expert at the University of St Andrews, told the Telegraph: 'Given most transmission happens very early on, the isolation period could be much shorter for the cases. 'Viral load peaks pretty quickly, so people are highly infectious within the first few days. 'Also importantly, many people have non-specific mild symptoms before developing more noticeable ones, like fatigue or myalgia, so that's probably when people are highly infectious too but continue daily activity. 'So, the current self-isolation guidelines, especially given the lack of support provided for sick leave, does not serve for the purpose.' Just 3.3% of Brits returning from Mexico last month had Covid compared to 2.9% from Spain, which is 35 TIMES more popular among tourists... so WHY did one get slapped on red list and the other escaped? 2,065 Covid-infected travellers arrived in England from Spain last month (2.9% of arrivals), latest figures show Meanwhile, just 64 people coming from Mexico had the coronavirus between July 1 and 21 (3.3% of arrivals) And more passengers arriving in England from 12 other countries tested positive compared to Mexico But ministers only added Mexico to the travel red list, it was announced last night Microbiologist Dr Simon Clarke told MailOnline there is barely any difference between the two countries Advertisement Infection rates are only marginally higher among travellers returning to Britain from Mexico compared to Spain, raising questions about why it was moved to the red list. Official Government figures also show Spain which escaped any further sanctions is 35 times more popular for tourists, meaning hundreds of Covid cases are actually being imported from the holiday hotspot. Only dozens of infected people are flying back from Mexico. British holidaymakers are now scrambling to get back from Mexico before strict hotel quarantine rules come into place on Sunday. The decision gave people just three days' notice, with some only discovering the news while mid-air. Plane tickets allowing Britons to make it back in time are on sale for up to 7,000. But Spain which scientists say has a similar-shaped outbreak stayed in the amber category, despite rumours that the holiday plans of tens of thousands of Brits were on the brink of ruin. Experts have now called on ministers to publish the full set of data to justify last night's decision to place Mexico onto the red list, with the rules set to kick in at 4am on August 8. The Department for Transport released a spreadsheet of 'key' statistics used by ministers to inform their policies. Raising questions on why Mexico was singled out for the red list - meaning travellers have to isolate in a hotel when they arrive in England - latest figures show 457 people per million tested positive in Spain yesterday, while just 122 tested positive in Mexico (graph, left). Meanwhile, positivity rates among travellers returning from Mexico was only marginally higher than Spain - 3.3 per cent compared to 2.9 per cent (graph, top right). But just 1,940 flew in from Mexico, while 71,418 arrived from Spain, which swayed the percentages (graph, bottom right). Some 2,065 arrivals from Spain tested positive, while the figure for Mexico was just 64 The Government agency says countries are assumed to be amber unless they have a 'low public health risk', with small outbreaks and a low prevalence of variants such as Beta. On the other hand, countries are put on the red list if their epidemics have spooked the Joint Biosecurity Centre a branch that decides the travel quarantine rules. Under this methodology, the JBC assesses the prevalence of variants in each territory. NHS Test and Trace data, which is used by civil servants to make the list decisions, shows only six samples were sequenced from travellers returning from Mexico. Three were either Delta or Alpha the others were not marked as being ones of concern. Almost all of the swabs analysed among Britons coming back from Spain were Alpha or Delta. No Beta-infected samples were spotted. But exact breakdowns of other variant data were 'suppressed'. The DFT says: 'The vast majority of data used to inform the risk assessment is in the public domain. However, some data cannot be published due to the privacy risks that disclosure may have on individuals or groups. 'Similarly, privately shared data from other governments or organisations cannot be published due to the undertakings given when obtaining the data.' The JBC also carries out a 'deep dive' on the prevalence of Covid in each country, looking at testing rates, infection rates and sequencing ability. Spain's daily Covid infections are significantly higher than Mexico's, with 457 people per million testing positive every day at present, according to Our World in Data one of the Covid-tracking websites civil servants use to monitor outbreaks. The rate is also dropping. For comparison, the figure is three times lower in Mexico (122) but is rising quickly. And Spain is conducting about nearly 15 times more tests in proportion to the size of its population than Mexico, which has a test positivity rate of almost 40 per cent and has only fully-vaccinated a fifth of all adults. The European holiday destination which has three times higher vaccination rates is also sequencing around 1,000 tests a day. In contrast, Mexico has genetically analysed only 18,000 Covid samples since the pandemic began. Under the third part of any travel quarantine decision, the JBC look at an array of data available from the World Health Organization, NHS Test and Trace and other official sources. The most up-to-date figures from NHS Test and Trace which only go up until July 21 show just 3.3 per cent of arrivals from Mexico tested positive for Covid. For comparison, the figure stood at 2.9 per cent in Spain Britain's most visited holiday destination. But because of the popularity of Spain, 35 times fewer cases are actually being imported from Mexico. Just 64 of the 1,940 people who landed in England from Mexico between July 1-21 had Covid. Meanwhile, 2,065 of the 71,418 travellers who arrived from Spain tested positive. Positivity rates among travellers from Mexico have doubled in since June, but they have more than tripled among people arriving from Spain. And the numbers also show in addition to Spain, there are 11 other countries still on the amber list where higher number of positive cases are being imported from. For comparison, 344 people travellers positive after arriving back from Greece, while 217 travellers from Portugal were infected. More Covid cases were also found in people flying to England from France (205), the US (164), Italy (147) and Nigeria (132). There were also more infected people coming back from Cyprus (90), Poland (89), the Netherlands (85), Romanian (82) and Russia (65). France trips 'TREBLE' in price: Eurotunnel, Eurostar and easyJet are accused of hiking fares for lockdown-weary Britons... just hours after quarantine rules changed Britons trying to book for France have today accused Eurotunnel, Eurostar and easyJet of 'ripping off' customers who claimed the price of passage trebled as soon as the Government announced it would scrap quarantine for tourists returning from Sunday. People trying to book trains from St Pancras to Paris claim that 50 was almost immediately added to the cost of a 89 one-way ticket while MailOnline research has found that the average price increase to travel this weekend is between 20 to 60 for a standard or standard premier ticket. After Grant Shapps made the announcement last night, one Eurostar customer trying to get back to Britain tweeted: 'So now Eurostar prices are double the price if not more. Expats are consistently fighting a losing battle'. Another wrote that the website was crashing 'again and again' with the 'price relentlessly going up', adding: 'Took about 10 attempts and 50 quid more! Absolutely ridiculous!'. One driver trying to book the Eurotunnel to France from Folkestone tweeted: 'Why are you doubling your prices from this Sunday just as the new quarantine rules for UK people coming from France come into affect? Isn't this what's known as profiteering? Our ticket cost has doubled in 24hrs because we had to amend our booking'. And people trying to fly to France in August are also being hit in the pocket. Several accused easyJet of cancelling flights in order to force them into buying more expensive tickets. One wrote: '@easyJet has just cancelled all flights to nice in august so that prices can be hiked up! Outrageous! My friend now has to find alternative flights at a vastly inflated cost'. Another said: '@easyJet - our flight to France was cancelled 3 times so on the 3rd cancellation we took a voucher as we did not have a lot of time to think about it. You have now increased the price, can you offer the same deal at least?'. The companies today denied they were taking advantage, saying any rises were down to demand. A Eurotunnel spokesman said: 'The cost of a ticket does not double overnight due to an amendment. Our pricing works like that of most travel operators, as a dynamic model, led by demand. With the announcement last night, we saw an immediate uplift in bookings and therefore certain departures are now in higher demand than previously. Conversely, there are plenty of keenly priced departures available too'. Eurostar and easyJet have been asked to comment. Advertisement However, these figures were originally published last Thursday, meaning ministers may have seen more recent data that gave them cause for concern about Mexico. The final part of any travel quarantine decision made by the JBC is known as the 'outcome'. It is used to 'support decision making', and allows ministers to take the risk assessments into account 'alongside wider public health factors to inform watchlists'. 'Travel connections with the UK and details of the in-country and territory vaccination profile are included as contextual information,' the DFT also says. A Department of Transport spokesperson said: 'Our international travel policy is guided by one overwhelming priority public health and traffic light allocations are based on a range of factors including genomic surveillance capability, transmission risk and variants of concern.' Asked about MailOnline's analysis of the numbers, Dr Simon Clarke said he would 'absolutely agree' that there is barely any difference between outbreaks in Spain and Mexico. But the microbiologist, from Reading University, warned civil servants making the decision would have inevitably considered other data that may have skewed the argument. He said policymakers should release the raw data justifying the decisions, echoing calls by other prominent Covid experts. Dr Clarke, however, said: 'Frankly, I think the government don't want academics and scientists kicking over the stuff and questioning their decisions.' Professor Lawrence Young, a molecular virologist at the University of Warwick, told MailOnline: 'The whole international travel situation remains very confusing despite the government stating that this is a 'simplified system'. 'The criteria used for designating a country as amber, green or red is not clear and is still subject to change. 'There are rising cases of infection in Mexico against a backdrop of around 20 per cent of the population being fully vaccinated. 'What's important is not to get complacent. The virus is still infecting people even some who have been fully vaccinated. 'The testing regime for amber listed countries is very important to ensure returning travellers are not spreading infection. We need to protect ourselves from importing dangerous virus variants.' Professor Gary McLean, a molecular immunologist at London Metropolitan University, said: 'It looks like Mexico is being more carefully watched here due to rising case numbers, particularly among those returning to the UK and the presence of another variant that originated in South America. 'The current wave in Spain is in decline, much like the current UK wave - the fears over the spread of the Beta variant in Spain have subsided somewhat. Allowing Spain to remain amber. 'However the wave in Mexico is still rising despite similar daily case numbers to Spain. 'All of this put together has allowed Spain to remain amber but unfortunately Mexico jump to red - the traffic light list and restrictions is really attempting to reduce the flow of cases from regions with higher and increasing case rates associated with variants that may escape immunity. 'Whilst it is imperfect it is surely better than a complete border closure at this stage of the pandemic.' Where CAN you go on holiday now? How double-jabbed Brits can visit Latvia, Romania and Germany with NO tests needed... while unvaccinated must provide proof they're Covid-free to enter Spain Double-jabbed Britons can visit Latvia, Romania and Germany with no tests needed, while those who are unvaccinated must provide proof that they are Covid-free to enter Spain, it can be revealed. Those who have received both doses have unrestricted entry - meaning they do not have to quarantine or provide a negative test result - when travelling to Germany, France, Spain, Latvia, Romania and Georgia. But those who are not double-jabbed are still subject to some regulations upon arrival and, in the cases of Germany and Slovakia, can be denied entry entirely. And the Spanish Government requires all travellers from the UK to present either proof of a negative Covid-19 test or that they have received two vaccinations at least 14 days before arrival. There are still some rules for fully-vaccinated people if they are visiting places such as Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, where they have to carry out seven days of quarantine, but this is less than the 12 days of self-isolation required for Britons who have only had one or no doses of the vaccine. Those who have received both doses have unrestricted entry - meaning they do not have to quarantine or provide a negative test result - when travelling to Germany, France, Spain, Latvia, Romania and Georgia. But those who are not double-jabbed are still subject to some regulations upon arrival and, in the cases of Germany and Slovakia, can be denied entry entirely Restrictions do not differ for double-jabbed people if they are travelling from the UK to Austria, where they are still expected to quarantine for 10 days, Norway, India and the French overseas territories of La Reunion and Mayotte. The guidance comes amid the Government's shake-up of the traffic light system, adding seven European countries to the green list of destinations and switching the status of India, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from red to amber. But there is growing anger about the decision to turn Mexico red with just three days' notice, with panicked and 'f***ing fuming' Britons trying to get home before 4am on Sunday. Georgia, Reunion and Mayotte will also turn red this weekend. While Spain avoided joining them, those flying back will soon face higher testing costs after ministers urged holidaymakers to take a PCR for the mandatory pre-departure test, rather than the cheaper lateral flow alternatives, 'as a precaution against the increased prevalence of the virus and variants in the country'. Elsewhere, as expected, the Government also confirmed that arrivals from France will no longer need to self-isolate, which could spark a surge in cross-Channel bookings, as is the custom in August when traditionally more than four million Britons make the trip. France will be aligned with all other amber nations, from which arrivals only need to quarantine at home if they are not fully vaccinated. The changes to the travel lists come into force at 4am on Sunday. Below are the regulations in full for visitors from the UK, laid out according to their vaccination status, to countries where travel rules have recently changed. Austria Austria is one of the seven European countries being added to the green list of destinations. Those who are fully vaccinated must quarantine for 10 days and provide proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours before departure. The restrictions are the same for Britons who are not double-jabbed, including 10 days of quarantine and showing a pre-departure negative PCR test. Germany Germany is also being moved from the amber to green list as part of the UK Government's latest changes. Under entry requirements for Germany, those who are not fully vaccinated and do not meet the exemptions outlined, such as being a German citizen or having an urgent need to travel, 'may not currently enter' the country. Unvaccinated children under the age of 12 can enter Germany if they can show proof of a negative Covid test and are travelling with at least one fully vaccinated parent. Meanwhile, those who are double-jabbed are permitted entry and do not have to quarantine. Latvia Tourists travelling from the UK to Latvia, which is being added to the green list, have unrestricted entry if they are fully vaccinated. Those who are not double-jabbed must show a negative PCR test before boarding or crossing the border. Arrivals must also complete and submit an electronic form no longer than 48 hours after entering the country. Norway Fully vaccinated visitors from the UK to Norway, which is being added to the green list, are not allowed to visit unless residing in Norway or if they are a close family member of a Norwegian resident. The same applies to those who have not received both doses. This comes after the UK left the European Union at the start of this year, meaning that UK nationals are no longer classified as EU/EEA nationals and will not be allowed to visit Norway unless they meet certain exceptions. Romania Fully vaccinated people travelling to Romania, which is moving from the amber to green list, do not have to quarantine or take a test. The guidance states it allows Britons who can 'demonstrate proof of a full course of vaccination against Covid-19' to be exempt from self-isolation. People are not double-jabbed will have to quarantine for 14 days, unless a negative RT-PCR test can be shown before their arrival and they leave within 72 hours afterwards. Slovenia For Slovenia, which is being added to the green list, people travelling from the UK who are fully vaccinated must quarantine for 10 days if they do not have a permanent or temporary residency. Those without two jabs can similarly only enter if they quarantine for 10 days (if they do not have a permanent or temporary residency). They must also prove one of the following: a recent Covid test, at least one vaccine dose (AstraZeneca, Janssen or Covishield) or a positive PCR test showing they have had Covid within the last six months. Slovakia For Slovakia, moving to the green list, it states 'entry is now permitted for fully vaccinated travellers from the UK'. However, those who have not received both doses can only be admitted under certain exemptions, such as being a resident or studying there. Bahrain Bahrain, which is moving from a red to amber list status, requires pre-departure, arrival and day 10 PRC tests for people who are fully vaccinated, but says they do not need to quarantine. Those without two jabs must quarantine for 10 days and also take the pre-departure, arrival and day 10 PRC tests. India All regularly scheduled international flights remain suspended but a limited number are in operation. Those who do travel to India must go through thermal screening on arrival, show proof of a negative private test (not PCR) and quarantine for 10 days quarantine. This applies to everyone regardless of their vaccination status. Qatar The guidance for Qatar, moving to the amber list, says there is no quarantine for those who are fully vaccinated, but they must show a negative PCR test. Those who are not double-jabbed must quarantine for seven days and also show a negative PCR test. Fury at 'expensive and unnecessary' travel testing demands as ministers urge Brits to take expensive PCR Covid tests when returning from Spain even though they are NOT mandatory Aviation bosses have demanded the Government take action on the cost of travel testing amid fears many families are being priced out of a trip abroad. The Government has made a raft of changes to its traffic light scheme, extending the green list, reopening quarantine-free holidays to France and keeping trips to Spain on the table after it was spared being moved to the 'red list'. Testing remains a key component of the system, with pre-departure tests required for travel from red, amber and green nations. Ministers have now stressed that all travellers returning from Spain should take a PCR test because they are more accurate than cheaper lateral flow checks and can help officials keep track of coronavirus variants. However, travel chiefs believe the PCR tests - which can cost up to 175 per person - are 'expensive and unnecessary'. They want the PCR tests to only be required for travel from the most high-risk nations and for lateral flow tests to be made acceptable in all other circumstances. Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Travel Association, told BBC Radio 4's World At One programme: 'I think a simpler system is definitely what is required to avoid confusion in the case of consumers, and to provide some form of certainty for people who are wanting to travel, and in some cases absolutely need to travel. 'This expensive and unnecessary testing I think needs to be challenged and I think the Government should demonstrate why they require it.' He added: 'I think there is a valid reason and a concern, and I would accept that maybe for some of these high-risk countries that have been identified you can make the argument that some form of testing should be done, but I don't think you can justify requiring 2.2 million people to undertake PCR tests when only 8,000 of those are subsequently sequenced.' Advertisement United Arab Emirates Fully vaccinated people travelling to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, being added to the amber list, from the UK must quarantine for seven days, show a negative PCR test on arrival and on their sixth day in the country. People who have not received both doses must quarantine in Abu Dhabi for longer - 12 days - alongside showing a negative PCR test on arrival and on day 11 of their stay. Meanwhile, if travelling to Dubai, all international tourists must show a negative PCR test before departure and will be subject to thermal screenings. Visitors do not have to quarantine. Spain Britons travelling to Spain, moving to the amber list, who are fully vaccinated are permitted entry and do not have to quarantine or show tests. Those who are not double-jabbed are also allowed entry without quarantine, but must show a negative Covid test. France People travelling from the UK to France, which has lost its 'amber plus' status under the latest update, are permitted unrestricted entry if they are fully vaccinated. They must present a completed 'sworn statement' saying they do not have any symptoms upon arrival. Meanwhile, Britons without both jabs can only visit the country for essential travel only. Those allowed entry need to quarantine for seven days and provide pre-departure and post-quarantine PCR tests. Mexico The guidance for Mexico, moving from the amber to red list, states for fully vaccinated Britons that entry is permitted via commercial flights. Visitors must fill out a health questionnaire and are advised to avoid travelling within the country wherever possible. There is no differentiation in the guidance between people according to their vaccination status. Georgia Georgia, switching to the red list, says it allows 'unrestricted entry for citizens of any country, including the UK, who have documentary proof of having received a full course of Covid-19 vaccination'. People who are not double-jabbed must travel direct by air 'and submit a travel history in advance', in addition to showing a negative PCR test on arrival and on day three of their stay. Reunion Fully-vaccinated Britons travelling to the French oversea territory of Reunion, moving to the red list, must only visit for essential travel only. They must also self-isolate for seven days, in addition to showing a negative pre-departure test and a post-quarantine test. The guidance does not differ for those who have not received both jabs. Mayotte The French oversea territory of Mayotte, switching from the amber to red list, also requires the same restrictions for Britons regardless of their vaccination status. The country says Britons should travel there for urgent family/work reasons only, self-isolate for seven days and show a negative pre-departure and post-quarantine PCR test. Advertisement A knifeman who injured 10 passengers on a train in Tokyo last night before giving himself up in a shop targeted women who looked happy, he told police. Yusuke Tsushima, 36, was arrested by police after the rampage, according to Japan's public broadcaster NHK. A women in her 20s who he was sitting next to was seriously injured in the attack before the suspect fled the scene, leaving the weapon behind. He told police he chose a commuter train because it offered him a chance to kill a lot of people, NHK reported. Tsushima said he was deliberately targeting women. The attack took place in Tokyo's Setagaya ward, in the west of the city, several miles from the venue of Olympic equestrian events. The train company said on its website that it had suspended some services after 'an assault in a carriage.' Reports suggest the suspect then allowed himself to be arrested by police at a nearby convenience store. The Tokyo Fire Department said nine of the 10 injured passengers were taken to nearby hospitals, while the tenth was able to walk away. All of those injured were conscious, fire department officials said. The Tokyo Fire Department said nine of the 10 injured passengers were taken to nearby hospitals, while the tenth was able to walk away. All of those injured were conscious, fire department officials said A man with a knife stabbed at least 10 passengers on a commuter train in Tokyo on Friday and was captured by police after fleeing, fire department officials and news reports said One passenger was seriously injured in the attack, NHK television said, before the suspect fled the scene, leaving the weapon behind He then allowed himself to be arrested by police at a convenience store in the Japanese capital, which is currently hosting the Olympics Police escort rescue workers carrying a person through a train station after a knife attack on a train in Tokyo, Japan Rescue workers carry a stretcher to transport an injured passenger at the site where a stabbing incident occurred on a train, at the Soshigaya-Okura station A police officer walks by passengers following a knife attack on a train in Tokyo, Japan on Friday evening A police officer works at the site where a stabbing incident occurred on a train, at the Soshigaya-Okura station of the Odakyu Electric Railway in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo Tokyo Fire Department personnel and a police investigator, right, move toward a platform at Soshigaya Okura Station A police officer stands guard at the site where a stabbing incident occurred on a train, at the Soshigaya-Okura station People walk along railway tracks after a knife attack on a train in Tokyo, Japan earlier on Friday evening Media members stand behind police tape at a station after a knife attack on a train in Tokyo, Japan on Friday night Police work at the scene after a knife attack on a train in Tokyo, Japan on Friday evening Police officers work at the site where a stabbing incident occurred on a train, at the Soshigaya-Okura station Passengers pass through the gates of a subway station in Tokyo, where an attacker was arrested by police after fleeing A witness at a nearby station where the train stopped said passengers were rushing out of the carriages and shouting that there was a stabbing and asking for first aid. Another witness told NHK that he saw passengers smeared with blood come out of the train, as an announcer asked for doctors and for passengers carrying towels. Dozens of paramedics and police arrived at the station, one of the witnesses said. NHK said the suspect later walked into a convenience store and identified himself as the suspect on the news and said he was tired of running away. The store manager called police after seeing blood stains on the man's shirt. Police were questioning the man as they prepared his arrest, NHK said. The stabbing occurred near Seijogakuen station, according to railway operator Odakyu Electric Railway Co. Police declined to comment and no other details were immediately available. While shooting deaths are rare in Japan, the country has had a series of high-profile killings with knives in recent years. In 2019, a man carrying two knives attacked a group of schoolgirls waiting at a bus stop just outside Tokyo, killing two people and injuring 17 before killing himself. The previous year, a man killed a passenger and injuring two others in a knife attack on a bullet train, while in 2016, a former employee at a home for the disabled allegedly killed 19 people and injured more than 20. Moneyball author Michael Lewis has spoken out about his 19-year-old daughter's tragic death in a car crash for the first time, describing his grief as 'exhausting' and revealing how he goes into her untouched bedroom to feel close to her. Dixie Lewis and her boyfriend Ross Schultz, 20, were killed in a head-on crash near Truckee, California, on May 25. Schultz was driving the Ford Fusion sedan they were in northbound on Route 89 when the car veered into the left lane and struck a Freightliner semi head on. The young couple were both pronounced dead at the scene while the 45-year-old driver of the truck suffered minor injuries. Lewis opened up about the tragedy on an episode of Andrew Sullivan's The Weekly Dish podcast. Moneyball author Michael Lewis has spoken out about his 19-year-old daughter's tragic death in a car crash for the first time. Pictured left to right Michael Lewis, Dixie Lewis, Tabitha Soren, Walker Jack Lewis, and Quinn Tallulah Lewis at the premiere of The Big Short in 2015 The bestselling author said there is still little clarity as to what caused the fatal crash and said he has 'never known grief like this.' 'I'm going through the hardest thing I've ever gone through in my life and I can't even think of what number two is,' said Lewis. 'My 19-year-old daughter Dixie Lewis was killed in a car accident on May 25 - so a little more than two months ago - she was with her boyfriend who was driving and nobody was drunk.' California Highway Patrol said at the time of the tragedy they did not suspect alcohol or drug use and were investigating why the couple's sedan crossed into the oncoming lane. 'No one knows why they crossed a yellow line and went straight into a truck,' said Lewis. 'And she had such a gift for living and she was loved as much as a human being can be loved and she knew it.' Dixie was a 'pistol' who was 'brave' and 'worked her a** off', Lewis said, adding that he 'was so proud of her.' 'She was full of life and had a great life ahead of her and it's very hard day to day when you know the last thing you're going to do when you go to bed is think of her and the first thing you're going to do when you wake up is think of her,' he said. Lewis told Sullivan how the 'gutting' grief he is feeling is like nothing he has ever experienced and that 'none of the metaphors' people use to describe it come close. 'It's been an absolutely gutting experience and it's an interesting thing how you respond to such an experience,' he said. 'None of the metaphors that I've been handed on the shelf seem to really work. The idea that it's a process that you get through - I don't think that's really true. 'That it's a journey that you go on - it doesn't really feel like that.' Dixie Lewis and her boyfriend Ross Schultz, 20, (pictured together) were killed in a head-on crash near Truckee, California, on May 25 Schultz was driving the Ford Fusion sedan they were in northbound on Route 89 when the car veered into the left lane and struck a Freightliner semi head on. The young couple were both pronounced dead at the scene The father-of-three likened the family's grief to 'a hole' in their lives and said he is trying to find a way to 'grow' from that hole. 'It does feel like a hole has been blown in our lives and the question is what do you grow in that hole and how you grow from this experience,' he said. The grief of losing a child is especially 'exhausting', Lewis said, because parents imagine a future with their children in it and the 'natural order' is that parents die first. 'This particular grief - I suppose all grief - is exhausting,' he said. 'Less exhausting than it was a month ago. And I've been asking myself why do I feel so depleted and I think it's because i think your mind maps a sort of reality at any given time and you sort of have an imagined future and that child is in that future. 'You cant imagine a future without that child - the natural order of things is that I go first. 'Your mind is already working to prepare you for the death of your parents and from a very early age you kind of think that will happen. And when it happens it will be sad but you kind of prepared yourself for that. 'Your mind does not prepare you for the death of a child.' He likened it to a computer freezing: 'What I think is happening is it's like when your computer freezes up because it doesn't have the RAM to deal with whatever it's trying to do.' 'You're simultaneously getting through your day and rewriting this imagined future and it's not just a painful thing, it's a depleting thing.' Lewis described how two months on from the tragedy he finds himself searching for the grief by going into Dixie's bedroom to look at the plans she had for life and to flick through photos of the 19-year-old. Michael Lewis (pictured) opened up about the tragedy on an episode of Andrew Sullivan's The Weekly Dish podcast While he acknowledged that he knows he shouldn't 'go looking for grief' by doing these things, the grieving father said 'it's easier said than done.' 'My motto for the last two months and what I've said to Tabitha and the kids is don't go looking for the grief as the grief is going to find you,' he told Sullivan. 'It's easier said than done. It's easier said than done not to walk into her room that hasn't been touched since she died and just smell her and look at the plans she was making for her future on the wall. 'It's easier said then done not to pull out old videos and photographs of her. 'And it's a part of you - it's a part of me anyway and a bigger part of my wife - that feels that to move through the grief to something else is to leave her behind in a way you don't want to leave her behind and that she is the grief now.' Sullivan said the grief has become a 'stand-in' for Dixie so he doesn't want to let it go. 'I don't think that's true. I don't think that she's the grief. I think she's something else,' he said. Lewis appeared on the podcast to talk about his new book The Premonition: A Pandemic Story - a novel based on the COVID-19 pandemic. The author said he wrote about the grief of one of his characters in the book but that he didn't understand it until now 'But in this moment the grief is serving as a stand-in for her and you don't want to let that go.' He added: 'One thing I've learned is that all the advice people give you about this situation you should ignore - you've got to find your own path.' Lewis said his path involves trying to find 'distracted pleasures and normalcy' and confided that he and his eldest daughter Quinn Tallulah have been making lists of things that make the feel better. 'My path right now is the extent I can try to patch together hours of distracted pleasures and normalcy I should because the sheer sadness of the moment is going to surface no matter what so don't go trying try to surface it,' he said. 'You're going to see the dorsal fin of the beast whether you want to or not its coming. So evade some just to keep yourself sane.' He added: 'My eldest daughter Quinn and I have been compiling lists of things that make us feel better and the lists are getting longer.' Lewis told the podcast host that he knows he needs to use his grief to 'find ways to make beautiful things'. 'The best thing I can do is live really well in her honor. The best thing I can do and that's what I intend to do is to find some way to make beautiful things that might not have been made otherwise because of it,' he said. Lewis said he is trying to put the 'pain' and Dixie's memory to some use and feels in a better place now than back in May. 'I'm trying to make that pain something that - I don't want to say positive - but I want to use the pain to grow and I want to use the pain and her memory to be of some use otherwise you're just in a dark place,' he said. 'So I'm working with it and I don't know where this ends up. I'm better of than I was two months ago but I feel my life just permanently changed.' The author said he worried he would not want to write again but has found he actually believes he will want to memorialize his grief in his work. 'I was afraid I might not want to write again and I don't feel that way at all,' he said. Lewis and Sullivan in April 2014. The bestselling author told him on the podcast there is still little clarity as to what caused the fatal crash saying 'no one knows' why the couple's car crossed into the opposite lane Lewis said he has 'never known grief like this' describing the last two months as 'the hardest thing I've ever gone through in my life' 'I feel like that's going to be an important part of getting through this and probably writing about this.' Lewis appeared on the podcast to talk about his new book The Premonition: A Pandemic Story - a novel based on the COVID-19 pandemic. The author said he wrote about the grief of one of his characters in the book but that he didn't understand it until now. 'I have never known grief like this and we are in a grief trenched period in our history,' he said. 'And I wrote about it in an abstract way in The Premonition. 'I described [a character's grief from losing his mother to COVID-19] but when I described his grief I didn't feel his grief. I tried and I tried it make the reader feel it but now I feel it, I know what it feels like and no one should feel it.' He added: 'Of course we all will feel it but no one should feel it.' Lewis also said that his daughter's death had changed his relationship with some friends who are opening up to him about their own grief now. 'It's changed my relationship to other people,' he said. 'It's been interesting to be admitted as a citizen to the kingdom of grief. 'I have lots of close friends who have suffered devastating loss and who up to now have kind of been reluctant to talk about with me because they've sensed in me someone who might not completely understand what they had lost.' Lewis described how he finds himself going into Dixie's bedroom to look at the plans she had for life and to flick through photos of her (pictured above) Lewis and wife Tabitha in 2015. Lewis paid tribute to his daughter as a 'pistol' who 'was full of life' He added: 'Now it's all coming out everybody wants to tell me the story of their loss - of their mother or their brother or their child and in a way they didn't before. 'I have this new relationship to this emotion that is a new and very painful emotion.' Lewis and his wife Tabitha released a statement paying tribute to Dixie following her death in May. 'We loved her so much and are in a kind of pain none of us has experienced,' said the statement. 'She loved Ross, with whom she died. She loved to live and our hearts are so broken they can't find the words to describe the feeling. 'Her mother, Tabitha, and I, and her brother Walker and sister Quinn are going to find ways for her memory to live in her absence.' Dixie attended Pomona College, where she played softball and planned to study neuroscience. Shultz studied kinesiology at Cal Poly Pomona. Lewis is the bestselling author of Moneyball, The Big Short, The Fifth Risk and most recently, The Premonition: A Pandemic Story. The financial journalist, who is originally from New Orleans, attended Princeton University and graduated with a degree in art history in 1982, before starting a career on Wall Street after attending the London School of Economics in 1985. His time working as a bond salesman on Wall Street was the inspiration behind his first book Liar's Poker, which kickstarted his successful career as a non-fiction writer. Tabitha is a fine art photographer who used to work as a reporter for MTV News, ABC News and NBC News. They have two other children: Quinn and Walker. An alleged female mafia boss has been arrested while trying to board a flight to the Costa del Sol to 'visit her daughter'. Maria Licciardi, 70, was cuffed at Ciampino airport in Rome Saturday while attempting to fly to Malaga in southern Spain. The powerful boss, alleged to be part of the notorious Neapolitan mafia known as the Camorra, was hoping to visit her daughter and to 'attend to some business', according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica. But she was arrested while queueing at the check-in desk by the Carabineros Corps - Italy's military police. Ms Licciardi, known as 'la piccoletta' or the little one due to her small stature, was with two associates at the time and went with the officers quietly, according to reports. She is accused of mafia-type association, extortion, receiving ill-gotten funds and auction rigging. Maria Licciardi (pictured), 70, was cuffed at Ciampino airport in Rome Saturday while attempting to fly to Malaga in southern Spain. Prosecutors allege she is the boss of the Licciardi clan, which was founded by her brother Gennaro, aka La Scimmia (the monkey), in 1994. The gang is said to be most active in Secondigliano, a peripheral and rundown neighbourhood in Naples which is believed to be key to the drug trade. Ms Licciardi previously spent eight years in prison before being released in December 2009. It comes after Italian investigators warned that its country's mafias have been eyeing up business expansion in Spain. General Giuseppe Governale, the anti-mafia director of Italy until 2020, warned that the influence of the Italian mafias was particularly prevalent in the Balearic Islands. The Camorra has a known presence on the islands, which include Ibiza and Majorca, due to their strategic geographical position, which makes them a port of call for drugs coming from South America. Palermo prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi also warned mafias will take advantage of the pandemic to buy bankrupt companies in the tourism sector throughout the continent, particularly on the Spanish coast or in France. Following the death of her brother, Ms Licciardi is said to have taken over the family clan and maintained control by bringing together an informal coalition of 20 other Camorra groups. Ms Licciardi, known as 'la piccoletta' or the little one due to her small stature, was with two associates at the time and went with the officers quietly, according to reports This allowed the mafia to expand control of Naples' most lucrative rackets, inclduing drugs, cigarette smuggling, protection and more. It is said that the coalition, known as the Secondigliano Alliance, became more organised, secretive and powerful under her leadership, reported the Telegraph. But this alliance fell apart in the year 2000 when a bitter and deadly feud with the Lo Russo family over an alleged heroin shipment spilled out on the streets of Naples - with more than 50 killings attributed to the row. She would be jailed a year later before being released in 2009 and allegedly picking up where she left off. Before being sent to prison, Ms Licciardi, also known as 'the godmother', is alleged to have added prostitution to the Camorra's business empire - despite it going against the organisation's code. According to reports, the clan would buy women, many of them underage, from the Albanian mafia. Ms Licciardi has always shunned the limelight and has been described as charismatic. Police sources previously described her as 'practical, charming, exceptionally intelligent' but also as ruthless as her male equivalents. Schools are already scheduling Covid vaccinations for 12- to 15-year-olds despite them not having been approved for the age group yet. Pictured: Meabh Magee from Glengormley, County Antrim, received her first dose of the Covid vaccine at the SSE Arena in Belfast yesterday Schools are already scheduling Covid vaccinations for 12- to 15-year-olds despite them not having been approved for the age group yet. No10's top scientists expanded the vaccination drive to include 1.4million 16- and 17-year-olds on Wednesday, in a dramatic U-turn from two weeks ago. They also laid the groundwork for over-12s to be vaccinated later in the year. And now the oldest teenagers are being offered their first dose at walk-in centres in Northern Ireland, while some GPs in England are also already inviting them for jabs. England will offer Covid vaccines to the age group at walk-ins from next week, when Scotland and Wales are also set to invite the oldest teenagers for their first dose. John Ferneley College in Leicestershire jumped the gun on vaccinating under-16s by telling parents of children in years eight to eleven that pupils would be vaccinated at the school. In a letter, the school said first doses would be dished in mid-September and the second in early January 2022. It comes as a university announced it is offering cash prizes to students who can prove they have been fully vaccinated against Covid in an effort to drive take-up of the jabs. All students at Sussex University are being entered into a draw, with 10 winners receiving 5,000 if they can prove they are double-jabbed or exempt. Professor Adam Tickell, the university's vice-chancellor, denied the move amounted to 'bribing' students to get vaccinated. The prize draw will take place at the end of November to allow students time to get vaccinated. One parent whose two children are at John Ferneley College told the Daily Telegraph: 'I was just shocked that they were even planning dates. It just makes you think this is definitely planned that this is going to happen at some point in the next few months. 'My main worry is will my children still be able to go to school if they don't have it?' Molly Kingsley, co-founder of the parent campaign group UsForThem, said NHS trusts and schools are 'creating a presumption as to the JCVI decision'. She added: 'This is wrong for many reasons but not least because it shows they are creating pressure towards a course of action without regard to the medical benefits or risks to the children supposedly in their care.' Meanwhile, universities are offering out incentives to students to book their first jabs. Professor Tickell told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'We're going to automatically enter every student in, and unless they have said they want to opt out, after we've given them the opportunity to have vaccines this will be about 12 weeks after the announcement we'll just randomly choose 10 names. 'If they can prove they've been double vaccinated, or indeed if they are medically exempt, we'll make them the award.' Nearly 170 neighbourhoods are still yet to fully protect 60% of over-50s Nearly 170 neighbourhoods across England have still not fully vaccinated two-thirds of over-50s against Covid, MailOnline can reveal. Scientists warned our analysis based on official statistics of the country's 7,000 districts shows there are huge pockets of the population still vulnerable to the virus. Ministers aimed to give all in the age group two jabs in order to protect them from the rampant spread of the Delta variant ahead of restrictions being eased back on July 19 'Freedom Day'. But NHS England figures, which go up until August 1, show 29 neighbourhoods across the nation have not yet reached more than 60 per cent of people aged 50 and over. Some 169 have only reached two thirds of the most vulnerable age groups, who were prioritised for the vaccine and have been eligible since March 17. In theory, all could have been fully-jabbed now, given the 12-week spacing gap between doses, which was later shortened to eight weeks to help combat the rise of the now dominant mutant strain. Overall, 2.5million over-50s (11 per cent) have not yet got their second jab and 2million haven't had their first (nine per cent). Harehills South in Leeds has reached the fewest over-50s, with just 813 of the 1,562 living in the area receiving their second dose 52 per cent of the population. For comparison, 22 areas have double-jabbed more than 96 per cent of their over-50s, with Morpeth South and West in Northumberland leading the way (96.6 per cent). Experts warned vulnerable people who have not yet been vaccinated are 'just as much risk of severe disease and death as at any time during the pandemic'. Even though one jab offers some protection against severe illness, two doses are much stronger. Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline NHS hospitals in the areas lagging behind could still face huge pressures this winter. Most experts believe there will be another wave of Covid in the colder months. Advertisement He added: 'We're not bribing them. What we're doing is we're just giving an incentive.' Professor Tickell said the university hoped to give students an experience 'as close as possible to normal' when they return after the summer, with teaching taking place in person rather than online. He said: 'We know that many students will have already had their vaccines or are planning to. 'If we can boost those numbers even slightly through a simple intervention like this, then of course we are going to do so. 'Whilst these are significant prizes for our students, the cost to the university is small compared with the human, social and financial cost if students were to experience the kind of disruption we faced last year.' Universities Minister Michelle Donelan said: 'Vaccines are the surest way to put Covid behind us and for students to reclaim the freedoms that enrich university life, and I encourage all eligible students to take up the offer of both vaccine doses. 'The department is encouraging universities to look at creative ways to boost uptake and to discuss the possibility of pop-up centres with local health partners making it quick and easy for students to grab a jab.' In additon, the UK's first nightclub vaccine centre has been set up at Birmingham's oldest and largest LGBT venue, the Nightingale Club, to encourage young people to get their vaccine. The first healthy 16 and 17-year-olds received their Covid vaccines yesterday. Elliot Aston, 16, from County Down in Northern Ireland, today became one of the first in his age group to be inoculated against the virus. The smiling teenager, pictured outside the jabbing centre in Belfast clutching his vaccination card, said: 'It's good that they're finally offering it to us because we are probably the ones that are out and about the most so I think it's about time.' NHS England said some GPs had already started administering Covid vaccines to 16 and 17-year-olds, but that the oldest teenagers should wait to be contacted by their local clinic to arrange an appointment. A letter from NHS bosses sent to GPs yesterday said they could now start offering the Covid vaccine to people in the age group. Walk-in services at regional and local vaccination centres in England are expected to open to the age group from next week. Health Boards in Wales are already sending out vaccine invites to 16 and 17-year-olds, officials said. And in Scotland those in the age group are being told to register their interest via an online portal and will then be sent an appointment time by email or text. In Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles they are being told to wait to be contacted by their local health board. Dr Nikki Kanani, NHS medical director for primary care, said the health service is working to get 16 and 17-year-olds vaccinated 'as swiftly as possible'. 'I am pleased to say that one million children and young people will now be able to get the vaccine protecting themselves, their family and their friends,' she said. 'The Covid vaccine is safe and effective and I urge anyone eligible of any age to come forward and take up the offer.' The UK's first nightclub vaccine centre has been set up at Birmingham's oldest and largest LGBT venue, the Nightingale Club Lucinda Benton-Hawthorn, 18. receives her first coronavirus vaccination at the Nightingale Club Nathaniel Law, 27. receives his second coronavirus vaccination in Birmingham Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: 'The NHS has worked hard to put the JCVI's independent and expert advice into action to roll out this new stage of our ground-breaking vaccination programme. 'Now all 16 and 17-year-olds can join the rest of the country and get their jab to protect themselves and their loved ones.' Sixteen and 17-year-olds are being offered the Pfizer vaccine because it is the only one approved by Britain's medical regulator for the age group. There are currently no concrete plans to offer them second doses, with the JCVI wanting to buy more time to understand the safety risks. Some children have already been inoculated against the virus because those living with vulnerable adults have been able to get jabbed for weeks. Pfizer's vaccine has been linked to a rare side effect called myocarditis inflammation of the heart muscle. Data from the US, which has been giving the jab to children for months, shows the complication affects one in 100,000 teenage boys after the first dose, but this rises to about one in 15,000 after the second dose. A wild confrontation erupted between a transgender councilwoman and a Star Wars store owner over a sign that she claims is transphobic. In a video, councilwoman Tiesa Meskis got into a five-minute shouting match with Don Sucher, the owner of Sucher & Sons Star Wars Shop in Aberdeen, Washington, on Thursday, over his sign that reads: 'If you are born with a d**k, you are not a chick. Meskis can be heard yelling: 'Trans women are women. That sign is bulls***t.' 'You're nuts,' Sucher yelled back. 'I'm telling you that as a man, that's bulls**t.' Councilwoman Tiesa Meskis said she entered the shop to confront Don Sucher about his sign, which she said was derogatory against transwomen Sucher said he did not care if his sign hurts anyone's feelings. He added that some of his customers support the sign Sucher said that he was expressing his freedom of speech with the sign, and that if someone did not agree with him, they were free to leave his Star Wars memorabilia shop, King 5 reported. Meskis said the sign was demeaning to transwomen and wanted the shopkeeper to know that it was hurtful. 'We are people. We are who we are and we all want to be accepted in our community,' said Meskis. Sucher said he didn't care about how the sign made people feel. 'I don't give a s**t about feelings anymore,' he said. Do you think I care about some s**t feeling? Absolutely not!' Meskis, a transwoman, left, serves serves as the member of the Aberdeen City Council. She agreed that Sucher, right, has the right to have the sign up, but wanted to voice her opposition Meskis, pictured above in the tie dye shirt, claimed the sign was transphobic. Sucher runs the shop with his family and specializes in Star Wars memorabilia He says the picture is still up today and that everyone loves it. Both Meskis and Sucher said they have received support from others online following the incident. Meskis told the Washington Examiner that she ultimately agreed that Sucher has the right to express himself, but she wanted him to do it in a way that was less offensive to the transgender community. 'What he wrote there was so demeaning and so dismissive of who I am, who any trans woman is,' she said. 'We are people. We are who we are, and we all want to be accepted in our community.' The shop operates at 413 E Wishkah St., in Aberdeen The shop is filled to the brim with merchandise celebrating the Star Wars franchise A hermit known as 'River Dave' has vowed to rebuild his shack that mysteriously burned down after he was jailed for squatting on private property for nearly three decades in New Hampshire. 'It's all physical stuff,' David Lidstone told NBC10 Boston on Thursday after he was released from jail for trespassing. 'It's what you have in friends that counts. These multimillionaires and billionaires - I'm happier than they are,' he said. The cabin was located in New Hampshire along the Muchyedo Bank in Merrimack County in between the Merrimack River and Interstate 93. Lidstone had been living on the property for 27 years. It had solar panels but no other electricity. He has grown his own food, cut his own firewood, and tended to his pets and chickens. 'River Dave' Lidstone said he's happier than billionaires with his bare minimum possessions and small wood cabin in the woods of New Hampshire 'River Dave' has become a local folk hero and is beloved by the community The humble cabin in a wooded area of New Hampshire where Dave 'River Dave' Lidstone lived for 27 years was mysteriously burned down, and he was arrested for trespassing in July This was 'River Dave's' home before it burned down Despite his decades-long stay in the wooded area, the eccentric local folk hero has suddenly been thrust into a land dispute with Leonard Giles, 86, who owns the property where River Dave's makeshift home was built and wanted him removed. Giles's attorney Lisa Snow Wade said there are no discussions around allowing Lidstone to remain on the property because of liability concerns for having someone living in an illegal structure on the property. On July 15, he was arrested for trespassing and told a judge during Wednesday's court appearance that he had no desire to comply with the order to leave the cabin and prefers to be in jail. 'You came with your guns, you arrested me, brought me in here, you've got all my possessions. You keep 'em,' Lidstone told a judge during the court appearance. I'll sit here with your uniform on until I rot, sir.' But with the cabin reduced to ashes, the judge released Lidstone, saying there was no way he could return to the property. Now the question becomes, where will River Dave live? Close friends like Jodie Gedeon, who met Lidstone kayaking about 20 years ago and considers him family, and many other supporters are helping him rebuild his life and answer that question. They set up a GoFundMe to raise money. Other supporters and friends have offered him a place to stay. New Hampshire residents show their support for River Dave, expressing horror over the fire, as well as some theories as to who did it. Posted by Rod Webber on Friday, 6 August 2021 Close friends like Jodie Gedeon (right), who met Lidstone kayaking about 20 years ago and considers him family, and many other supporters are helping him rebuild his life This is the location of Lidstone's home in New Hampshire Rod Webber posted a video of Facebook video that shows Lidstone's humble livelihood reduced to soot and ashes, with parts of the home still smoldering. He picked up food that he planted that appears to have been uprooted. The fire is under investigation, but some supporters told Webber that they believe the fire was purposefully set. A first cousin of Lidstone, Horace Clark of Milton, Vermont, said his cousin should be be allowed to remain on the property, which is just a few miles away from Interstate 93. The 73-acre property is hidden by trees and has been used for timber harvests. It was owned by same family since 1963, and there are no plans at this time to develop it. 'Leave the guy alone. He's not harming anybody,' Clark said. 'If he wasnt a problem in 27 years, he is not going to be a problem now.' 'You came with your guns, you arrested me, brought me in here, you've got all my possessions. You keep 'em,' Lidstone told a judge during the court appearance. I'll sit here with your uniform on until I rot, sir' He has another court appearance scheduled for next week. DailyMail.com reached out to Gedeon and the creator of the GoFundMe page. Advertisement Hundreds of well-wishers released red balloons into the sky today at a vigil next to a river bank where five-year-old Logan was found dead. Children in fancy dress, bright clothes and blowing bubbles marked the life and tragic death of little Logan Mwangi - also known to his friends as Logan Williamson. Villagers crowded next to the waters of the River Ogmore where Logan was pulled dead from the water with multiple injuries including a torn liver, an internal head injury and a broken collarbone a week ago. Step-father John Cole, 39, has been accused of murdering Logan and perverting the course of justice. Mother Angharad Williamson, 30, and a youth have also been charged with perverting the course of justice. Villagers crowded next to the waters of the River Ogmore in South Wales, where five-year-old Logan was found dead a week ago More than 300 people set off red balloons into the sky at a vigil today next to a river bank where Logan's body was dumped Detectives investigating the death of five year old Logan Mwangi from Sarn, Bridgend have charged three people Flowers and teddy bears were today left near Pandy Park in Sarn, Bridgend, close to where the body of Logan Mwangi was discovered last weekend One of the many tributes that were left in memory of the tragic five-year-old who was found dead in a river last weekend A tribute reads: 'Sweet dreams Logan, thinking of all family and friends at this tragic time, sleep peacefully beautiful boy' Locals releasing balloons near Pandy Park in Sarn, Bridgend, close to where the body of Logan Mwangi was discovered last weekend Cole, Williamson, and the youth are set to face a four-week trial next year to decide on their part in the tragic death of 'cheeky boy' Logan. A court previously heard the youngster suffered 'extreme pain' in an attack before he was found following a search. He was reported missing at around 5.45am on Saturday from his home in the village of Sarn, near Bridgend in South Wales. Police pulled his body from the Ogmore River which lies close to the family's flat. He was taken to the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend where he was confirmed dead. Cole and Williamson became engaged less than three months ago - and little Logan was excited at becoming a pageboy. Emotional villagers hug as they attend a vigil for five-year-old Logan Mwangi who was found dead a week ago A well-wisher dressed as Spider-Man carries a balloon reading 'Garw Valley Spider-Man' at a vigil for five-year-old Logan Mwangi Children in fancy dress, bright clothes and blowing bubbles marked the life and tragic death of little Logan Mwangi - also known to his friends as Logan Williamson Hundreds of well-wishers gathered on the banks of the River Ogmore, where Logan's body was found a week ago, to mark his short life Children in fancy dress, bright clothes and blowing bubbles marked the life and tragic death of little Logan Mwangi - also known to his friends as Logan Williamson A provisional trial date for all three was set for January 31 next year with a time estimate of four weeks. Following their arrests, South Wales Police detective chief inspector Mark O'Shea said: 'This is a very harrowing case for all involved and I extend my deepest sympathies to Logan's family and friends. 'This remains an extensive and sensitive investigation by the major crime investigation team and I am grateful to the local community for its support and understanding while we have continued to gather evidence across several scenes. 'Legal proceedings are now under way and I want to remind everyone to avoid speculation which may prejudice this investigation. 'We continue to appeal to anyone who has any information in relation to the incident to contact the major crime investigation team.' Angharad Williamson, the mother of Logan, with her partner Jay Cole have both been charged A van arrived at Cardiff Magistrates Court believed to be bringing the three charged to court A police diver surfaces in the bank of river Ogmore in Lower Llansantffraid near Bridgend Young pals of little Logan have been among those leaving hundreds of tributes including flowers, cards, and soft toys at a riverside bridge nearby. Parents of his reception class have broken the news of Logan 'going to see the angels in heaven' - and asked about their memories of the playful boy. One attached to flowers said: 'RIP Logan, such a beautiful little soul taken way too soon. You will be dearly missed. Sleep tight my lovely. Until we meet again!' The Foo Fighters have trolled members of the Westboro Baptist Church after the hate group picketed at one of the rock band's concerts in Kansas. The musicians were performing in the city of Bonner Springs on Thursday night when Westboro protesters arrived outside the concert venue. The group brandished signs bearing phrases such as 'No Peace for the Wicked' and 'God Hates Your Idols', before the band decided to call them out. Frontman Dave Grohl and bandmates dressed up as their alter egos, 'The Dee Gees', and assembled on a flatbed truck to slowly drove past the protesters. The Dee Gees are the Foo Fighters' parody of the iconic 70s group The Bee Gees, and they began blaring disco tunes from the truck before Grohl explicitly addressed the Westboro members. The moment was caught on camera, with Grohl heard stating: 'Ladies and gentlemen, I got something to say. I love you! I do. The way I look at it, I love everybody. Isn't that what you're supposed to do? Can't you just love everybody? He continued: 'Because I think it's about love. That's what I think. I deliver all of my love, and you shouldn't be hating.' The Foo Fighters have trolled members of the Westboro Baptist Church after the hate group picketed at one of the rock band's concerts in Kansas Frontman Dave Grohl and bandmates dressed up as their alter egos, 'The Dee Gees', and assembled on a flatbed truck to slowly drove past the protesters The group then began playing the Bee Gees hit 'You Should Be Dancing', before Grohl told members of the hate group: 'You know what you should be doing? You should be dancing!' Fans of the rock band applauded Grohl for the way he dealt with the Westboro protesters, with one writing on Twitter: 'Did not think I could love Dave Grohl any more than I already do, but he keeps finding new ways to be awesome.' Another added: 'Awesome! These people should take a leaf out of Dave Grohl's & the Foo's book, there would be a lot less hate & division in the World. Top trolling!' A third person humorously chimed in, stating: 'I think these Westboro loonies were just trying to get a free @foofighters gig.' The Dee Gees are the Foo Fighters' parody of the iconic 70s group The Bee Gees. They are seen dressed up in costume in a recent photo The moment was caught on camera , with frontman Dave Grohl heard stating: 'Ladies and gentlemen, I got something to say. I love you! I do. It's not the first time the Foo Fighters - whose most recent album is titled 'Hail Satan' - have clashed with the Westboro Baptist Church. Back in 2011, the hate group staged a protest outside another of the band's concerts in Kansas. The rockers responded by similarly trolled the hate group by similarly performing on a flatbed truck right in front of the protesters. And in 2015, the Westboro Church picketed another outdoor Kansas concert held by the Foo Fighters, before the band fought back. Aided by their fans, the musicians drowned out the sounds of the protesters who were vastly outnumbered. Advertisement Protesters took to the streets across France on Saturday for the fourth weekend in a row to rally against a new health pass needed to enter a cafe or travel on an inter-city train, two days before the new rules come into force. The new rules championed by President Emmanuel Macron make it obligatory to have either a full course of vaccination against Covid-19, be in possession of a negative test or be recently recovered from the virus to enjoy usually routine activities. Macron, who faces re-election next year, hopes the new rules will encourage all French to be vaccinated against Covid-19 and defeat the virus and its fast-spreading Delta variant. Thousands of Covid sceptic anti vaccine protesters took to the streets of Paris, holding signs reading 'No to the health pass' and 'Vaccine - keep away from our children' Ant-vax protesters have complained the use of Covid-19 passports is an imposition on their freedom and civil liberties Authorities deployed riot police to deal with the protesters after previous scenes of violence across the country In Italy, people have accepted the need to use Covid-19 passports to access restaurants, bars, gyms and theatres Yet similar proposals to implement Covid-19 passports to help slow the spread of the disease in France have faced major opposition Some protesters set off smoke bombs and flares during the demonstration against plans for a Covid-19 passports Members of the Yellow Vest movement have joined the anti-vax protesters and those opposed to Emmanuel Macron's government in regular demonstrations This comes as Italy prepares to introduce it's own 'green pass system, where those who have at least one vaccine dose or have recovered from Covid-19 or who have tested negative within the past 48 hours will be allowed to access gyms and restaurants. The system, which will start on Friday, will be mandatory for everyone over the age of 12. However, measures to help stop the spread of Covid-19 have been controversial in France, with opponents, who have turned out en masse in the streets , arguing that the rules encroach on civil liberties in a country where individual freedom is prized. From Monday, the health pass will be needed to eat in a restaurant or enjoy a drink in a cafe both indoors and on a terrace. It will be obligatory on inter-city transport including high-speed trains and domestic flights although will not be needed on metro systems and suburban transport. The pass has already been required since July 21 to visit cultural venues such as cinemas, theatres and museums. Its extension was approved by France's Constitutional Council on Thursday. In one of several protests planned in Paris alone, hundreds began gathering at Pont de Neuilly metro station on the outskirts for a march to the centre, chanting 'freedom!' and 'no to the health pass'. Wearing a mask, Alexandre Fourez, 34, said he was protesting for the first time and that he had himself recovered from Covid. 'The problem with the health pass is that our hand is being forced,' said the marketing employee, adding he 'really has difficulty believing its use will be temporary'. Other protests were planned later in the afternoon across the country including Lille in the northeast and Toulon on the Mediterranean coast. The interior ministry said over 200,000 people turned out last weekend and more than 160,000 the weekend before for the protests. Police do not expect the numbers to decrease this weekend. Although many of the protesters are among those refusing to be vaccinated, some have taken the jabs but object to the principle of the health pass. The protesters have been on the streets of Paris for the past four weeks demonstrating against President Macron's anti-Covid policy Government spokesman Gabriel Attal said that the pass, which under current rules will be required until November 15, was needed to avoid further restrictions as the country fights the fourth wave of the Covid-19 epidemic. 'It is an additional constraint but a constraint that will allow places to stay open,' he said, while emphasising that there would be a one week 'grace period' for consumers and businesses to get used to the new rules. Macron, who is still at his holiday residence in the south of France, has in recent days repeatedly taken to the social media platform Tik Tok, popular among young people, to get his message across. 'Get vaccinated. Get vaccinated. Get vaccinated,' Macron said in the latest video Friday. 'It's a question of being a good citizen... our freedom is worth nothing if we infect our friends, neighbours or grandparents. To be free is to be responsible.' The Le Monde daily said Macron's decision to show no patience with the protesters had its risks, even for a leader who appears to thrive in confrontation with the street as during the 2018-2019 'yellow vest' protests. 'It is a perilous strategy. Playing with the street is to play with fire,' it said. Boris Johnson nearly drowned after being swept to sea during his disastrous staycation in Scotland last year, it has been claimed. The Prime Minister had to be helped back to safety by his concerned protection officers who had watched him float out to sea while holidaying in the Applecross peninsula in August, according to a report in the Times. He had to cut the break short after the media got hold of the location where he was staying with his now-wife Carrie Symonds and their son Wilfred. Mr Johnson was left red faced when it emerged he and Mrs Symonds had climbed over an 8ft fence to go glamping on a farmer's land. And now it has emerged there were more hiccups during the ill-fated trip, with the Prime Minister nearly getting lost at sea on a paddleboard A source told The Times: 'He nearly drowned. He was taken out by the current. He got swept away and found himself going further and further out.' Others claimed the Prime Minister had to be rescued from a canoe, rather than a paddleboard. Boris Johnson nearly drowned after being swept to sea during his disastrous staycation in Scotland last year He had to cut the break short after the media got hold of the location where he was staying with his now-wife Carrie Symonds and their son Wilfred (pictured Pictured: The cottage the Johnsons stayed at on their holiday A source told The Times: 'He nearly drowned. He was taken out by the current. He got swept away and found himself going further and further out.' Others claimed the Prime Minister had to be rescued from a canoe, rather than a paddleboard. His security detail considered calling a search helicopter when Mr Johnson disappeared. He is said to have paddled halfway back to the shore where he was met by the bodyguards, who had stripped off and were swimming. The source said: 'It was all fine in the end but it could have been a catastrophe.' Downing Street declined to comment. The Prime Minister told ministers he would not return to Scotland on holiday over his 'dead body'. He was previously considering another trip this summer. Pictured: Prime Minister Boris Johnson onboard the Esvagt Alba during a visit to the Moray Offshore Windfarm East near Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on Thursday He is thought to be 'desperate' to get abroad this summer but is aware how damaging a trip would be to his PR at the moment, with thousands of Brits forced to cancel their holidays because of Downing Street's traffic light system fiasco. It comes after it emerged Boris Johnson was at several times 'side-by-side' with a civil servant who tested positive for Covid after flying with him to Scotland this week. The staffer attended a police college event with the PM and travelled on the same flight to Aberdeen before testing positive, forcing them to isolate along with their close contacts. But Downing Street yesterday said the PM who is spending the weekend at his Chequers retreat in Buckinghamshire had not been deemed a close contact of the individual concerned and will not go into self isolation. It is understood the aide - whose identity No10 has refused to disclose - flew with Mr Johnson and a dozen others on the PM's subsequent flight from Glasgow to Aberdeen on Thursday but they were at different ends of the official liveried Airbus used for the trip. It is understood the staffer was part of an advanced party that went to Scotland ahead of the PM and did not share his flight from London. The staffer tested positive upon landing and was instructed to self-isolate in a hotel in Scotland while several others were sent home. A young woman working at a Chilean safari park died on Friday after a tiger attacked her, police said. The woman, who has not been identified by police, was among staff cleaning and performing maintenance work in the big cats' enclosure of a safari park in the city of Rancagua, 60 miles south of the capital Santiago. Visitors drive through the safari feature, where animals can move freely. When staff are working in the area, animals are confined in enclosures. A young woman working at a safari park in Chile has been mauled to death by a tiger while she cleaned the animal's enclosure n the city of Rancagua, 60 miles south of the capital Santiago Police have launched an investigation as to how the woman came into contact with the big cat The woman who died suffered neck wounds in the tiger attack, authorities said. Williams Espinoza of the Rancagua police said the woman's ordeal was brief. 'She did not realize that the door of the animal's cage was open and was immediately attacked by this tiger, causing her death on the spot,' he said. The safari park was closed while police investigated. Jorge Mena, from the regional public prosecutor's office, said they would be investigating possible third-party culpability for what happened. The Rancagua Safari Park did not respond to a request for comment. The condition of the tiger was not known. Bookings for foreign holidays have soared by up to 250 per cent after the Government revealed rules on travelling to France would be relaxed while the green list is to be expanded. From 4am Sunday, arrivals from France who are fully vaccinated with a jab authorised and administered in the UK, US or Europe will not need to quarantine. Meanwhile, Austria, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia will move to the green list, and Bahrain, India, Qatar and United Arab Emirates will move to the amber list. The updates have caused a surge in holiday searches, with Hays Travel, the UK's largest independent agent, reporting a 193 per cent surge in bookings between Thursday and Friday. From 4am Sunday, arrivals from France who are fully vaccinated with a jab authorised and administered in the UK, US or Europe will not need to quarantine (Pictured: Cannes, south of France) British Airways reported a 260 per cent week-on-week increase in searches for holidays to the south of France (Pictured: Cote d'Azur, south of France) Chairwoman Dame Irene Hays said: 'What we've seen over the past couple of weeks is a lot of inquiries and so we had many people who were ready to book them.' The company advised holidaymakers to use a 'reputable travel agent' given how quickly rules can change with short notice. Dame Hays told Sky News: 'As long as people are careful where they book, the travel agent will look after the two things which are most important one is their health and safety, and second is their financial security. 'Just to say that at the moment, we will see some of the best prices we've seen in years.' The current rules on travel are expected to remain in place until at least August 26 but transport secretary Grant Shapps said he cannot guarantee a 'zero chance' of countries being moved to the amber or red list in the future. One of the biggest winners from the travel list updates was Jet2, which saw a 250 per cent spike in bookings to amber and green list destinations yesterday compared to the day before. Chief executive Steve Heapy said: 'The latest traffic light review from the UK government comes just in time for the peak summer season. 'It is no surprise to see a sudden spike in bookings to destinations on the green and amber lists, as we know that there is enormous demand out there from holidaymakers who cannot wait to get away.' According to Skyscanner, searches for holidays to Dubai were up 213 per cent, making it the second-most popular search on the comparison website after Spain - which saw a 42% rise in bookings compared with a week ago. The company said its top destinations are currently Malaga, Palma, Alicante, Tenerife, all in Spain, and then Dubai. Meanwhile British Airways reported a 260 per cent week-on-week increase in searches for holidays to the south of France. And Brittany Ferries said it took 1,400 bookings to France on Thursday, up from 568 a day earlier, while Eurostar said bookings from London to Paris doubled over the same period. It follows a spat between the UK and its neighbour to the south after the British Government made it the only amber list destination from which fully jabbed travellers had to quarantine upon return. While travel companies have praised the latest updates, some industry sources said it was 'too little too late.' One of the biggest winners from the travel list updates was Jet2, which saw a 250 per cent spike in bookings to amber and green list destinations yesterday compared to the day before According to Skyscanner, searches for holidays to Dubai were up 213 per cent, making it the second-most popular search on the comparison website after Spain (Pictured: Dubai skyline) Bahrain, India, Qatar and United Arab Emirates will move to the amber list on Sunday at 4am (Pictured: Plane flies over Dubai) One senior travel boss told the Times: 'The government claims these announcements are opening up travel, but with fully vaccinated people allowed to return from amber countries without quarantine, it means the green list is now basically nonsense. 'When you consider that, the only meaningful change this week is the France news. And we know quarantine should never have been imposed in the first place. So this only rights that wrong.' And while those returning from Spain only have to produce a lateral flow test at the border, ministers are still advising that they take a PCR test - a potential cost of hundreds of pounds for families. Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, said: 'Alongside the continuation of expensive testing and a much smaller than hoped for expansion of the green list which makes less sense by the day, given where we are with the vaccination programme this is yet another blow to the sector and families desperate to get away, and means the UK continues to open up far slower than the rest of Europe.' British Airways said its teams had been 'working through the night to arrange as many additional seats out of Mexico as possible to help get Britons home'. But there is unlikely to be enough seats for all those desperate to return. Pictured: Passengers arrive at Heathrow on Friday Those who have received both doses have unrestricted entry - meaning they do not have to quarantine or provide a negative test result - when travelling to Germany, France, Spain, Latvia, Romania and Georgia. But those who are not double-jabbed are still subject to some regulations upon arrival and, in the cases of Germany and Slovakia, can be denied entry It comes as Brits are scrambling to get back to the UK from Mexico after the country is set to be added to the red list Sunday - requiring travellers to check into a quarantine hotel for 10 days upon arrival, costing 1,750 per adult. Holidaymakers spoke of their anger at having to spend thousands of pounds to flee the country. Many had cut short dream trips to the popular tourist destination of Cancun and spoke of the panic to try and book one of the few remaining airline seats to the UK before tomorrow's 4am deadline. British Airways said its teams had been 'working through the night to arrange as many additional seats out of Mexico as possible to help get Britons home'. But there is unlikely to be enough seats for all those desperate to return. The cost of a flight back to Britain was being sold for between 2,000 and 4,000 yesterday as many tried to beat the deadline. There are between 5,000 and 6,000 British holidaymakers in Mexico currently. In a further blow, the cost of hotel quarantine will increase from August 12, with the price for single adult travellers rising from 1,750 to 2,285 and a second adult paying 1,430 more than double the current rate of 650. Almost two dozen Texas Democrats who fled to Washington, D.C. last month in order to block two 'restrictive' voting reform bills proposed by Republicans have now filed a lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbott. Abbott - who is Republican - threatened to arrest the lawmakers when they eventually return to the Lone Star state after they packed onto private jets and flew to the nation's capitol on July 12. On Friday, 22 of the Democrats filed a complaint in federal court in Austin claiming that Republican attempts to bring them home for a special legislative session is a violation of their rights. The plaintiffs claim they 'have been deprived of liberty for substantial periods of time, [and] suffered much anxiety and distress over the separation from their families. They also say they have suffered from 'much discomfort and embarrassment' because their reputations have been 'impaired'. In addition to Abbott, GOP House Speaker Dade Phelan and State Rep. James White are also named as defendants in the suit. Almost two dozen Texas Democrats who fled to Washington, D.C. last month in order to block two 'restrictive' voting reform bills proposed by Republicans have now filed a lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbott. Some of the leftwing lawmakers are pictured fleeing the state on a private jet on on July 12 Abbott threatened to arrest the lawmakers when they eventually return to the Lone Star state In the suit, the Democrats further allege that they 'have lost much time from their homes and the companionship and care of their families and have been required to spend substantial sums of money'. They claim Abbott and the two other defendants have 'by public statements and otherwise, attempted to deny, coerce, threaten, intimidate, and prevent' Democrat voters from heading to the polls. Gov. Abbott has not yet publicly responded to the suit. It comes one day after he called for a second special legislative session to pass two Republican voting rights bills, which is the reason that sparked the several dozen Democratic lawmakers to flee the state and break quorum in the first place. 'I will continue to call special session after special session to reform our broken bail system, uphold election integrity, and pass other important items that Texans demand and deserve,' Abbott said in a statement. 'Passing these Special Session agenda items will chart a course towards a stronger and brighter future for the Lone Star State.' Texas State Rep. Chris Turner, Chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, is seen speaking in DC on Friday Meanwhile, several of the Democrats have reportedly jetted out of the country from DC to go on vacation as their time away from Texas continues. The Texas Democratic Caucus could not account for state Representatives Julie Johnson of Farmers Branch and Jessica Gonzalez of Dallas in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, a person familiar with the situation told the Texas Tribune in a Wednesday report. A reporter for Texas Monthly tweeted on Tuesday they could confirm both lawmakers and their partners went to 'Portugal for a vacation they had been planning, with non-refundable tickets, for a year-and-a-half.' The duo, the reporter continued, were still participating in meetings with the caucus over Zoom. Runaway Texas Democratic Representatives Jessica Gonzalez (left) and Julie Johnson (right) could not be accounted for by their caucus on Tuesday and reportedly jet off to Portugal for a pre-planned vacation A reporter covering the Democrats' breaking quorum and fleeing to Washington D.C. said he could confirm the duo and Gonzalez' fiance and Johnson's wife all went to Portugal and the lawmakers joined meetings over Zoom from their European vacation Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Thursday that he is calling a second special legislative session to get, in part, the voting bills passed the reason the Democrats fled the state and broke quorum in the first place Texas Republican House member Tom Oliverson lamented on Twitter that he had to cancel a family vacation to make it to the state's special session as he took his oath to serve the people of his district seriously. 'Wow, just wow,' Oliverson tweeted in response to two of his Democratic colleagues taking a vacation from their D.C. hiatus. 'Had to cancel my family's vacation last week to Grand Teton because of a special session they helped create back in May.' 'Texas deserves better than this,' he added. Several in the group of around 60 Democrats who fled from Austin last month have called themselves heroes and said they are doing their civic duty by not showing up for their job in the Texas legislature and instead lobbying the U.S. Congress to pass the For the People voting reform bill. 'Please pray for these heroic Texas Democrats as they suffer away from home, in Portugal. Perhaps consider sending them a care package?' Congressman Dan Crenshaw, who represents Texas' 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House, sarcastically tweeted. Republican Texas Rep. Tom Oliverson lamented that he canceled a family vacation to make sure he made it to a special session in May Rep. Dan Crenshaw, who represents Texas' 2nd congressional district, sarcastically wished them well 'as they suffer away from home, in Portugal' The Dallas Democrats posted on their Twitter last month, 'Our Dems in DC said they'd appreciate care packages from home,' as they prepared to send items to the runaways. 'Before 5pm Tues, we're collecting Dr. Pepper, salsa, hard candy, hairspray, travel toiletries, hand sanitizers, sewing kits, first aid, and/ or $ to pay shipping,' the tweet continued. In a text exchange with the San Antonio Express-News, Gonzalez said 'No one has shown proof' of the Portugal trip. 'These are rumors, period,' she said in the Tuesday evening text. 'End of story.' Gonzalez, in particular, plays a prominent role in the voting rights fight as vice chair of the Texas House Elections Committee. Between July and August 7, when the first special session ends, the Texas Democrats predicted they would spend around $1.5 million for transportation, hotel accommodations, food and other expenses in D.C. The group chartered two private jets at $100,000 to flee Austin early last month. None wore masks and soon after an outbreak occurred among the group where at least six tested positive for coronavirus despite being vaccinated. One of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's aides, who helped usher the group around the Capitol, also tested positive as well as a White House staffer. Since arriving, the runaways have been staying at the Washington Plaza Hotel in the northwest quadrant of the city. Rooms start at $199 per night. The group has been criticized by Republicans who claim they are dodging their duty to show up and vote on legislation, even if it will have an unfavorable outcome for their interests. Democrats, however, have praised the Texas lawmakers for sticking it to the GOP and not allowing voting reform bills to pass through the State House. News of Johnson and Gonzalez's absence came the same day this week when more than 100 state legislators across the nation showed up to support their fight against what they feel are more restrictive voting laws. Apley, 45, died from complications of the coronavirus despite a large online presence denouncing vaccines and masks A local Texas politician and vocal COVID-19 vaccine and mask skeptic died from complications of Coronavirus last week, according to the mayor of the town he represents. The death of H. Scott Apley, councilman for the town of Dickinson, a Houston suburb of about 20,000 people, was first announced on Wednesday on the Texas Republican Party's page. The 45-year-old allegedly died from the virus despite a vast social media presence showing extreme disdain for masks and the COVID-19 vaccine, the town's mayor Sean Skipworth announced on Friday. In May, Apley wrote: 'I wish I lived in the area!' in response to an Ohio mask-burning party on Facebook. In another post a month earlier, he called a doctor 'an absolute enemy of the people' for recommending people take the COVID-19 vaccine. Dickinson Texas City Councilman H. Scott Apley who appeared skeptical on social media of mask use and Covid-19 vaccines died this week from complications of the coronavirus Skipworth denounced the online reaction to the irony in Apley's passing, where commenters have flooded the former councilman's social media pages with quips saying the late Texas official that he should have gotten the jab. Those who knew Apley say they were mostly unaware of his presence on social media, as critics continue to pile on the commentary. 'I was not really aware of his social media presence,' said Skipworth of Apley's online postings. 'I don't agree with the views that he espoused and the tones that he espoused them in.' 'I wish I lived in the area!' he wrote in response to an Ohio mask-burning party on Facebook In another post, he called a doctor 'an absolute enemy of the people' for recommending people take the COVID-19 vaccine Pictured: Coronavirus figures as of August 7, 2021 Meanwhile, Texas has remained a hotbed of anti-mask and vaccine mandates, with Gov. Greg Abbott and state Democrats going back and forth over 'vaccine passports,' according to NBC News. As of Saturday, Aug. 7, Texas currently has 3.22 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 53,730 deaths in the Lone Star State alone, making up a large portion of the country's 35,695,469 cases and 616,493 deaths, the New York Times reports. 'I think it's tragic because he leaves behind a wife and young son. My father died when I was very young,' he said. 'There has been a lot of vitriol, and I'm disappointed about that. He and I didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things. But this is not a time for a victory lap.' Skipworth, who says Apley's wife is 'devastated' over his loss, warned of the kind of joyful responses to his death that seem to have permeated American politics in recent years. 'If you say you don't like the tone of people on social media, and then you're doing the same thing after someone dies, it's disheartening,' the mayor added. 'I think that's disturbing for American discourse.' Advertisement The boyfriend of an 'evil' mother who killed her three-year-old daughter because she was getting in the way of their love life was only there so he could have sex, his father has claimed. Callum Redfern, 22, was jailed for 14 years and his ex-girlfriend Nicola Priest for 15 for manslaughter after her daughter Kaylee-Jayde was found dead with chest and abdominal injuries at the flat where she lived on August 9 last year. Andrew Redfern has now branded Priest an 'evil mother' and said 'she doesn't deserve kids'. He said his son was misled by Priest and 'got caught up in it', describing him as a 'kid' incapable of manipulating his ex-girlfriend. He also claimed Priest would refuse to change Kaylee's nappy, telling her daughter 'you can just stay in it' while smoking outside the house. Pictured: Nicola Priest (left) and lover Callum Redfern (right) were both were unanimously cleared of murder but convicted of the child's manslaughter on Thursday. Priest was sentenced to 15 years and Redfern has been jailed for 14 years Three-year-old Kaylee-Jayde Priest (pictured) was found dead on August 9, 2020 at the flat where she lived with her mother in Birmingham after a court heard her mother and boyfriend thought she got in the way of them having sex Andrew Redfern told the Sun: 'Nikki is an evil mother - she doesn't deserve kids. 'She was stood outside this house smoking and Kaylee's nappy needed changing. She said 'you can just stay in it' - that was her attitude. She wouldn't come in the house to take her to the toilet.' Of his son, Andrew said he 'got caught up in it' and that 'he was only there so he could have sex at the end of the day'. 'He's too much like a kid himself to be manipulating her', he added. The pair were convicted of manslaughter after a jury heard Priest rang 999 only after the youngster was dead. The mother was sentenced to 15 years for manslaughter and a three year concurrent sentence for child cruelty Sentencing the pair, Mr Justice Foxton QC said: 'On the evening of August 8 you Redfern went to Priest's flat. The two of you went to have sex. Kaylee wanted to stay up and play. There is no direct evidence of what happened next. 'Kaylee was sick more than once during the night as a result of the severe beating. You lost your tempers and it is clear you were joint participants in that assault. You both knew you had seriously injured Kaylee. 'You, Priest did nothing to seek medical help. A prompt call could have saved Kaylee's life. You both lied repeatedly during interviews. 'From the severity of the injuries caused by the assault it is clear there was an intention to cause serious harm. The injuries were caused by a ferocious assault. 'You and Redfern were equally responsible. You had ample opportunity to raise any concerns. Kaylee was very vulnerable and you were in a position of trust. You did nothing to summon help.' The final moments leading up to the death of Kaylee-Jayde Priest were revealed in chilling CCTV footage. In the footage played to court, Kaylee-Jayde and her mother were seen together just hours before the youngster's fatal collapse, using a lift at the block of flats where they lived in Kingshurst House, Solihull. The footage showed Priest's total disinterest in her daughter; repeatedly checking her reflection in the mirror and scrolling through her phone, while the youngster periodically gazed up at her mother's face. At no point in the footage was there any physical contact between the pair, with Priest neglecting even to reach out to hold her daughter's hand. Pictured: A screen grab from CCTV footage issued by West Midlands Police of Kaylee-Jade Priest and her mother Nicola Priest by the lift in their apartment building, hours before the young girl was killed on August 9 last year Hours later, the youngster described in court as a 'happy child', died from serious chest and abdominal injuries. Medical examinations later showed she had also suffered historical injuries including broken ribs, lower leg fractures and a broken sternum, Birmingham Crown Court heard. Priest and her 22-year-old lover Callum Redfern pointed the finger of blame at each other during their trial, but were at the time in a 'close sexual relationship'. Both were unanimously cleared of murder but convicted of the child's manslaughter on Thursday. Jurors had heard how Priest would hit Kaylee around the head and refer to her as a 'f****** brat', while the youngster was also heard crying 'in a fearful tone'. On one occasion, neighbours in a flat below at Kingshurst House, Solihull, recalled hearing a bang above and then Kaylee crying, before allegedly hearing Priest say: 'I'll just say she fell off the bed.' Pictured: A screen grab from CCTV footage of Kaylee-Jade Priest (left) and her mother Nicola Priest (right) outside their Kingshurst House, Solihull apartment building, hours before the young girl was killed on August 9 last year The CCTV footage (pictured) showed Priest's (left) total disinterest in her daughter; repeatedly checking her reflection in the mirror and scrolling through her phone, while the youngster (right) periodically gazed up at her mother's face At no point in the footage was there any physical contact between the pair (pictured in CCTV footage in the building's lift), with Priest (right) neglecting even to reach out to hold her daughter's (left) hand The same residents claimed they noticed that 'when Kaylee cried, the response appeared to be to drown out her crying with music'. In a text message exchange on July 24 2020, days before Kaylee's death, Priest told Redfern: 'I'm gonna kill her... because she keeps leaving the living room or going in the kitchen, so I've paled (hit) her one and smacked her for s**tting in her nappy.' Redfern said: 'Good - give her one from me.' Priest replied: 'I will, babe.' Three days later, Redfern messaged Priest saying: 'I'm going to keep the little brat away from me... sick of your spunking daughter.' Prosecutors said the messages painted a vivid picture of the 'uncaring attitude from Priest and Redfern towards Kaylee'. Opening the case at the start of the trial, prosecution barrister Andrew Smith QC said: 'The prosecution case is that her death was caused by her having received serious injuries to her chest and abdomen in a sustained assault on August 8 of last year. 'That intentional assault occurred when both of the defendants were alone with Kaylee-Jayde.' Her mother Nicola Priest, 23, and 22-year-old Callum Redfern denied murdering the little girl but were both convicted of manslaughter Floral tributes to the young girl were left outside the flat after families learned of her death last year From the time Priest moved in to the flat in mid-2019, neighbours heard her 'shouting with real regularity' at Kaylee, including comments like 'Shut up', 'Go away' or 'Leave me alone' - and 'never anything positive or kind'. Priest was also found guilty of cruelty to a child, relating to the youngster's historical injuries, but Redfern was cleared of that charge. In a statement released through police after the verdicts, Kaylee's grandmother Debbie Windmill said the impact of her death would live with her for the rest of her life. She said: 'I could never stop staring at the smile on her beautiful face. I loved every moment watching her develop to nearly school age; preparing to buy my first grandchild her pre-school uniform was something that filled me with such happiness. 'I couldn't wait to see her in it, but this opportunity was stolen from me in the most brutal of ways. 'Everybody deserves the gift of life. Kaylee-Jayde deserved to show the world who she could have been and what greatness she could have brought to this world. Nanny will forever hold you in her heart.' A photo tribute at the scene of her death showed her happy and smiling in poignant scenes Speaking afterwards, Detective Inspector Adam Jobson, said: 'This is a really horrific set of circumstances and I cannot imagine for one second what Kaylee-Jayde's family must be going through, they've lost their three-year-old family member at the hands of her own mother and Nicky Priest's boyfriend, Callum. 'It is a grim picture. 'I don't think, sadly, we will ever fully know what has happened, we'll never get that full picture, both have not admitted their own responsibility. 'One thing is clear, Nicky Priest has failed her daughter, she's failed to protect her and she should be - being a mother to that little girl - the one person who should have been able to protect her.' Priest, of Poplar Avenue, Edgbaston, Birmingham, and Redfern, of Temple Street, Dudley, West Midlands, will be sentenced on Friday. A Brooklyn mother whose daughter was gunned down in brazen execution-style shooting in the middle of the street has told the killer 'very angry' but 'doesn't hate' her. Delia Berry's daughter, Delia Johnson, 42, was killed when a female shooter got out of her car with a gun behind her back, casually walked up to her and shot her in the back of the head from point-blank range on August 4. After a candlelight vigil on Friday, Berry looked directly into the camera during an interview with Bronx News 12 and spoke to her daughter's killer. 'Very angry, and no, young lady, I don't hate you,' she said. 'I'm going to continue to pray for you and your family.' The family set up a GoFundMe to raise money for Johnson's funeral. The incident was caught on surveillance tape and shared by NYPD Crime Stoppers. The NYPD told DailyMail.com Saturday afternoon that there was still no arrest but there's a person of interest. There a motive is still unknown at this point. Scroll down for video. Delia Berry says she's 'very angry' but 'doesn't hate' the woman who fatally shot her daughter - Delia Johnson - in an execution-style shooting and will 'continue to pray' for her and her family Shocking video shows the female assassin raising a gun to a woman on a Brooklyn sidewalk and shooting her dead. The victim, named by police as Delia Johnson, 42, was speaking to a group on a stoop in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, when she was shot in the head NYPD issued this image of the female shooter, left, whom Delia Johnson's family members have now identified as a 'family friend.' It remains unclear why she shot and killed Johnson (right) The victim's family says they believe they know Johnson's assassin as a 'family friend' and the 42-year-old mom of a teenager was lured to her death by a phone call. 'I know her,' Berry said when she saw the picture, according to the New York Post. 'Oh my God, oh my God, she used to stay with us,' Berry said. 'She slept in my bed, ate my food.' 'She was one of my babies too,' Berry also told PIX 11 news. Johnson was talking to a group of people in Crown Heights at around 9.40pm on August 4 when a blonde woman dressed in all black walked up to her from behind and shot her in the back of the head. Johnson is seen on the video collapsing to the ground in front of horrified onlookers as her killer calmly makes her way toward a parked white car, gets in the driver's seat and takes off from the scene. One of Johnson's younger sisters, Hadjah Pendley, called the suspect 'a family friend who came to our family events, celebrations, holidays - whatever you want to call it, she came.' Berry reportedly noted to PIX 11 that the suspect and Johnson had a tumultuous friendship in recent weeks in which they would 'argue about everything.' She now says she wants to know why the suspect, who has not yet been named, would murder her daughter. 'Why did you slaughter her like that?' she asked. 'I just want to know why. 'What could she have done to you that you couldn't come and knock on my door and tell me? I would have straightened it out for both of you all. 'You are hurting families,' Berry told the Post. 'I'm in so much pain, I don't know what to do. 'She was my baby,' Berry said, adding: 'This person that shot my daughter, may God have mercy on your family, because we put curses on ourselves when we do things.' Delia Johnson, 42 (left and right), was shot and killed on a Brooklyn street after attending a funeral for a friend. She was raising a 17-year-old daughter as a single mom Footage shows the assassin, her purse slung over her shoulder, turn and casually walk to an SUV as her victim lays dead on the sidewalk. Delia Johnson lays dead on the sidewalk after onlookers scattered for shelter when the shots were fired. Her assassin is shown getting into a getaway car After shooting Johnson multiple times, the blonde suspect calmly returned to a parked car She was last seen getting into the driver's seat and speeding away from the scene Mathis Johnson, Delia's brother, told the New York Daily News that his sister had attended a funeral for an old friend earlier that day. The service drew hundreds of mourners, and Mathis claims the suspected killer was among them. Mathis said he saw the black-clad woman with long blonde hair at the Sealy Culyer Funeral Home, about four blocks away. Johnson was reportedly talking to some friends afterwards when she received a phone call. 'She said 'I'll be right back,'' longtime friend Shawn Johnson, 43, told the New York Post. 'Twenty minutes later, somebody called me andtold me she got shot. I told him he was lying. I was just standing here with her.' Another of Johnson's sister, Khadyah Berry, 28, told the Post she was looking for a parking space when she saw an ambulance passing that night, not realizing it was for her sister. 'I ran down the street trying to get to her, but by the time I got to her, they took her,' Khadyah recounted, claiming she 'knew in my heart that somebody called her and knew what it was and set my sister up. Nobody can tell me otherwise. 'My sister didn't deserve that all,' she said. Delia's family members said she was an entrepreneur who was raising her 17-year-old. Her mother also described her as her first-born child who excelled in piano and tap dancing, and later took care of her as she became ill. 'I will never forget when I was in so much pain and she was right there for me,' Berry recalled to the Post about a surgery she underwent, and how Johnson was the first one at the hospital to help her. 'I am going to miss her bringing me some food when I wasn't feeling well,' she said, adding: 'When a child can wash and clean their own mother, that's love. 'She'd say 'You know you get [on] my nerves sometimes, Mommy, but you know I love you,'' Berry told the Post. 'I'd say, 'You get on my nerves too, but I love you too.' Delia Berry, Johnson's mother, said she now wants to know why the suspect killed her daughter Berry, left, said Johnson, right, her first-born child, helped take care of her after she underwent surgery and would bring her food This is not the only instance of a woman being implicated in a deadly shooting targeting another woman in New York City. Back in April, 51-year-old Nichelle Thomas was fatally shot in the back of the head from a point-blank range as she approached a bodega in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn. Police later arrested Thomas' on-again, off-again girlfriend, 38-year-old Latisha Bell, charging her with second-degree murder. Wednesday's violent killing took place as Mayor Bill de Blasio proudly boasted on Thursday that his 'Safe Summer' program has driven down murder and gun attacks in New York City. In April, de Blasio unveiled his 'Safe Summer' program, a plan aimed at ending gun violence that focused on creating disincentives for young people looking to turn to guns by offering them positive alternatives. During his Thursday briefing, de Blasio proudly proclaimed that the program has been effective and said in the month of July the NYPD saw 'extraordinary successes' to curve violent crime. Listing statistics from July, de Blasio noted that murders decreased by 49.1 percent and shootings were down by 35 percent across the New York City. The NYPD made 383 gun arrests in July alone, up 133.5 percent compared to last July, the mayor said, while gun arrests in general have gone up 44.5 percent in 2021. While de Blasio touted the success of his program he failed to mention an ongoing string of violent incidents in the streets of the Big Apple this summer that have led to the NYPD issuing hundreds of pleas to identify suspects. During his daily briefing on Thursday, de Blasio proudly proclaimed that the 'Safe Summer' program has been effective and said in July the NYPD curved violent crime Shootings so far this year have steadily increased since January, with a small dip in June and July Rapes in New York City were up 3.1 percent so far this year, with 842 reported as of August 1, compared to 817 in the same period of 2020 According to the mayor, the summer month of July is usually one of the most violent in the city but the NYPD 'rose to the challenge' and was able to suppress gun violence and executed an impressive number of gang takedowns. 'The gang takedowns mean taking a lot of bad guys off of the streets and at the same time a lot of shooters off the streets, this is crucial,' de Blasio noted. Overall since the safe summer program was launched in May, murders have gone down 26 percent, shootings decreased 10 percent and shooting victims are down 11 percent. 'There is more to do, but the NYPD is moving and making an impact,' de Blasio said. The stoop on 697 Franklin Street in Crown Heights where Delia Johnson, 42, was talking to a group of people before a female assassin opened fire on her A small row of candles marks the scene where Delia Johnson was gunned down on Franklin Street in Crown Heights While de Blasio took his victory lap many New Yorkers are wondering if the program is actually working as the city is inundated with violent crime. On Tuesday a man strangled a woman unconscious on a Manhattan subway train and attempted to rape her before taking off. According to the NYPD, the 40-year-old female subway rider was approached by a stranger who demanded her possessions and then slammed her into the train car seats. The burly perpetrator then strangled the victim until she lost consciousness. Police said the assailant then groped the unresponsive woman's breasts inside her bra and tried to rape her, reported the New York Post. When the train pulled into the 168th Street station, the attacker dragged the woman onto the subway platform and ran away. Crime has rocketed by 53% in two years and system has already seen more murders in 2021 than it did for the whole of 2019 This comes one day after police released surveillance footage of a masked attacker they say raped a 70-year-old woman at gunpoint in her apartment building in The Bronx last week. According to the NYPD, the sexual assault took place at around 2am on July 27 in the Belmont neighborhood. The elderly victim was entering her apartment building when she was approached from behind by a man wearing two plastic masks - a red one and a black one - on his face, police said. On Saturday, three innocent bystanders were struck when gunfire erupted outside a Washington Heights bodega. Surveillance footage showed three men chasing a fourth man into a bodega as he goes behind the counter and holds a gun to the three men with his back to the cashier. Shortly after the group of men took the standoff outside and began firing, striking a 42-year-old woman in the left arm, a 58-year-old woman in the buttocks and a 78-year-old man in the left arm and stomach, the New York Post reported. Police say the man was wearing black and red plastic masks (pictured in his right hand) when he raped the elderly woman at gunpoint in the stairwell On Saturday, three innocent bystanders were struck when gunfire erupted outside a Washington Heights bodega The men were gang members targeting rivals from the Trinitarios gang during the shooting on Saturday night in the borough's Corona neighborhood, police said Earlier this week, surveillance footage captured the moment two men approached a crowd in a busy Queens neighborhood and fired about 40 shots, injuring 10 people before fleeing the scene on mopeds. The shooters were targeting members of the Trinitarios gang on Saturday night in the borough's Corona neighborhood, police said. They opened fire while some bystanders were walking outside a barbershop and others were at a nearby restaurant for a birthday party. These incident are reflective of the overall skyrocketing crime rates in New York City. NYPD crime data show that rapes are up 3.1 per cent so far this year, with 842 reported as of August 1, compared to 817 in the same period of 2020. Other sex crimes are up 26.3 per cent to 2,719 this year, compared to 2,152 last year, according to NYPD statistics. Shootings have spiked 15.8 per cent in 2021 compared to last year, with 900 shooting incidents in 2021 compared to 777 in 2020. There are also 12 per cent more shooting victims this year, the data shows, with 1,057 people falling prey to gun violence compared to 944 last year. The biggest leap in crime rates is for hate crimes, which have surged by 103 per cent in the last year. The data come amid numerous random attacks on Asian Americans in the city in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A 61-year-old man knifed multiple times in north London was a social worker trying to check on the welfare of vulnerable children, the Metropolitan Police has said. The social worker was accompanied by two police officers who also sustained injuries in the attack on Friday evening, the force said. Police were called just before 8pm to an address in Noel Park Road, Wood Green, to assist the social worker who had been refused entry by the residents. Police officers and a social worker called to an address on Noel Park Road (pictured), near Wood Green, at around 7.20pm on Friday due to concerns for the welfare of some children A man wielding a knife then allegedly assaulted the officers and the social worker, 61, who was with them in a communal area, according to the Metropolitan Police The man, 61, reportedly suffered stab injuries and one of the officers sustained non-life-threatening slash injuries. All three remain in hospital. Pictured: Scene on Noel Park Road After forcing the door and entering a communal area of the building, the social worker - who is employed by Haringey Council - was approached by an attacker who stabbed him several times. The Met said on Saturday that a 33-year-old man arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm remains in custody. Two other men arrested in a nearby property in connection with the incident are also still being held. 'The nature of their involvement is still being established,' the Met said. The social worker remains in hospital but his injuries are non life-threatening, while the two police officers were discharged in the early hours of Saturday morning. Chief Superintendent Treena Fleming, policing commander for Haringey and Enfield, said: 'Social workers play a vital role in ensuring that vulnerable people in our community, including children, are safe and protected. 'We have a very close working relationship with our local authority partners and their social services teams and I am appalled at this shocking attack. 'We will do all we can to ensure the person responsible is brought to justice. Our thoughts here at North Area are with the injured social worker and his family and we wish him a speedy recovery.' She added: 'I would also like to pay tribute to the two officers who came to the aid of the victim in this incident, sustaining knife wounds themselves as they did so.' A man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of assault, while two other people have since been arrested. All three remain in custody. Pictured: Scene on Noel Park Road Ms Fleming added: 'This incident shows just how much of a threat knives pose to everyone in Haringey and across London. 'Tackling violent crime is the Met's number one priority and the events of Friday evening only serve to strengthen our determination as we continue to take weapons off the streets and bring offenders to justice.' The Met said that steps have been taken to protect the children who were the subject of the initial welfare visit. The leader of Haringey Council, councillor Peray Ahmet, and the local authority's chief executive, Zina Etheridge, described the attack as 'a shocking incident'. In a joint statement, they said: 'Social workers do an incredibly important job. Their safety is of uppermost importance to us. 'This type of incident, while rare, is an important reminder that frontline staff across the public sector put themselves in harm's way to do their jobs and we should all express our thanks and support for them as they do so. 'We also want to express our admiration and respect for the two police officers, who we understand sustained their injuries while protecting the social worker.' They said Haringey Council would 'provide all the necessary support' to help the social worker as he makes his recovery. State Trooper #1 Cuomo is accused of sexually harassed a state trooper, referred to in the report as Trooper #1, who he hired onto his protective detail in 2017 - bending the three-year experience requirement. Although she had only completed two years on the force, the governor reportedly wanted the unnamed trooper in his inner circle. He is said to have asked a senior member of his security detail to add her to the team even though she did not meet the standard requirement. 'Ha ha, they changed the minimum from 3 years to 2 just for you,' the senior security member told the trooper in an email, which was included in the AG's report. Once she was on his team, he allegedly harassed her on a number of occasions, including one where he ran his hand across her stomach from her belly button to her right hip while she was holding the door open for him at an event. 'I felt...completely violated because to me...that's between my chest and my privates,' the trooper said, according to Business Insider. 'But, you know, I'm here to do a job.' He also ran is accused 'running his finger down her back' while they were in an elevator together and saying 'hey you', and kissing her on the cheek in front of another trooper. 'I remember just freezing, being - in the back of my head, I'm like, oh, how do I say no politely because in my head if I said no, he's going to take it out on the detail. And now I'm on the bad list,' the trooper said. Cuomo also allegedly asked her to help him find a girlfriend and said he wanted someone who 'liked pain', and asked her why she wanted to get married, saying 'your sex drive goes down'. 'Trooper #1 found these interactions with the Governor not only offensive and uncomfortable, but markedly different from the way the Governor interacted with members of the PSU who were men, and she conveyed these incidents contemporaneously to colleagues,' the report reads. The trooper said she was afraid of being retaliated against if she were to speak out against the behavior. The State Troopers Police Benevolent Association said in a statement on Tuesday that it was 'dismayed and disturbed' by the findings. Tom Mungeer, president of the association, said: 'I'm outraged and disgusted that one of my members, who was tasked with guarding the governor and ensuring his safety, could not enjoy the same sense of security in her work environment that he was provided.' State Entity Employee #2 A doctor says she was sexually harassed while administering a televised COVID-19 test to Cuomo. The doctor who administered a COVID-19 test to Cuomo she was sexually harassed during the incident. On May 17, 2020 Cuomo told the medic, in front of cameras 'nice to see you doctor, you make that gown look good'. The doctor, who appeared in full PPE gear, did not respond to his comment. Cuomo is accused of sexually harassing the medic while she administered him a COVID-19 test in front of cameras Cuomo allegedly made comments towards the medic that were sexual in nature. He said: 'Nice to see you doctor, you make that gown look good' The report also claims that before the test, Cuomo asked her not to swab him so hard that it 'hit his brain'. She replied that she'd be 'gentle but accurate' and he said 'I've heard that before,' which the doctor said was 'implied in a sexual nature'. The medic considered the interaction to be sexual harassment and investigators agreed. Another unnamed 'state entity employee' The unidentified employee, identified in the report as 'State Entity Employee #1,' said she attended an event with Cuomo in September 2019. After giving a speech, Cuomo is said to have posed for pictures with her. While the picture was being taken, he 'grabbed her butt'. 'The employee was shocked and discussed it with a number of friends, family and co-workers,' the report says. She also 'memorialized the Governor's inappropriate touching' contemporaneously, but the report doesn't say how. 'Executive Assistant One' Cuomo is accused of groping an executive assistant, whose identity remains anonymous, at an event last November after routinely engaging in a pattern of impropriate conduct that began in late 2019. The report includes photos of Cuomo with a woman described as 'executive assistant one' The report says Cuomo repeatedly sexually harassed 'Executive Assistant One' when she worked for him by subjecting her to 'close and intimate hugs', 'kisses on the cheeks and forehead', 'at least one kiss on the lips' and 'touching her butt'. He allegedly referred to her and one other assistant as 'mingle mamas' and asked her repeatedly if she would ever cheat on her husband. On December 31, 2019, Cuomo asked her to take a selfies of them as they worked together inside his office at the Executive Mansion. As she held up the camera, Cuomo 'moved his hand to grab her butt cheek and began to rub it' for at least five seconds, the report alleges. The assistant 'was shaking so much during this interaction' that the photos came out blurry and Cuomo suggested the two sit down to take one more, the document says. That photo, showing Cuomo smirking while he sits back on a couch with the aide, is included in the report. The governor then allegedly told her to send the snap to another aide, Alyssa McGrath - who has also accused Cuomo of sexual harassment - and said 'not to share the photograph with anyone else.' The woman said she didn't report what happened because she was terrified. '[T]he way he was so firm with [me] that I couldn't show anyone else that photo, I was just terrified that if I shared what was going on that it would somehow get around,' she told investigators. Cuomo admitted that he and the staffer took a photo together, but said it was her idea, because 'he does not like to take selfies.' In November 2020, he allegedly groped her breast at the Executive Mansion in Albany. 'For over three months, Executive Assistant #1 kept this groping incident to herself and planned to take it 'to the grave,' but found herself becoming emotional (in a way that was visible to her colleagues in the Executive Chamber) while watching the Governor state, at a press conference on March 3, 2021, that he had never 'touched anyone inappropriately.' She then confided in certain of her colleagues, who in turn reported her allegations to senior staff in the Executive Chamber, the report says. Cuomo, in a defiant address after the report was published, presented a montage of photos of him being tactile with people such as Bill Clinton, his mother and Robert De Niro. He used the photo show to claim he was never abusive, but merely someone who frequently hugged and touched people Cuomo, who served as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Clinton administration, is seen above planting a kiss on the cheek of former Vice President Al Gore Cuomo's montage included another image of him planting a kiss on his mother's forehead Cuomo included a photo above showing the governor grabbing a young boy's face The assistant was summoned to the mansion under the pretext of having to assist Cuomo with a technical issue involving his phone, the Times Union reported in March. The two were alone together on the second floor of the residence when Cuomo allegedly closed the door, reached under the woman's blouse and began to fondle her. 'You're going to get us in trouble,' the woman said she told Cuomo, who replied, 'I don't care,' according to the report. His demeanor 'wasn't like 'ha ha,' it was like, 'I don't care.' . . . It was like in this - at that moment he was sexually driven. I could tell and the way he said it, I could tell,' the woman testified. The governor then 'slid his hand up her blouse, and grabbed her breast, cupping her breast over her bra,' the report alleges. A source familiar with the incident told the newspaper that the victim had asked Cuomo to stop. This was allegedly the only time he touched her; all other instances involved flirtatious behavior. Lindsey Boylan Boylan, who was the first accuser to speak out publicly, said that Cuomo made inappropriate remarks to her when she worked as chief of staff to the CEO of the Empire State Development Corporation. Boylan is seen in Washington Square Park in Manhattan on March 20 at a rally demanding Cuomo resign Cuomo said that he found her attractive and that he wanted to play strip poker. She also said that he physically touched her on various parts of her body, including her waist, legs, and back. She claimed that once she reported her allegations, she was victimized by his team who ran a smear campaign against her while she ran for office. The alleged harassment took place between 2015 and 2018. Reports released earlier this year revealed that Cuomo's top aide tried to discredit Boylan and allegedly called at least six former employees looking for dirt on her. Lindsey Boylan was the first accuser to speak out publicly against Cuomo. She says he made inappropriate comments towards her and physically touched her on various parts of her body Charlotte Bennett Bennett worked briefly for Cuomo as an aide. She was a health policy adviser in the New York governor's administration, hired in the spring of 2019 and swiftly promoted to senior briefer and executive assistant only a few months later. AG Letitia James says her allegations that Cuomo harassed her with a series of comments are corroborated. Among his alleged remarks are questions about if she'd date older men, asking her help to find a girlfriend, and apparently quizzing her on a sexual assault she had endured. Charlotte Bennett, who worked for Cuomo last year, told CBS News she felt 'vindicated' by the report EXCLUSIVE: I feel vindicated, former Gov. Cuomo aide Charlotte Bennett tells @NorahODonnell after New Yorks attorney general said she believed the women who came forward saying they had been sexually harassed by the governor. pic.twitter.com/O6Iwjndwo8 CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) August 3, 2021 Charlotte Bennett worked briefly as a an aide for Cuomo. He allegedly asked her questions about if she'd date older men, asking her help to find a girlfriend, and apparently quizzing her on a sexual assault she had endured One of the other comments that he made was that he wanted to ride into the mountains with women. Bennett had a friendly relationship with Cuomo due to their mutual ties to Westchester County, and saw him as a mentor. Charlotte Bennett made notes about her experience working with Cuomo which she gave to investigators In an interview earlier this year, Bennett said her first awkward conversation with Cuomo occurred on May 15, 2020. The report included text messages between Charlotte Bennett and another aide, and conversations she had with her parents where she had she had a 'great conversation' with the 'Governor', and others where she says he made her feel uncomfortable. 'The governor invited me to lift weights with him,' she wrote in one message. 'He challenged me to a push-up competition'. She had told her parents how he was surprised to learn that she lifted weights and boxed, and that he had asked her to do push-ups in the office. In another text chain she said Cuomo 'talked about age difference in relationships,' calling his comments 'explicit'. Charlotte Bennett saw Cuomo as a mentor, but she says he was clear he wanted more The report also included messages in which Bennett tells a confidant that she was incredibly uncomfortable following an interaction in the office. Bennett said she was 'shaking' and 'so upset and so confused'. In texts to another aide, Bennett said Cuomo repeated to her 'over and over' that she had been 'raped'. Cuomo was also recorded singing the popular 1960s love song Do You Love Me?, by the Contours, to Bennett during a phone call in 2019. According to the New York Post, Bennett initiated the phone call saying, 'Hi, governor. This is Charlotte'. Cuomo allegedly answered the call with 'Are you ready? Doo, doo, doo,' and proceeded to ask her if she was familiar with the song. Bennett told him the song was 'before her time'. Cuomo allegedly continued singing, 'Do you love me? Do you really love me? Do you love me? Do you care?' Virginia Limmiatis Virginia Limmiatis worked for National Grid and was wearing a t-shirt with the company's name written across her chest when she says she met Cuomo. Virginia Limmiatis worked for the National Grid when Cuomo allegedly groped her He ran his 'two fingers across her chest, pressing down on each of the letters as he did so and reading out the name of the company as he went'. The report says he then 'leaned in, with his face close to her cheek, and said 'I'm going to say I see a spider on your shoulder' before brushing the area between her shoulder and her breasts'. 'Ms. Limmiatis came forward in this investigation after she heard the governor state, during the March 3, 2021 press conference, that he had never touched anyone inappropriately. 'As Ms. Limmiatis testified to us, 'He is lying again. He touched me inappropriately. I am compelled to come forward to tell the truth... I didn't know how to report what he did to me at the time and was burdened by shame, but not coming forward now would make me complicit in his lie, and I won't do it.'' Alyssa McGrath McGrath, 35, was the first current employee to accuse Cuomo, and works as an executive assistant. 'In his interactions with another executive assistant, Alyssa McGrath, the Governor made inappropriate comments and engaged in harassing conduct, including: regularly asking about her personal life, including her marital status and divorce; asking whether Ms. McGrath would tell on Executive Assistant #1 if she were to cheat on her husband - and whether Ms. McGrath herself planned to 'mingle' with men'. She also claimed he looked down her shirt to compliment her on her necklace, told her that she's beautiful in Italian and kissed her on the forehead during an office Christmas party in 2019. Alyssa McGrath was quizzed by Cuomo about her marital status and divorce and kissed on the forehead by Cuomo at an office Christmas party Her attorney, Mariann Wang, said on Tuesday that McGrath and another accuser she represents, Virginia Limmiatis, were relieved. The two women 'feel profoundly grateful to the AG's team for taking this seriously and examining their reports thoroughly and carefully.' Wang continued: 'Cuomo's misogyny and abuse cannot be denied. He has been doing this for years, without any repercussions. 'He should not be in charge of our government and should not be in any position of power over anyone else.' 'Kaitlin' Kaitlin - whose second name is not public - met the governor in 2016 at a fundraising event where they were photographed together in a dance pose. Afterwards, she was hired by him in a junior position but given a salary of $120,000 - a figure so high she says it was laughed at in her interview. Ana Liss Liss, 35, worked in the Executive Chamber between 2013 and 2015, during which time she says the governor subjected her to sexual harassment that included being called 'sweetheart' and 'darling', and placing his hand around her lower waist. Ana Liss (pictured) worked in the Executive Chamber between 2013 and 2015, during which time she says the governor subjected her to sexual harassment that included being called 'sweetheart' and 'darling', and placing his hand around her lower waist He also kissed her hands and cheek, she said. Despite feeling uncomfortable, she says she did not report them because 'for whatever reason, in his office the rules were different.' She added: 'It was just, you should view it as a compliment if the Governor finds you aesthetically pleasing enough, if he finds you interesting enough to ask questions like that. 'And so even though it was strange and uncomfortable and technically not permissible in a typical workplace environment, I was in this mindset that it was the twilight zone and...the typical rules did not apply.' Anna Ruch Ruch was a guest at a wedding, as was the governor, in 2019 when she says he put his hands on a section of her back that was exposed by a cut-out in her dress. She grabbed his wrist to move it away and he responded by saying 'wow, you're aggressive,' according to the report. Cuomo then grabbed her face with both of his hands and said 'can I kiss you?' He was pictured kissing her cheek. Anna Ruch was a guest at a wedding, as was Cuomo, in 2019. She says he put his hands on a section of her back that was exposed by a cut-out in her dress Karen Hinton Karen Hinton, 62, spoke to the Washington Post about an incident in which Cuomo summoned her to his 'dimly lit' hotel room and embraced her after a work event in 2000. She was not among the 11 women on who the attorney general based her report. Hinton said that she tried to pull away from Cuomo, but that he pulled her back and held her before she backed away and escaped the room. Peter Ajemian, Cuomo's director of communications, told the Post that Hinton is a 'known antagonist of the Governor's who is attempting to take advantage of this moment to score cheap points with made up allegations from 21 years ago'. 'All women have the right to come forward and tell their story however, it's also the responsibility of the press to consider self-motivation. This is reckless,' he added. Karen Hinton, 62, (pictured above) claims the governor summoned her to his 'dimly lit' hotel room and embraced her after a work event in 2000 before she managed to escape In response, Hinton told the Post that 'attacking the accuser is the classic playbook of powerful men trying to protect themselves' as she said that watching Cuomo's apologetic press conference 'drove me crazy'. 'I really thought the flirt wasn't about having sex,' Hinton said. 'It was about controlling the relationship.' At the time of the alleged encounter in the hotel room, Cuomo would have been leading the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Hinton was a consultant after moving to California. The Post reports that Hinton and Cuomo have a contentious past and that they had a major blow up before she left the agency in 1999, remaining on as a consultant. She had joined Cuomo in Los Angeles to promote a HUD program and later had dinner in his hotel before allegedly receiving a phone call from him stating: 'Why don't you come to my room and let's catch up?' Hinton said that she began to think it was unusual when Cuomo asked her to avoid being seen by Clarence Day, his longtime head of security, but that she continued to his room anyway. 'I paused for a second,' she told the Post about noticing the low lights in the room. 'Why are the lights so low? He never keeps the lights this low.' Hinton said they sat on opposite couches and talked about their work at HUD and that Cuomo asked her personal questions about her life and marriage - including if she would leave her husband. She claims that she grew self-conscious after speaking so much about herself and went to leave. 'I stand up and say, 'It's getting late, I need to go,' ' she said, describing the embrace Cuomo gave her as 'very long, too long, too tight, too intimate'. 'He pulls me back for another intimate embrace,' she said. 'I thought at that moment it could lead to a kiss, it could lead to other things, so I just pull away again, and I leave.' Hinton told the Post that she viewed the move as a 'power play' for 'manipulation and control' and that the pair never discussed the incident again, although they have remained in touch. She has both publicly praised Cuomo and been critical of him, especially when working as press secretary in 2015 and 2016 for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, with whom the governor has an intense rivalry. The Post spoke to two people who confirmed that Hinton had told them about the hotel incident after it happened. Barristers have slammed tough new disciplinary rules that they fear could see them suspended for a year for telling 'crude jokes'. The Bar Tribunal and Adjudication Service (BTAS) has proposed a suspension of at least one year for sexual misconduct, while penalties currently start with a reprimand and a medium-level fine of up to 3,000. In the past three years, 84 of the 17,500 practising barristers have been sanctioned for professional misconduct, which the tribunal said is a reflection of high standards but could also be due to under-reporting, The Times reported. The tough new sanctions have attracted mixed responses from barristers, with some welcoming the punishments while others criticised them for being 'disproportionate'. The Bar Tribunal and Adjudication Service proposed a suspension of at least one year for sexual misconduct, but Inner Temple (pictured), an Inn of Court, slammed the sanctions Although 69 per cent of respondents to a consultation supported the sanctions, two of London's historic Inns of Court, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn, argued they would be 'disproportionate for some less serious types of misconduct', including wolf-whistling or telling a 'crude joke'. A summary of their objection in a BTAS report read: 'While a starting point of 12-months' suspension was widely accepted and welcomed as being appropriate for serious cases of sexual misconduct, some respondents including Inner Temple and Gray's Inn felt that this starting point would be disproportionate for some less serious types of misconduct which might fall within this group, since it could cover a very wide range of behaviour. 'This could include, for example, telling a crude joke, wolf-whistling, sending a message of a sexual nature on social media, or consensual sexual activity with a partner in a public place.' But the bar disciplinary tribunal rejected calls for more lenient sanctions, arguing that 'low level' misconduct should not attract 'lesser sanctions' as they want to uphold 'public trust' in the sector. Inner Temple and Gray's Inn (pictured), criticised the new sanctions as 'disproportionate for less serious types of misconduct', including telling a 'crude joke' or 'wolf-whistling' BTAS's response read: 'We intend to retain them as set out in the consultation document including the starting point of 12 months suspension for misconduct of a sexual nature and discrimination and harassment. 'We recognise these bands cover a wide range of types of conduct, but we cannot agree that what is termed 'low level' misconduct in some of the responses should attract lesser sanctions. 'Sanctions imposed by Tribunals can only follow a finding of professional misconduct, which by definition means the proved misconduct was considered to be serious. 'If conduct falling within these Groups has reached this stage of the disciplinary process, then our view remains that it should attract a serious sanction if public trust and confidence in the profession is to be maintained.' Many other groups welcomed the sanctions appropriate for such cases of sexual misconduct, with the Midland Circuit Women's Forum saying serious punishments would 'encourage victims of sexual misconduct to pursue complaints'. But the bar disciplinary tribunal rejected calls for more lenient sanctions, arguing that 'low level' misconduct should not attract 'lesser sanctions' (stock image) Behind the Gown, which campaigns against sexual harassment at the Bar, also welcomed the new punishments and called for barristers to undergo training upon their return to practice. The group called for requirements to 're-educate and remediate offending barristers', while conditions on practice could be used to prevent 'barristers who have been found to have committed sexual assaults from acting in criminal sexual offences cases'. The tribunal will be further elaborating on the offences and possible 'exceptional circumstances' to the sanctions. The new sanctions are set to come into force from January, with BTAS saying that the rules aim to 'send a clear signal' that sexual misconduct would not be tolerated. MailOnline has contacted The Bar Tribunal and Adjudication Service, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn for comment. Advertisement The owner of doomed alpaca Geronimo says she is so confident the animal is not infected with bovine TB she has vowed to 'kill him myself' if he fails one final test. Helen Macdonald, 50, is locked in a battle to save the eight-year-old stud following a 50,000 High Court battle, which ended in a warrant for the animal to be euthanised. Black-furred Geronimo, from New Zealand but now living in south Gloucestershire, was condemned to death after twice testing positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTB). But Miss Macdonald claims the tests were flawed and is begging the Government to give her beloved pet one last chance to live. Speaking from her farm in Wickar Saturday, she said: 'All I am asking is for Geronimo to be given a valid test. 'If it comes back positive then I would not stand in their way. Helen Macdonald, 50, is locked in a battle to save her eight-year-old stud (pictured together) following a 50,000 High Court battle, which ended in a warrant for the animal to be euthanised 'In fact, if he was given a valid test which proved he actually had the disease then I would kill him myself. 'Geronimo has never tested positive for bTB. He had anti-bodies after taking the vaccine tuberculin which is exactly what you would expect to happen. 'The science was dodgy. The Government do not want to admit that they have to investigate why alpaca's react differently to tuberculin. 'It is more convenient for them to stand by a test which only proved he had anti-bodies to the disease. 'If he had been infected with TB in 2017 then he would be dead by now. It's a horrible disease and animals only last a few months when they are infected. 'Why should I let them [the Government] kill a perfectly healthy animal? 'All we are asking is for the Government to think again. They don't have to activate the warrant. 'There is another way to solve this.' Miss Macdonald said she would do 'everything in her power' to stop Geronimo from being put down. She added: 'All I can say is that I will not break the law but I will do whatever I can to stop a healthy animal being killed.' It comes after the owner was assured Geronimo would survive the weekend after the firing squad was called off for at least 48 hours. Two officers from Avon and Somerset Police arrived without warning for a stand off at the farm gate in Wickwar, Gloucs., on Friday evening, as they reportedly explained how Geronimo would be humanely killed. The pair were pictured speaking to a tearful Miss MacDonald, who earlier promised to 'stand in the way of any gunman who comes to destroy Geronimo'. Those in attendance watched on in trepidation, with the owner fearing the worst. But, the Sun reports the firing squad was 'called off for 48 hours', as the cherished animal appears to have been granted a last-minute reprieve. Animal rights activists are set to march on Downing Street this weekend to demand the beloved stud is kept alive, as celebrity supporters Chris Packham and Joanna Lumley waded into the row to offer their support. And more than 85,000 people have so far signed a petition to save Geronimo after his owner Miss Macdonald lost a four-year court battle to stop his death. Avon and Somerset Police officers have arrived at the property in Wickwar, Gloucestershire that houses beloved alpaca Geronimo, who has been condemned to death The 50-year-old vet and alpaca breeder feared the visit could represent the end of Geronimo's journey, but was quickly assured the execution would not take place Boris Johnson has refused to save Geronimo, an eight-year-old alpaca from New Zealand now living in south Gloucestershire, which was condemned to death by a High Court judge after twice testing positive for bovine tuberculosis (pictured with owner Helen Macdonald) The 50-year-old vet and alpaca breeder feared the police's Friday evening visit could represent the end of Geronimo's journey, but was quickly assured the execution would not take place that day. She said: 'Two officers turned up to the farm as they wanted to make contact and see what type of opposition they might be met with and if they would need organised back up. 'It was a bit of a recce it seems. They did say it would not be done today, but didn't know anything else about timings etc. 'We did not know they were coming so everyone shot down the drive with their cameras. I asked if they had a warrant, which they didn't, and they then asked if they could speak to us without cameras. 'They had a chat with me and my family for about 15 minutes and then they left. 'They were just testing and wanted to see what the set up was, how many people were here and what type of opposition they would face. 'I did not say anything to them about what it is going to be like. 'They were quite concerned and said they had powers to come and keep the peace, which was all they would do. 'They are hoping it would all be done quietly without any fuss and that is clearly what they are wishing for. 'They said they only get one chance to do it and there is going to be a lot of people here. 'But again, the police turning up at my home made me feel like a criminal. 'I don't know when they will come back, but my guess was first thing tomorrow morning. Why else would they turn up like that this evening? 'Despite all the millions of people asking for fair treatment for Geronimo, it appears Defra are still planning to upset the will of the people. 'They have no regards for the evidence and no regards for mine or Geronimo's life.' She made an impassioned plea to the Prime Minister's wife, Carrie Johnson, to save him today. She said: 'I am appealing to Carrie directly to ask the Prime Minister to intervene. She is a patron of the Conservative Animal Welfare Association and has campaigned for the environment and the welfare of animals. 'As an animal lover, surely she cannot stand by and let this happen? I am begging her woman to woman to do what she can. 'She and Boris have a beautiful dog, Dilyn, who they clearly adore. I feel about Geronimo exactly the way they feel about him. Please Carrie, help Geronimo. He really does not deserve to die.' Miss MacDonald has repeatedly appealed to the Prime Minister and Environment Secretary George Eustice to halt the destruction order, which she claims is based on inaccurate testing. Boris Johnson has so far refused to save the alpaca despite pleas from more than 80,000 animal lovers to prevent the killing of the stud. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'We know how distressing losing animals to TB is for farmers and our sympathies are with Ms Macdonald and everyone with animals affected by this terrible disease. 'The Environment Secretary has looked at this case very carefully, multiple times over the last few years, and has interrogated all the evidence with expert vets alongside the Animal and Plant Health Agency. 'But, sadly, Geronimo has tested positive twice for TB using highly specific, reliable and validated tests.' The spokesman said the Government would 'continue to do everything that we can' to eradicate bovine TB. Asked whether there could be one more test carried out on Geronimo, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'The test used on Geronimo is highly specific, it is validated, it is reliable and the risk of a false positive is extremely low. 'A retest after two consecutive positive test results wouldn't invalidate the previous tests. So, there's no plans for any further tests.' He added: 'We recognise how distressing this clearly is for Ms Macdonald, as it is for farmers who have had to put cattle down - 27,000 had to be put down last year alone. 'We need disease control measures to be applied consistently if we are able to tackle it and obviously that's why we need to move ahead now. Mrs MacDonald was not given any further details and fears that representatives from Defra may arrive as early as tomorrow morning to end her beloved pet's life The pair of police officers were pictured speaking to Mrs MacDonald at her Shepherds Close Farm in Wickwar, Gloucestershire 'We have done these highly accurate tests and we've no plans to change that.' Mr Eustice spoke for the first time on the matter on Thursday to say he would not change his stance, and added: 'My own family have a pedigree herd of South Devon cattle and we have lost cows to TB, so I know how distressing it can be and have huge sympathy for farmers who suffer loss. 'I have looked at this case several times over the last three years and gone through all of the evidence with the Chief Vet and other experts in detail. 'Sadly, Geronimo has tested positive twice using a highly specific and reliable test.' Wildlife TV presenter Chris Packham and actress Joanna Lumley are among those who have spoken out in support of Geronimo. In a tweet on Thursday, Packham asked Mr Johnson and Mr Eustice: 'Quick question, what do you think will happen if Geronimo is euthanised today & the pm shows he doesn't have bTB? Won't that be a PR and policy disaster? #savegeronimo.' His owner took to his designated Facebook page to explain their point of view to those who have been following their story Miss Macdonald claims the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has 'lied' about the tests carried out on Geronimo which she believes resulted in 'false positives'. She told Sky News on Friday: 'This is about Government behaviour and official behaviour. They're trying to uphold the regime. 'He came from a farm in New Zealand where there's been no TB since 1994. It's bonkers. 'If there was disease present we wouldn't be having this conversation, he would've died years ago. But he's fit and healthy.' The court order came into effect on Thursday and Defra now has 30 days to visit Ms Macdonald's farm in south Gloucestershire and put him down. Wildlife TV presenter Chris Packham and actress Joanna Lumley are among those who have spoken out in support of Geronimo (pictured) Miss Macdonald added: 'The entire industry is up in arms because this really is the senseless destruction of an innocent animal. 'They have a choice here. They don't have to kill him; they could at least test him first. 'It's a really upsetting situation. I don't want Geronimo's last moments to be of being caught by a man who will put a gun to his head before he's shot, but then I don't want to consent to having him euthanised. That's no choice at all. 'Asking me to do that to a healthy animal as a vet who has been saving lives for 30 years is the worst thing they can do to my mental health. They are putting me through hell. 'I feel frustrated, angry and deceived. There is a complete lack of transparency.' Defra has defended its methods after it was revealed the tests have never been trialled for their accuracy in detecting bovine tuberculosis in alpacas, and that Geronimo had tested negative on four occasions in New Zealand. A Defra spokesperson said: 'We are sympathetic to Ms Macdonald's situation - just as we are with everyone with animals affected by this terrible disease. 'It is for this reason that the testing results and options for Geronimo have been very carefully considered by Defra, the Animal and Plant Health Agency and its veterinary experts, as well as passing several stages of thorough legal scrutiny. 'Bovine TB causes devastation and distress for farmers and rural communities and that is why we need to do everything we can to reduce the risk of the disease spreading.' Advertisement A young couple who mistakenly purchased a derelict mansion have revealed the remarkable transformation at the property over the last three years. A bemused Callum Hunter, 28, and his partner Claire Segeren, 26, thought they had bagged the bargain of the century when they purchased six-bedroom Jameswood Villa in Dunoon, Scotland. With a rich local history dating back to the early neolithic period, the young couple couldn't believe their luck. Until they visited the 120-year-old house itself. A derelict property with crumbling walls, the grounds were peppered with warning: keep out signs, according to carpenter Cal. Jameswood Villa had been empty for at least two decades, according to the locals who lived in the nearby village of Sandbank. Young couple Cal and Claire had their eyes set on a 30,000 two-bed flat in Glasgow, but accidently ended up with the six-bedroom mansion after misunderstanding an auctioneer's strong Glaswegian accent. After momentarily panicking, the pair decided to commit to a full-scale renovation project in 2019, and now live in a caravan in the grounds as they work night and day on the property. A bemused Callum Hunter, 28, and his partner Claire Segeren, 26, thought they had bagged the bargain of the century when they purchased six-bedroom Jameswood Villa in Dunoon, Scotland Carpenter Cal Hunter revealed he mistakenly purchased Jameswood at auction after misunderstanding the Glaswegian auctioneer's strong accent Slide me Before and after: The 120-year-old house once had crumbling walls and the grounds were peppered with warning: keep out signs With his partner otherwise occupied, Cal ventured to an auction alone in 2018, with a 40,000 budget and ambitions for a small place to call home in Glasgow. Speaking to the Guardian, Cal revealed: 'The problem was auctioneers speak fast, and this one had a strong Glaswegian accent: I was really struggling to follow. 'Thankfully, a brochure on my seat contained the details for every lot, while a screen behind the stage displayed its corresponding number.' As the screens in the auction house showed the flat the couple had set their sights on, Cal tentatively raised his hand to start the bidding war at 10,000. No-one else batted an eyelid. With the resounding strike of the gavel, the flat was his. Claire Segeren, 26, (above) wasn't with Cal the day he purchased the derelict Jameswood Villa, but committed to a full-scale renovation with him in 2019 The couple's What Have We Dunoon social media pages document the trials and tribulations they've faced over the last three years To his horror, the screens showed a different property as the person sat beside him asked if he'd seen the property. Recalling that moment, Cal said: 'I looked up, and was filled with dread. The number on the page in front of me and the one on the screen were definitely not matching. 'Someone had mentioned a few last-minute additions to the sale that hadnt been in the booklet. 'The penny dropped. What had I bought?' Wading through overgrown shrubs and danger signs, Cal and Claire (above) discovered the electricity hadn't been for two decades and were shocked to find a chair had fallen through the floorboards After momentarily panicking, the pair decided to commit to a full-scale renovation project in 2019, and now live in a caravan in the grounds as they work night and day on the property The answer was Jameswood Villa - a crumbling Scottish mansion with graffiti on the walls, rotting furniture and disintegrating ceilings. With Claire alongside him now, Cal ventured down to the property to scope out his new home. Wading through overgrown shrubs and danger signs, they discovered the electricity hadn't been for two decades and were shocked to find a chair had fallen through the floorboards. The couple hope to spend winter 2021 inside Jameswood Villa - a remarkable achievement considering the state of the property three years ago The couple's What Have We Dunoon social media showcases some of the beautiful scenery around Dunoon in Scotland But, their determination to see the project through ensured they would not give up in spite of some surprises. The couple have committed to a full-time renovation since 2019, and document all their progress on their What Have We Dunoon? social media pages. 'While quiet Dunoon isnt quite Glasgow city centre, we love it,' Cal told the Guardian. 'The neighbours have welcomed us with open arms: stopping by with soup and lending us tools. 'Its a special place if youre going to accidentally buy a house, you couldnt do it somewhere better. 'Given the chance to go back to that auction, Id put my hand up for this house, no question.' At least eight people have been reported missing and thousands have been told to evacuate as the Dixie Fire continues to tear through California. The raging wildfire grew to become the largest active fire burning in the US and the third largest ever in state history - and it continued to grow further overnight. More than 446,723 acres in four counties have now been ravaged by the blaze as it continues to burn for 23 days straight. This is an increase on the previous day's 434,813 acres charred with the fire still spreading across Plumas, Butte, Tehama and Lassen counties. The area destroyed is now larger than Los Angeles and bigger than the land ruined by the vast Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon. A firefighter lights backfires to slow the spread of the Dixie Fire Friday near the town of Greenville, California A firefighter tries to slow the spread of the Dixie Fire Friday near Greenville where five people are missing Authorities said at least eight Northern Californians were unaccounted for Saturday in the towns and communities worst-affected by the blaze. Five of the missing are from Greenville - a small mountain town about 125 miles northwest of Reno, Nevada, that is home to just 1,000 people, reported Fox40. Plumas County Sheriff's Office identified them as Danny Sczenski, Jesus and Elena Gursasola, Matthew Henly and Glen Gallagher, as they urged for the public and the media's help in trying to find them alive. The other people missing are Harold and Sally Brown in Crescent Mills and Donna Shelton in Chester. Officials said that 16 other people who had been reported missing had been found safe, with no known fatalities yet caused by the Dixie Fire. Residents in Greenville were forced to evacuate to a makeshift camp at Lassen Community College in Susanville this week as the Dixie Fire left the Gold Rush town charred. Around 140 people took shelter in the college camp Wednesday and about 35 others at a nearby high school while firefighters battled the blaze. At least 91 buildings have been destroyed and five others damaged. Firefighters battling the Dixie Fire clear Highway 89 after a burned tree fell across the roadway in Plumas County Dozens of burned vehicles rest in heavy smoke during the Dixie fire in Greenville Friday as the blaze continued to grow further overnight Flames burn in a tree in the Canyondam area of Plumas County Friday. At least eight people have been reported missing as the Dixie Fire continues to tear through California Meanwhile, in the state capital of Sacramento, the plumes of smoke have led officials to warn of an 'unhealthy' air quaity. The fire has also burned through the small town of Canyondam but authorities were faced with some resistance from residents told to evacuate. As thousands were told to leave their homes, authorities were met at times by armed residents refusing to budge, the Los Angeles Times reported. When that happens, cops are asking the residents for the names of next-of-kin - to be notified if the fire claims their lives. More than 5,000 fire and rescue crews are now battling the Dixie blaze, which is sending enormous clouds of smoke into the air that are easily visible from space. While the fire continued to swell overnight Friday, officials said Saturday that cooler, calmer weather was giving firefighters a much-needed break. Cooler temperatures and calmer winds moved into the area overnight in a boon to weary firefighters, the state agency Calfire said. A firefighter near the town of Greenville Friday. The area destroyed in the state is now larger than Los Angeles The burned remains of a car in Greenville. More than 446,723 acres in four counties have now been ravaged by the blaze as it continues to burn for 23 days straight Those conditions are expected to continue into Sunday. The fire, which is now 21 percent contained, started burning back on July 13. The Dixie Fire is now only smaller than two past multi-fire conflagrations that rocked California: the 2020 August Complex which burned over 1 million acres and the 2018 Mendocino Complex which burned more than 459,000 acres. The Dixie Fire's movement northeastward has been slowed in part because it has reached what the CalFire website calls the 'scar' of an earlier blaze, the 2007 Moonlight Fire, reducing available fuel. By late July, the number of acres burned in California was up more than 250 percent from 2020 - already the worst year of wildfires in the state's modern history. The wildfires have been blamed on a long-term drought that has left the area vulnerable to explosive and highly destructive fires and which scientists say is driven by climate change. A firefighter tackles the blaze in Greenville. The raging wildfire grew to become the largest active fire burning in the US and the third largest ever in state history Passengers are seething as travel chaos continues for the sixth straight day after Spirit Airlines canceled nearly a quarter of its flights on Saturday, bring the total to about 2,000 cancellations this week. As of 2pm, 170 flights - 23 percent - have already been cancelled, and another 91 are delayed, according to FlightAware, an online flight tracker. The 22 percent continues a positive trend since the issue started with more than 60 percent of flights being cancelled on Tuesday and Wednesday. Spirit CEO Ted Christie is optimistic that the airline will be back to operating at normal levels by early next week but he admitted that 'it's been a tough week.' Passengers wait in line at the Spirit Airlines check-in counter at Orlando International Airport on the sixth day the airline has cancelled hundreds of flights Approximately 2,000 flights were cancelled this week due to weather, staffing shortages, computer problems, and passenger volume Spirit Airlines believes it will resume normal service by early next week In the meantime, would-be passengers took to Twitter to vent their frustrations and demand refunds. Twitter user 'Bren' said, '@SpiritAirlines hey ummmmmmm u cancelled my flight 3 times. WHATS GOING ON??????' Twitter user 'TainoSpartacus' said, '@SpiritAirlines should just fold and call it a day. How the hell am I being charged for something today when I am not even on any of their flights! Calling them is a nightmare! Forever on hold. This kind of shit is unacceptable.' 'Cobey' tweeted, '@SpiritAirlines Not sure why you cant offer good customer service and refund me for a future flight that will more than likely get canceled. The last 4 days this flight has been canceled at 2AM for 8 AM departure. Thats not ample time. I need to make other arrangements.' Sprit Airline customers impacted by the cancellations took to Twitter to rip the airline and demand refunds In previous interviews with reporters, Christie said the massive wave of cancellations was caused by 'perfect storm' of operational issues, including staffing shortages, computer problems, passenger volume and bad weather. 'We couldn't get in front of it,' Christie said, according to CNBC, and he estimated the cancellations likely affected tens of thousands of Spirit customers. To ease staff shortages, the company is offering double pay to flight attendants who pick up extra shifts and is offering accommodations, flight credits, refunds, hotel vouchers and meal vouchers to impacted guests, as 'warranted by each Guest's individual circumstance,' ABC News reported. But those vouchers may not be enough. Brenda Deleon told DailyMail.com that her family's eight-day vacation to Puerto Rico had to be extended by two days - at a cost of $1,000 - because of Spirit. After receiving notification of the cancellation late Tuesday night, Deleon tried to contact Spirit customer service but wasn't able to speak with someone. 'I called last night and was on hold for 42 minutes, but figured they were closed. This morning I went to the airport to talk to someone, but the Spirit kiosk was empty,' she said. Deleon called the airlines 1-800 line again on Wednesday and was able to rebook the family's flights for Friday at 2.50am. But, the family still faced issues with accommodations. 'Our AirBnb was booked tonight so we looked for another home for $478.41 and two days of car rental for $342.34,' she said. '[Spirit said] they will refund only half of what trip costs which is not an option since prices with other airlines skyrocketed. We have to wait it out.' Sir Keir Starmer was accused last night of leading Labour on 'the road to ruin' after telling his party to embrace Tony Blair's legacy. Labour's Left reacted in fury, insisting there was 'no appetite for a return to Blairism' beyond Sir Keir's own 'no charisma, no policies' leadership. Left-wing MPs loyal to Jeremy Corbyn also vented their anger at Sir Keir's new party strategy director Deborah Mattinson for previously implying that Labour appealed only to 'down and outs'. One senior MP said the pollster's conclusions were 'inexcusable', adding: 'No party worthy of bearing the name Labour should have anything to do with them.' The row broke after Sir Keir vowed last week to 'turn the Labour Party inside out' in his drive to make it electable again. Sir Keir Starmer said Labour should 'proudly remind' voters of the achievements of the Blair (pictured with Cherie Blair) and Brown governments In an interview, the party leader who succeeded Mr Corbyn 18 months ago also said Labour should 'proudly remind' voters of the achievements of the Blair and Brown governments. However, the appeal sparked horror among Labour's Left, many of whom despise Mr Blair not least because of his 'disastrous' decision over the 2003 invasion of Iraq. They also feared that the leader's 'inside out' vow was a threat to push through controversial rule changes at next month's party conference to shackle the Left including reverting to old-style leadership election rules which could prevent 'another Corbyn' being elected as leader. Plans to reduce the influence of the Left on the party's ruling national executive committee are also said to be on the agenda. Jon Trickett, who served in Mr Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet, openly warned Sir Keir not to revert to Blairism. He told The Mail on Sunday: 'It's important that we look towards the future, not the past and Blair is Labour's past.' And other Left-wing MPs seized on the key role of Sir Keir's new strategy boss, Ms Mattinson, a pollster who worked for both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. The MPs pointed to the scathing tone of a report by her former BritainThinks consultancy to explain to the party how it lost the 2015 Election a report that called on Labour to 'atone for its past'. Labour's Left reacted in fury, insisting there was 'no appetite for a return to Blairism' beyond Sir Keir's (pictured) own 'no charisma, no policies' leadership Based on focus groups with swing voters, the report painted a picture of a party 'in thrall to the undeserving' and urged Labour to 'be for middle-class voters, not just down and outs'. It also said party bosses had to 'show Labour is not being taken for a ride by scroungers'. Last night, one senior Left-winger and close ally of Mr Corbyn insisted that Ms Mattinson had 'aired' similar criticisms of Labour in a book on the collapse of the party's 'Red Wall' at the 2019 Election. The MP, who asked not to be named, hit out at what he described as pollsters' 'cherry-picking of quotes from focus groups that back up their own sneering view of Britain's working class'. He added: 'It is no surprise to see the party choose the road to ruin under her guidance.' In withering terms, the MP said Sir Keir was leading a party with 'no charisma, no policies, no members and no money' a reference to falling membership and funding problems in the last few months. Allies of the Labour leader defended Ms Mattinson, saying she was reporting the views of voters not her own opinion of Labour. The party said: 'Keir Starmer is determined that the Labour Party he leads listens to voters and starts winning General Elections again.' The highest priority for any sovereign government is the protection of its citizens from danger foreign and domestic. We count on our government to be watchful. It is troubling then how lax we have become since the end of the Cold War, despite the emergence of new international threats not least those posed by the extraordinary rise of China and its ever-tightening grip on world affairs. Beijing runs the second most powerful economy in the world and is a major trading partner for Britain and America. Many jobs rely upon the huge investments it has made. China has found its way into Britains strategic telecommunications, into our universities and our nuclear industry. China and Russia are expanding into both Africa and South America, too, buying up stakes in mineral resources and energy distribution Perhaps our Cold War victory and the collapse of the USSR have made our leaders complacent to other threats Influential figures in the West want us to treat the Chinese as if they were equally responsible members of the global community, ignoring the serious threat to our way of life they already represent. But we must not allow ourselves to be lulled into a false sense of security about Chinas world agenda. For example, it is aiming for a stranglehold not just on essential minerals, but the energy supplies upon which our day-to-day existence depends. Despite its green rhetoric, china remains the worlds top polluter, reckless at home and irresponsible abroad. Meanwhile, our democratic institutions are under threat from the authoritarian state capitalism that it actively promotes around the world. All this must be challenged. Chinas strategy for expanding its influence abroad known internally as unrestricted warfare was adopted with the arrival in office of President Xi Jinping in 2013. Its Belt and Road Initiative, as it is known, sounds benign enough but its purposes are unmistakable. China has sought to dominate other nation states using predatory business practices and unaffordable loans that leave country after country heavily in debt. Through seductive offers to build infrastructure, China has secured control of critical resources, strategic terrain and access to distant markets. It seeks political and economic dominance through local dependency on Chinese goods and services. Today, China owns 60 per cent of Congos cobalt, much of Chiles lithium (for batteries), and ports in Sri Lanka, Greece, Italy and others spread throughout Europe. Russia has followed suit, with contracts to build four nuclear power reactors in Egypt agreements which allow the Russian navy to use the plants as refuelling bases. The Russians are building two more nuclear reactors also with access for the Russian navy on the Turkish coast. Moscow already has a naval base at Tartus in Syria. This collection of sites will give the Russians real influence over the eastern Mediterranean and the Suez Canal. China and Russia are expanding into both Africa and South America, too, buying up stakes in mineral resources and energy distribution. Today, China owns 96 ports around the world. Some of these are at key locations for maritime trade which also means energy trade giving Beijing strategic dominance without having to deploy a single soldier, ship or weapon. This matters to Britain as we will remain dependent on internationally traded oil and gas for many years. Our nuclear power supply is also compromised. We have already allowed China to invest in the new plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset and the proposed new reactor at Sizewell in Suffolk. And we are still considering whether to let the Chinese build a reactor at Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex. Surely this is a security threat allowing the Chinese into the heart of such a sensitive sector for many decades to come? Secure, clean, reliable energy is fundamental to every sovereign country. Without it, nothing grows. There is no industry, agriculture, education, housing, science or healthcare. It is a leading measure of a countrys national security. Perhaps our Cold War victory and the collapse of the USSR have made our leaders complacent to other threats. True, President Xi appears outwardly less belligerent towards the West than, say, Stalin or Khrushchev and China acknowledges that a nuclear war could never be won and must never be fought. But the Soviet Union was an economic basket case. China is not and cannot be readily defeated or dismissed. Meanwhile, the lessons of the Cold War have done nothing to diminish Xis appetite for authoritarian rule, human rights abuses, the attempt to recover lost territories or imperial ambition. It is possible, too, that tackling climate change has distracted Western governments. Yes, it is the single most significant threat facing the planet today and we must find ways of reducing the amount of carbon we put into the atmosphere. This is the subject at the heart of Octobers United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow. But here, too, China is seeking to exploit the situation. Today it is the dominant provider of wind and solar systems throughout the world. Yet the Chinese are equally happy to sell high-polluting forms of power generation, including coal-fired plants. Dr Liam Fox is former Defence and International Trade Secretary. Robert McFarlane is a former National Security Adviser of the United States China is currently building at least 350 such plants, including seven in South Korea, 13 in Japan, 52 in India and 184 at home. Britain has virtually eliminated coal from electricity generation and now produces only 1.01 per cent of global CO2, having reduced emissions by a world-leading 35.6 per cent since 1990. In contrast, China produces about 29 per cent of global CO2 and has increased its emissions since 1990 by a whopping 353 per cent. It can export such filthy technologies at a competitive advantage because its manufacturing costs are so low, all the while undermining the climate targets it has signed up to and making a nonsense of Xis bold claims about reducing emissions. It is telling that despite an extended deadline, China has yet to submit its updated emissions plans to COP26, which will be used to assess how much progress has been made towards the legally binding Paris Agreement on cutting CO2. China has already gained dangerous leverage over the UK Government. In 2020, when the UK decided to refuse Chinas offer of its 5G mobile telecoms system due to the embedded security threats China immediately threatened to withdraw from work on the Hinkley Point nuclear power plant, in which it is a major investor. It threw Britains weakness into sharp relief. The journey to meet our climate change targets cannot possibly mean that Britain becomes a client state let alone to such a dangerous foreign power as China We need abundant and consistent electrical power something that wind and solar farms cannot provide by themselves. There are times when the wind does not blow and the sun does not shine. Thats why, if Britain wants to remain a civil nuclear power, it should not be looking to China for investment and solutions, but to its allies, particularly its fellow members of the Five Eyes group Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US. Fortunately, such a solution is at hand. It lies in developing a new generation of nuclear power reactors that can provide abundant clean energy. Rolls-Royce has supplied engines powered by nuclear reactors to the Royal Navy for decades. Our nuclear submarines run on such systems. The British engineering firm is now developing a new generation of versatile small modular reactors (SMRs) which will meet a variety of energy needs efficiently. These remarkable systems will eventually be factory-built and assembled on site, putting the UK on a firmer footing. The electricity they generate will be available 24/7 and wont emit an ounce of carbon. Most importantly, it will ensure Britains strategic independence. The journey to meet our climate change targets cannot possibly mean that Britain becomes a client state let alone to such a dangerous foreign power as China. But we need more than wishful thinking. We still have time to act. The time to do so is now. Dr Liam Fox is former Defence and International Trade Secretary. Robert McFarlane is a former National Security Adviser of the United States. McGowan then turned her anger towards her former 'Charmed' co-star Alyssa Milano for dismissive comments she made about her in August last year But Tchen denied her involvement on Twitter, saying 'I have never given advice to the Governor or his team' James claimed that Cuomo's aide, Melissa DeRosa, sought help from attorney Roberta Kaplan, who co-founded the Time's Up legal defense fund with Tchen McGowan slammed Time's Up CEO Tina Tchen after James' report claimed she allegedly provided guidance drafting a letter Cuomo advisers released that denied the legitimacy former aide Lindsey Boylan's accusation against Cuomo, The actress and advocate went after Governor Cuomo, who was found to have he sexually harassed multiple women in a report from state AG Letitia James Rose McGowan has slammed 'Time's Up' CEO Tina Tchen for helping embattled New York Governor Andrew Cuomo draft a letter dismissing claims of one of his former staff members who accused him of sexual harassment. The 47-year-old actress and advocate for sexual harassment and abuse victims previously went after Gov. Cuomo after a report from state Attorney General Letitia James concluded he sexually harassed multiple women. McGowan is now slamming Time's Up CEO and President Tina Tchen after James' report claimed she allegedly provided guidance drafting a letter released by the governor's advisors that denied the legitimacy former aide Lindsey Boylan's accusation against Cuomo, Fox News reported. In a statement shared to Twitter on Thursday, McGowan said the Time's Up movement was founded on lies. The actress and advocate went after Governor Cuomo, (pictured on a walk on Saturday) who was found to have he sexually harassed multiple women in a report from state AG Letitia James The 47-year-old actress and activist called out Tchen in a statement posted to Twitter Tchen denied her alleged involvement on Twitter, saying 'I have never given advice to the Governor or his team' 'Remember when Hollywood actresses & paid off activists wore stupid black dresses at the Oscars? That was sponsored by Times Up who were meant to help abuse victims I told the world they are a lie 3+ years ago,' McGowan's wrote. 'I was mocked & harassed by so many who want to believe the illusion. Wake up. Hard truths are inconvenient & uncomfortable. So what, suck it up,' the statement said. McGowan also posted a screenshot of a private message with journalist Glenn Greenwald on her Instagram Stories in which he appeared to have sent her a tweet to a Washington Post article describing how members of the Times Up organization aided New York Gov. Cuomo in his attempts to discredit a woman accusing him of sexual harassment. In her report, James claimed that Cuomo's top aide, Melissa DeRosa, testified that the governor told her to seek help from attorney Roberta Kaplan, who co-founded the Time's Up legal defense fund with Tchen. The report said that Kaplan conferred with Tchen at the request of DeRosa about the appropriateness of the letter Cuomos aides were preparing to release that pushed back on Boylan by going after her credibility, including attacking her political motivations and denying the legitimacy of her claims, the Washington Post reported. 'According to Ms. DeRosa, Ms. Kaplan read the letter to the head of the advocacy group Times Up (Tchen), and both of them allegedly suggested that, without the statements about Ms. Boylan's interactions with male colleagues, the letter was fine,' James said in her report. But Tchen denied her involvement on Twitter, saying 'I have never given advice to the Governor or his team.' 'I had a phone call with Robbie Kaplan about a letter she said was being sent by his staffers during which I gave the same advice I give to everyone else: No survivor should be attacked and the truth should be told. I'm furious that the Governor's office used me and TIME'S UP as a justification for their defense. TIME'S UP is an organization that has always centered survivors while holding those committing harm accountable. Any characterization of us to the contrary is simply not true,' Tchen added. McGowan then turned her anger towards her former 'Charmed' co-star Alyssa Milano for dismissive comments she made about her in August of last year. 'Milano, TimesUp, fake performatives and profiteers. Alyssa's statement at the time was gaslighting in full effect. She said of my truth telling 'Hurt people hurt people.' No, Alyssa, it's lizard people like you, SDK Knickerbocker, Gov Cuomo, the Pres, Tina Chen who hurt people. Your time is up. Exit stage left.' the statement said. It's unclear if the Grindhouse actress was calling Milano a 'lizard' person as a simple insult, or if she subscribes to the delusional conspiracy theory claiming that shape-shifting lizard people control society. Falling out: McGowan has accused CAA of being 'part of the pimp problem' for allegedly supplying actors to accusers. She previously had a fiery Twitter back-and-forth with Milano in August 2020; Milano seen in 2019 in LA Conspiracy theory? It's unclear if the Grindhouse actress was calling Milano a 'lizard' person as a simple insult, or if she subscribes to the delusional conspiracy theory claiming that shape-shifting lizard people control society; seen in 2019 in Paris Supporting her case: She also posted a DM from journalist Glenn Greenwald in which he sent her a Washington Post story about members of Time's Up working to discredit a woman who accused New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment McGowan also shared a clip from her Nightline appearance in January 2018 in which she lambasted Milano and appeared to accuse her of being complicit with abusers because of her connection to the talent agency Creative Artists Agency. Milano's husband Bugliari is a CAA agent, and McGowan claimed in her interview clip that the agency was 'part of the pimp problem,' after previously accusing the agency of enabling abusers in Hollywood. 'Remember when Hollywood actresses & paid off activists wore stupid black dresses at the Oscars? That was sponsored by Times Up who were meant to help abuse victims?' she wrote in her caption. 'I told the world they are a lie 3+ years ago. I was mocked & harassed by so many who want to believe the illusion,' she continued. 'Wake up. Hard truths are inconvenient & uncomfortable. So what, suck it up. Milano, TimesUp, fake performatives and profiteers.' Back in August of 2020, McGowan and Milano had a very public falling out after McGowan called the Who's The Boss actress a 'fraud' and accused her of hijacking the Me Too movement by supporting then-presidential candidate Joe Biden. The actresses got into a bitter back-and-forth on Twitter, and McGown reserved special criticism for the Democratic Party, which she accused of doing nothing to help lift up minority communities and the poor. McGowan had been a vocal critic of Biden after Tara Reade accused him of sexually assaulting her in 1993. Boris Johnson went 'f***ing tonto' and 'threatened to demote Rishi Sunak to Health Secretary' after the Chancellor called for easing of travel restrictions, reports suggested. The Prime Minister made his remarks to MP allies after a note written by the Chancellor a month ago found its way into the public domain last weekend shortly before the infamous 'traffic light' rules were reviewed on Thursday. In his letter, Mr Sunak said that the UK was 'out of step' with the rest of the world. Mr Johnson told his allies that by writing the letter, which was copied to Grant Shapps's Transport Department, it was 'bound' to be leaked and fumed that he could move Mr Sunak to Health, where former Chancellor Sajid Javid became the Secretary of State six weeks ago. Mr Johnson was said to have been 'apoplectic', 'raging' or 'f***ing tonto' when he met senior Downing Street aides on Monday, The Sunday Times reports. He suggested sacking Rishi Sunak following the chancellor's remarks calling for an easing of travel restrictions due to the threat they pose to the economy. The first time the PM heard about the letter was when details of it appeared in news outlets, meaning officials had not flagged it for his attention or put it in his ministerial red box, it is believed. A senior source said the PM reportedly demanded to know where Mr Sunak was, and then in front of more than 12 witnesses said: 'I've been thinking about it. Maybe it's time we looked at Rishi as the next secretary of state for health. He could potentially do a very good job there.' But it could be the case that Mr Johnson will not carry out his threat, as it has been reported that the Prime Minister has a reputation for off-the-cuff remarks made 'half in jest'. Boris Johnson is considering demoting Rishi Sunak, after the Chancellor called for the easing of travel restrictions before relaxations are announced next week, reports suggest He then suggested Mr Sunak 'could be demoted in the next reshuffle', the source said. Boris Johnson 'lines up Michael Gove to replace Priti Patel as Home Secretary' Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove is being tipped to replace Priti Patel as Home Secretary if the migrant boat crisis continues to escalate, sources have said. The Prime Minister has grown increasingly frustrated with what he regards as the Home Office's failure to stem the wave of boats crossing the Channel, telling one Minister: 'What the f*** is the Home Office doing? When is she [Priti] going to sort this out?' Boris Johnson and Mr Gove, who have spent much of the past decade engaged in a private political psychodrama, are once again close allies. This has been helped by the elevation of Mr Gove's former aides Henry Newman and Henry Cook who are close friends with Mr Johnson's wife Carrie to key positions in Downing Street. Mr Gove has also severed relations with Dominic Cummings, his former adviser, who has been waging a public briefing war against Mr and Mrs Johnson. He has told friends that he is concerned about Mr Cummings's mental state after he gave an interview in which he claimed Mr Johnson had told him that his partner was driving him 'crackers' and suggested finding her 'a job with lots of foreign travel'. A source said: 'Michael made clear that he doesn't think that it is Boris or Carrie who is crackers.' Mr Johnson's frustration over the migrant boats crisis is shared by many Tory MPs particularly those in the Red Wall seats of the Midlands and North, who say it keeps being raised 'on the doorstep'. Advertisement Allies of Rishi Sunak have insisted he is focused on the health of the economy in his job as Chancellor following reports the Prime Minister has considered demoting him. A Treasury source said: 'The Chancellor is solely focused on securing the country's economic recovery and continuing to protect and create jobs.' The leak of the comments, reportedly made in a meeting on Monday, will do little to help relations between No 10 and No 11. The Chancellor is preparing for a tough spending review later this year as he attempts to repair the public finances following the coronavirus crisis. That could put him on collision course with a Prime Minister who has promised there can be no return to austerity. Although a reshuffle is not expected imminently, the Sunday Times reported that Mr Johnson has previously considered International Trade Secretary Liz Truss as a potential chancellor, with Jacob Rees-Mogg as her deputy. 'The PM keeps talking about Liz Truss,' a source said. 'He's always got on quite well with her. He thinks she's controllable.' Mr Johnson was said to have questioned the motives of whoever leaked the letter, which looked to have been designed to undermine the Government's agreed policy. The Prime Minister said he was particularly annoyed because he actually agreed with the Chancellor that the rules should be relaxed to allow people to enjoy their holidays. One of the allies said: 'The Prime Minister shared Rishi's views. It didn't need to be written. It was designed to be leaked. Boris regarded it as a failure of political judgment. He hadn't even received the letter and said that maybe Rishi 'could do a very good job' at Health instead of the Treasury.' The revelation comes amid growing tensions between No 10 and No 11, as Mr Johnson finalises a set of expensive new policies to be announced in September. Mr Johnson is close to agreeing the details of a new 10 billion-a-year 'health tax' to tackle the backlog in NHS appointments caused by the pandemic and start to reform the care system for the elderly. Sources say Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak are 'ironing out a few wrinkles' to finalise the plan, which will see National Insurance (NI) rise by at least one per cent for workers and employers. Money raised will be added to Mr Javid's Health Department budget. The Sunday Times reported that a furious Prime Minister suggested the move after the leak of a letter from Mr Sunak (pictured), who warned that Covid rules were damaging the UK's economy and ensuring it was lagging behind neighbours in the EU Talks are continuing about how funds will be allocated between NHS needs and social care reform, and what the cap on care costs should be. Boris and Rishi at war over green agenda Boris Johnson's green agenda has hit yet another stumbling block amid growing fears within government that it will hit poorest households the hardest. Chancellor Rishi Sunak is thought to be leading push-back against Johnson's commitment to go net-zero by 2050, fearing it will spark a cost-of-living crisis with energy bills already on the rise and inflation spiking as Covid lockdowns ease. Senior Tories fear the crisis could prove politically ruinous in so-called Red Wall seats in traditionally working class areas of the north that flipped blue from Labour at the 2019 election, handing Mr Johnson a landslide victory. A Treasury review into the costs of meeting the net-zero 2050 goal has already been delayed twice from its original spring publication date. According to the Sunday Telegraph, the delay is due to fears that analysis shows working class families bearing the heaviest share of the burden. A source told the paper: 'Obviously, with anything like this, those with less money are going to be disproportionately hit more. That's common sense. 'That's why work is ongoing to ensure the best solutions to ensure we hit the 2050 target without extraordinary costs to ordinary working class families.' The cost of hitting the net zero target is thought to be around 1.4trillion, according to a previous report by the Mail on Sunday. That includes 400billion spent on making buildings carbon neutral, 300billion on upgrading vehicles to electric, 500billion to de-carbonise power generation and 46billion to clean up industry. Mr Johnson is thought to favour issuing households with cheques worth hundreds of pounds to compensate for the costs of going green. But Mr Sunak - who is already searching for ways to pay off the UK's 400billion Covid bill - is said to have baulked at the cost to the Treasury of those plans, which is thought to be around another 400billion. Advertisement The likely compromise is that people will be expected to pay the first 50,000 towards their care, with the State picking up the rest. However, Mr Sunak has stressed to No 10 that people living in areas where property prices are low will find it onerous to raise that sum. Mr Johnson will be working on his plans for the autumn while taking a two-week break in the UK. He will also be drawing up environmental policies ahead of hosting the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow from October 31 to November 12 and announcing a winter plan on Covid-proofing the economy and the NHS. A fresh crackdown on crime will also be announced, including measures to break 'county lines' drugs gangs and an explosion in cocaine use among the middle classes. Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak will thrash out reforms to the 'triple lock' pension guarantee as the Government faces paying an extra 4 billion, and the Chancellor will conduct a spending review. The Prime Minister hoped to make some announcements before Parliament broke for the summer recess, but was stymied by having to self-isolate after coming into contact with Mr Javid after he tested positive for Covid. A source said: 'September is going to be a packed month as normal service hopefully resumes. Boris will hit the ground running when he comes back from holiday.' The plan to raise NI has run into opposition from the Cabinet and sections of the Tory backbenches, who say it breaks a manifesto pledge on tax rates. But Mr Johnson also promised to reform a system that forces older people to sell their homes to pay for care. Tensions between No 10 and the Chancellor over social care bubbled over after the Prime Minister told Mr Javid, when he was appointing him in the wake of Matt Hancock's resignation as Health Secretary, that a condition of him winning the job was to join forces to push Mr Sunak to find the money to tackle the NHS backlog and social care reform. A total of 5.3 million people are waiting for routine operations and procedures on the NHS in England, and Mr Javid has warned that the figure could reach 13 million. After the backlog has been dealt with, the money raised by increasing NI would be used to reform the social care system. After Mr Johnson told Mr Sunak that he was broadly prepared to accept the plan drawn up ten years ago by Sir Andrew Dilnot which limited to about 50,000 the amount that families have to pay towards care Mr Sunak said there was not enough money to cover it and the only way to fund the plan would be a new tax. Some Tory backbenchers are backing an alternative plan that limits personal contribution towards care costs to 30 per cent of the value of a person's home, which would keep the net cost to the taxpayer at about 2 billion a year. Congress has put bill forward to outlaw these types of checkboxes Trump's Save America PAC is allegedly still using the same tactic on donors Trump and the Republican National Committee have refunded donors more than $135M as of June Trump and the Republican National Committee have refunded donors more than $135M as of June t used used two, prechecked donation boxes and the buried fine print advising donors that their payments would be recurring unless the boxes were unticked Trump campaign has refunded 20% of the $56M it raised online last year President Donald Trump's aggressive fundraising tactics used for his re-election bid in 2020 has led to $12.8 million in refunds to his donors this year. The refunds are about 20 percent of the $56 million Trump raised online last year. Late into the campaign season, Trump's team had began opting online donors into automatic recurring donations by prechecking a box at the bottom of the digital form. Yet another prechecked box below that opted supports into yet another donations. Donors would have had to notice both boxes and uncheck them. The check boxes appeared that appeared on the online donations forms were prechecked Donors would have to spot both checks boxes and uncheck them to avoid being double or triple charged for their donations Trump, pictured at a rally last year in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, has had to return about 20% of the funds he raised online last year due to the flurry of complaints over the checkboxes Trump's campaign team then obscured that fact by burying the fine print beneath multiple lines of bold and capitalized text, The New York Times reported. 'It's pretty clear that the Trump campaign was engaging in deceptive tactics,' said Peter Loge, the director of the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at George Washington University. 'If you have to return that much money you are doing something either very wrong or very unethical.' The tactic allowed the campaign to see a short-term rise in revenue, but it was immediately followed by a flurry of complaints from donors who found they had been charged multiple times. The NY Times found that Trump, the Republican National Committee and their shared accounts had refunded more than $135 million to their donors as of June, 2021, half of which came after Election Day. Trump, pictured at West Palm Beach, and his PAC, Save America, are allegedly still using the same fundraising tactics that led to the massive refunds The refunds were issued after New York, Connecticut Minnesota and Maryland's state attorney generals investigated the case, and the Federal Election Commission urged congress to ban the practice. Senator Amy Klobuchar and Dick Durbin introduced legislation to do just that in May. Despite the investigations and disapproval from the FEC, Trump's Save America PAC is reportedly still using these same tactics, Forbes reports. An email from sent out to supports this week from the PAC allegedly include the same, prechecked boxes. The email tells donors they can increase their impact by 400% in the fight to 'save America from Joe Biden and his socialist allies.' Save America did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment. Border agents in Texas arrested two MS-13 gang members and a convicted child sex offender trying to sneak into the US amidst a 221 percent spike in arrests of criminal migrants. The two MS-13 gang members are Honduran and Guatemalan nationals, and the sex offender is a Salvadoran national. All three were arrested in the city of McAllen at the southern tip of Texas in 24-hour period between Wednesday and Thursday. The CBP didn't release the names of the MS-13 gangsters, but the sex offender was identified as Cristian Flamenco, who was convicted in Los Angeles for sexually assaulting a child under the age of 14 and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Law enforcement also discovered the Guatemalan national had a prior conviction in Miami for making false statements in a passport application and he was sentenced to eight months in prison. The arrests are a few of the latest cases in a 221 percent increase in arrests of illegal migrants with criminal records over the last year. So far in fiscal year 2021, there have been 7,830 arrests of illegal migrants with criminal records as opposed to 2,438 in the entire fiscal year 2020, according to the CBP. In 2019 and 2018, there were 4,269 and 6,698 arrests, respectively. A group of illegal immigrants consisting of Mexicans and Central Americans are caught by the U.S. Border Patrol, Rio Grande Valley Sector, after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally on June 2, 2021 There's a 221 percent spike in arrests of illegal migrants with criminal records A Honduran national is helped to his feet by an agent after collapsing from exhaustion after trying to run from U.S. Border Patrol Criminal migrants are only part of the border crisis faces the Biden Administration. The number of children under age 18 apprehended at the border was 834 on Thursday, according to Health and Human Services. The 30-day average is just 512. Just 612 children in HHS custody were released to parents and guardians, meaning the total number of migrant children held by the US increased by more than 200. More than 14,500 children are currently in HHS custody, and according to Fox there are 2,784 children in Border Patrol custody. The rising figure is likely partially fueled by the Biden administration pulling back on the Trump-era Title 42 policy which under CDC direction enables Border Patrol to turn asylum-seekers away over COVID concerns. While the policy was used on all migrants under Donald Trump, Biden's law enforcement authorities are admitting children and families with small children - expelling single adults and all but what Press Secretary Jen Psaki called 'a small, limited number of families.' The number of children traveling alone who were picked up at the border reached an all-time high of more than 19,000 in July, according to preliminary numbers shared with the Associated Press by David Shahoulian, assistant secretary for border and immigration policy at DHS. It's just a sign of a greater influx - 210,000 migrants crossed into the US along the southern border in July. Migrants from Central America in Texas's Rio Grande Valley waiting transport to a Border Patrol holding area on March 25, 2021 Pictured is the tented overflow facility in Donna, Texas some 4 miles North of the Mexican border where a large number of unaccompanied migrant minors are being held in overcrowded conditions It's the highest one-month total in 21 years, according to the Department of Homeland Security. More than 188,000 migrants were encountered by law enforcement in June - compared to 33,000 in June 2020. Cabinet Minister George Eustice today defends the decision to put down Geronimo the alpaca despite the owner telling him he will have 'blood on his hands'. Writing in The Mail on Sunday, the Environment Minister admits it is 'soul-destroying' to have to kill animals, but insists it is the right decision to stop the spread of disease. The MP and former farmer says: 'While there are moments of joy and optimism in farming, every livestock farmer has to get used to their share of tragedy and loss.' A High Court judge has ruled that Geronimo has tuberculosis on the basis of two positive tests. But his owner, Helen Macdonald, today claims the tests were 'misused' and calls for Mr Eustice to intervene as a last resort. Cabinet Minister George Eustice has defended the decision to put down Geronimo the alpaca despite the owner Helen Macdonald (pictured) telling him he will have 'blood on his hands' She has also appealed to Carrie Johnson, the Prime Minister's wife, to save the condemned animal, and has won the support of celebrities, including actress Joanna Lumley. Writing for the first time on the issue that has split Britain, Mr Eustice tells how his own farming family had to kill a beloved cow who tested positive for TB. He says Rose was 'a cow that my father said was one of the best he had ever seen. To make matters worse, she had sadly lost her calf the previous year. As a result, she had to be removed for slaughter having never had a living calf. It was soul-destroying.' Mr Eustice says he has looked at Geronimo's case 'in detail' several times over the past three years. Explaining why he has decided not to call off the death sentence, he writes that the test used on Geronimo is 'over 99 per cent accurate with a 'false positive' in only 0.34 per cent of cases. The Environment Minister (pictured) admitted that it is 'soul-destroying' to have to kill animals, but insists it is the right decision to stop the spread of disease 'However, it is not a very sensitive test. That is to say, in around 30 per cent of cases it won't detect an infection even when one is present. Two consecutive positive test results is a very strong indicator of the presence of the disease.' The Minister also spoke of the dangers of bovine TB to livestock and in part blamed 'inaction' by Tony Blair's government for the situation. Yes, Prime Minister, it's a nightmare! By Brendan Carlin, Political Correspondent for the Mail On Sunday Boris Johnson may not be willing to save Geronimo, but his fictional predecessor Jim Hacker would have intervened if only for the favourable headlines. At least, that's the message from a 1986 episode of the BBC comedy Yes, Prime Minister in which PM Hacker played by Paul Eddington, right springs to the rescue of a dog lost on a MoD artillery range. Hacker basks in glowing press coverage after ordering the Army in to save Benjy the old English sheep dog, beloved pet of eight-year-orphan Linda. Advised by wily Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby that it will boost his flagging popularity, Hacker jumps at the chance and is rewarded by newspapers saying 'a real heart beats inside No 10'. That's before Sir Humphrey, played by Nigel Hawthorne, tells him the operation has cost a cool 310,000. Hacker only ordered the rescue after hearing pleas from his wife. Initially, he was irritated that the TV news covered the dog story and not his performance at Prime Minister's Questions. 'Kids lose dogs every day,' he fumed, adding: 'The future defence of Britain was being fought out in the great forum of the nation and what do they give the viewers? A re-run of Lassie Come Home!' So the lesson for Camp Geronimo? Get Carrie Johnson on side and the alpaca may live. Advertisement He writes: 'There are no easy answers when it comes to dealing with TB in cattle' and adds that each week on average more than 500 animals have to be culled due to infection in England. 'Behind every one of those cases is a farmer who has suffered loss and tragedy,' he says. Ms Macdonald, 50, has repeatedly appealed to Boris Johnson and Mr Eustice to halt the destruction order which means Geronimo named after an Apache chief must be put down within 30 days of it coming into effect last Thursday. More than 90,000 people have signed a petition asking the Prime Minister to step in, and tomorrow hundreds of supporters are expected to attend a protest march in Whitehall. But Downing Street has refused to grant a stay of execution. In an impassioned interview with The Mail on Sunday, Ms Macdonald accused officials of dishonesty and said: 'I haven't accepted for a moment that Geronimo is going to die.' Speaking at her Gloucestershire farm, she said: 'My plan is simple. I'm asking George Eustice to pick up the phone and justify to me how his officials can be so dishonest and yet nobody certainly not him has noticed. They keep saying this is a valid test when it patently isn't. It is an abuse of their power and position.' She has previously said Mr Eustice would have 'blood on his hands' if the destruction order was executed. Geronimo, an eight-year old male, was imported from New Zealand in 2017. He was given four 'skin tests' for TB before he left, which involves the injection of a protein called tuberculin, which were negative. Ms Macdonald, then gave him the voluntary Enferplex test when he arrived, which gave a positive result which she attributed to the tuberculin from the previous skin tests. She said: 'I don't know what I'll do when the Defra contractors come [to put Geronimo down]. 'I'm not a criminal. I don't want to be arrested. But I'm not going to assist them, I'm not going to lead Geronimo out in a head collar.' Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said: 'I know the devastation that TB can cause farmers, their communities and their animals. While I sympathise with Ms Macdonald's situation, we need to follow the scientific evidence and cull animals that have tested positive for TB, to minimise spread of this insidious disease.' A spokesman for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: 'We are sympathetic to Ms Macdonald's situation, which is why the testing results and options for Geronimo have been very carefully considered, as well as passing several stages of thorough legal scrutiny.' GEORGE EUSTICE: Each week we lose 500 cattle to TB and every one means a tragedy for farmers - including Geronimo's owner By George Eustice for the Mail On Sunday My family have had a herd of pedigree South Devon Cattle for six generations. My ancestors were involved in the formation of the society that formally recognised the breed. My grandfather attended agricultural shows as far afield as South Africa and Australia to judge cattle and, at the age of 26, my father was one of the youngest-ever cattle judges at the Royal Show. While there are moments of joy and optimism in farming, every livestock farmer has to get used to their share of tragedy and loss. A few years ago, our own herd suffered from several TB breakdowns. A shortage of grass meant that they had to take on some temporary grazing away from the farm and some of the cattle that returned tested positive for TB. Writing in The Mail on Sunday, George Eustice (pictured) has defended the decision to put down Geronimo the alpaca and said it is the right decision to stop the spread of disease Among them was Rose, a cow that my father said was one of the best he had ever seen. To make matters worse, she had sadly lost her calf the previous year. As a result she had to be removed for slaughter having never had a living calf. It was soul-destroying. Bovine TB (bTB) was a huge problem for our cattle industry during the last century and it took several decades in the post-war years to finally get it under control. However, a combination of inaction during the Blair years, coupled with increased cattle movements in the wake of the foot and mouth crisis, led to a sharp rise in the incidence of the disease at the beginning of the millennium, and we have been wrestling with that over the past decade. Bovine TB is an insidious disease. It is difficult to detect because it develops slowly and there are often no obvious symptoms. It can lurk in the environment for several months and it can become embedded in the badger population. One of the lessons in the post-war years is that testing and removing infected livestock from herds is critical to eventual success. There has been a great deal of focus on the case of Geronimo the alpaca last week. However, each week, on average, we have to remove more than 500 cattle from herds due to infection in England alone. Behind every one of those cases is a farmer who has suffered loss and tragedy. Farmers understand that infected animals are a risk to the remainder of their herd, so while the loss of individual animals is always a tragedy, the farming communities have worked with our Government vets in this arduous but necessary endeavour. Ministers should always challenge and probe on the rationale for certain policy approaches and on individual cases, so I first looked in detail at the case of Geronimo over three years ago and on several occasions since. There has been focus on Geronimo the alpaca (pictured with Helen McDonald). But each week, on average, we remove more than 500 cattle from herds due to infection in England alone Geronimo tested positive twice using a test called the 'Enferplex' test. It is the test that was requested by the British Alpaca Society at the time. When it comes to positive test results, it is over 99 per cent accurate with a 'false positive' in only 0.34 per cent of cases. However, it is not a very sensitive test. That is to say, in around 30 per cent of cases it won't detect an infection even when one is present. Two consecutive positive test results is a very strong indicator of the presence of the disease. I investigated the owner's assertion that a previous 'skin test' in New Zealand combined with using a 'primer' might have led to a false result, but the Enferplex test detects the protein of bTB itself, not an immune response, so that theory was discounted. I also explored the claim that the skin test in New Zealand should have been relied upon, but the skin test can pick up around 25 per cent of cases in alpacas at best so is far less reliable than the test used in the UK. There are no easy answers when it comes to dealing with TB in cattle, and we will always need to pursue a range of measures. However, last year British scientists made a major breakthrough with a new test that can differentiate between the disease and a vaccine. This opens the prospect to us being able to vaccinate cattle in future, which will reduce the levels of infection, mean that fewer cattle need to be slaughtered and give us an exit strategy from the badger cull. Field trials started in earnest earlier this summer and we aim to be in a position to start vaccinating cattle in a few years' time. Boris Johnson believes that Chancellor Rishi Sunak was guilty of a failure of political judgment in writing a letter to him complaining about the UKs chaotic and restrictive travel rules, The Mail on Sunday has learned. The Prime Minister made his remarks to MP allies after a note written by the Chancellor a month ago found its way into the public domain last weekend shortly before the infamous traffic light rules were reviewed on Thursday. In his letter, Mr Sunak said that the UK was out of step with the rest of the world. Mr Johnson told his allies that by writing the letter, which was copied to Grant Shappss Transport Department, it was bound to be leaked and joked that he could move Mr Sunak to Health, where former Chancellor Sajid Javid became the Secretary of State six weeks ago. The Prime Minister said he was particularly annoyed because he actually agreed with the Chancellor that the rules should be relaxed to allow people to enjoy their holidays. The Prime Minister made his remarks to MP allies after a note written by the Chancellor a month ago found its way into the public domain One of the allies said: The Prime Minister shared Rishis views. It didnt need to be written. It was designed to be leaked. Boris regarded it as a failure of political judgment. He hadnt even received the letter and said that maybe Rishi could do a very good job at Health instead of the Treasury. The revelation comes amid growing tensions between No 10 and No 11, as Mr Johnson finalises a set of expensive new policies to be announced in September. Mr Johnson is close to agreeing the details of a new 10 billion-a-year health tax to tackle the backlog in NHS appointments caused by the pandemic and start to reform the care system for the elderly. Sources say Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak are ironing out a few wrinkles to finalise the plan, which will see National Insurance (NI) rise by at least one per cent for workers and employers. Money raised will be added to Mr Javids Health Department budget. Talks are continuing about how funds will be allocated between NHS needs and social care reform, and what the cap on care costs should be. The likely compromise is that people will be expected to pay the first 50,000 towards their care, with the State picking up the rest. However, Mr Sunak has stressed to No 10 that people living in areas where property prices are low will find it onerous to raise that sum. Mr Johnson will be working on his plans for the autumn while taking a two-week break in the UK. He will also be drawing up environmental policies ahead of hosting the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow from October 31 to November 12 and announcing a winter plan on Covid-proofing the economy and the NHS. A fresh crackdown on crime will also be announced, including measures to break county lines drugs gangs and an explosion in cocaine use among the middle classes. Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak will thrash out reforms to the triple lock pension guarantee as the Government faces paying an extra 4 billion, and the Chancellor will conduct a spending review. The Prime Minister hoped to make some announcements before Parliament broke for the summer recess, but was stymied by having to self-isolate after coming into contact with Mr Javid after he tested positive for Covid. In his letter, Mr Sunak said that the UK was out of step with the rest of the world A source said: September is going to be a packed month as normal service hopefully resumes. Boris will hit the ground running when he comes back from holiday. The plan to raise NI has run into opposition from the Cabinet and sections of the Tory backbenches, who say it breaks a manifesto pledge on tax rates. But Mr Johnson also promised to reform a system that forces older people to sell their homes to pay for care. Tensions between No 10 and the Chancellor over social care bubbled over after the Prime Minister told Mr Javid, when he was appointing him in the wake of Matt Hancocks resignation as Health Secretary, that a condition of him winning the job was to join forces to push Mr Sunak to find the money to tackle the NHS backlog and social care reform. A total of 5.3 million people are waiting for routine operations and procedures on the NHS in England, and Mr Javid has warned that the figure could reach 13 million. After the backlog has been dealt with, the money raised by increasing NI would be used to reform the social care system. After Mr Johnson told Mr Sunak that he was broadly prepared to accept the plan drawn up ten years ago by Sir Andrew Dilnot which limited to about 50,000 the amount that families have to pay towards care Mr Sunak said there was not enough money to cover it and the only way to fund the plan would be a new tax. Some Tory backbenchers are backing an alternative plan that limits personal contribution towards care costs to 30 per cent of the value of a persons home, which would keep the net cost to the taxpayer at about 2 billion a year. Prince Andrew could be sued in an American court by his accuser Virginia Roberts, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Ms Roberts, who claims she was forced to have sex with the Prince by convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein when she was just 17, could file a multi-million-pound civil action in New York as early as this week. Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, her lawyer David Boies said the bombshell lawsuit 'would be based on her being lent out to Prince Andrew for sex by Jeffrey Epstein and [her] being under 18'. The Duke of York has always vehemently denied all charges made by Virginia Roberts He added the suit would include claims of 'improper sexual violations, physical and emotional distress' and would include a claim for damages. Mr Boies said: 'To use a common phrase here in the United States, 'Time's up.' ' The Duke of York has always vehemently denied all charges made by Ms Roberts. Buckingham Palace previously issued a statement saying: 'It is emphatically denied that The Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.' The filing of a civil action against the Duke in America is certain to cause huge embarrassment for the Royal family as lawyers will seek to question him under oath about his sex life. He could also be forced to hand over texts, emails and private letters. The filing of a civil action against the Duke in America is certain to cause huge embarrassment for the Royal family A defamation suit, filed by Ms Roberts in 2015 against Ghislaine Maxwell, ended in a settlement but deeply embarrassing depositions in which Ms Maxwell discussed her sex life were made public last year. A source said: 'This could be devastating for Andrew. If he chooses to fight it and is deposed [forced to give evidence], then those depositions could end up being made public. 'If he ignores it, he could be found guilty in absentia which would be a public relations disaster.' Under the New York Child Victims Act, Ms Roberts has until next Saturday to file the civil action which will include her claims that she and Prince Andrew had sex three times in 2001. Although Ms Roberts was then above the UK legal age of consent, in New York a child is considered to be anyone under 18. Fergie: He's telling the truth, 100% Sarah Ferguson has said she is convinced that her former husband Prince Andrew is telling the truth about his part in the scandal surrounding convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The Duchess of York said she was '100 per cent' certain that her ex-husband was being honest when he denied seeing anything untoward during the time he spent with the financier. She told the Financial Times: 'I want him [Andrew] to come through this. I want him to win.' When asked why she was sure of his probity, she replied: 'No question. I know everything about him. I think he is an extraordinary person.' The Duchess said she and Andrew, who split in 1997, were 'the happiest divorced couple in the world', living under the same roof at Royal Lodge, Windsor, but with their own rooms. 'We support each other like pillars of strengths,' she added. Advertisement She alleges the first encounter took place at the London home of Epstein's alleged 'madam' Ms Maxwell, the second at Epstein's 77 million New York mansion and the third during an 'orgy' on his private island in the Caribbean. Saturday's deadline was created by the New York Child Victims Act which came into law in 2019. Previously, victims had up to five years after turning 18 to file a claim against an alleged abuser. But the new law gave victims a one-off window to make a legal claim, regardless of how old their claim is. The timeline to file those claims expires next Saturday. The final decision about whether to proceed rests with Ms Roberts, now a 37-year-old mother-of-three who lives in Australia. Should the Duke ignore the lawsuit, Mr Boies warned it could go to trial without him and the court could enter a default judgment. The amount of damages would then be set and 'that judgment could be enforced any place in the world', Mr Boies said. Weeks ago Mr Boies sent a second formal letter to the Duke's lawyers offering to sign an agreement, known as a tolling agreement, that extended the statute of limitations so that both sides could negotiate. The letter said that Ms Robets needed to file a claim 'now' or she risks not being able to file a lawsuit. So far it has been ignored, according to Mr Boies. Epstein hanged himself in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Ms Maxwell, 59, was arrested last July and is due to go on trial in November for allegedly recruiting underage girls for Epstein. She has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Last night Ms Roberts declined to comment. A spokesman for Prince Andrew declined to comment. Young people can now get their second jab just six weeks after the first to allow them to go abroad on summer holiday, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Vaccine centres are quietly bending the rules and cutting the gap from the official two months. A Minister told this newspaper that the centres had been encouraged to be more reasonable when the public asked to shorten the gap between vaccines in an attempt to boost take-up for the young. Lucinda Benton-Hawthorn, 18, gets her first jab at Birminghams Nightingale Club. Young people can now get their second jab just six weeks after the first to allow them to go abroad on summer holiday Being double-jabbed means not having to quarantine on return from amber list countries. One pharmacy in London last week put up a notice saying that anyone who had their jab as recently as the last week of June a six-week gap was eligible. And a surgery in Essex last week invited anyone who had the jab five weeks ago or more to turn up to use up doses before they expired. Other jab centres told the MoS that they would allow a six-week gap, or even shorter, if someone had an email from their GP saying they were about to go on holiday and needed the second jab sooner. A GP said there were three main reasons to speed up a second dose to undergo chemotherapy, have an operation or to go on holiday. The Minister said: GPs will bend over backwards for young people to get the jab. So if an 18-year-old comes and says, I booked a holiday to France, I wont have the same experience if Im not double-jabbed, they will try and help them out. It comes as: 46,997,495 people have received their first dose of the vaccine, or 88.9 per cent of all UK adults. More than 39 million have had their second dose, equivalent to 74.1 per cent of adults. The week-on-week rate of Covid cases fell by 2.2 per cent, with 28,612 people testing positive. Hospital admissions were down 15.9 per cent and 104 deaths were recorded. Travel companies and airlines reported a rush of bookings after the announcement that the rules for France would be relaxed and the green list expanded Health Secretary Sajid Javid wrote to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) asking it to conduct a rapid high-level review of the cost of PCR tests. Sources said the AstraZeneca vaccine might not feature in the UKs booster programme, with trial data so far said to show that Pfizer, Moderna and the yet to be approved Novavax offers better protection. While some have benefited from the more flexible approach to a second jab, others have criticised the lack of transparency because some centres are turning away people who have not waited eight weeks. Its a lottery, said a source. The Minister said that the chance to take foreign holidays was the best way to encourage young people to get vaccinated. The Government was trying to reach a point where in every group of friends there was only one odd one out who hadnt been jabbed, so they succumbed to peer pressure, the Minister added. The Health Secretary is the latest senior figure to criticise the cost of PCR tests. Mr Javid, writing to the CMA, said: For too many people the cost of PCR testing can act as a barrier, especially for families who want to travel together. We have all experienced enormous disruption to our lives over this pandemic but it is not right if some families experience yet further disruption unnecessarily because of potentially unfair practices in the market for private travel tests. It is important that the sensible measures we have introduced at the borders are fair and transparent and dont involve unnecessary costs or low-quality provision to people who have made so many sacrifices. A major search for a man in the River Thames was underway tonight after he was said to have jumped into the water from Westminster Bridge. Dozens of emergency services vehicles were at the scene in London, including police cars, fire crews and paramedics lining the bridge and nearby. Scotland Yard said their officers were called to the scene just before 8pm to reports of a man with a 'cut hand' who was taken to hospital. Police were also told that a man had jumped into the Thames. Detectives confirmed that the incident was 'not being treated as terror-related at this time'. London's Metropolitan Police are searching for a man in the River Thames after he jumped from Westminster Bridge. Pictured: Emergency service vehicles on the bridge tonight A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'Police were called to Westminster Bridge at 7.52pm on Saturday, August 7 to reports of a man with a cut hand. 'Officers attended along with paramedics from London Ambulance Service. The man with the hand injury was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital. 'It was also reported to officers that a man had jumped into the River Thames from Westminster Bridge. A search is ongoing to locate this man. The incident is not being treated as terror-related at this time.' The London Fire Brigade told MailOnline that it was also assisting in the search having been called at 7.56pm, with five fire engines and a fire boat in attendance. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'Police were called to Westminster Bridge at 7.52pm to reports of a man with a cut hand. It was also reported that a man had jumped into the River Thames from Westminster Bridge.' Pictured: An image from a CCTV camera showing Westminster Bridge on Saturday night showed blue flashing lights along the road Pictured: The view from the river of Westminster Bridge on Saturday night Witnesses took to social media tonight to describe the incident, with one Twitter user writing: 'Something is going down on Westminster Bridge. 'There are about seven fire engines, eight police cars, police boat, two life boats and a helicopter. Quite crazy to see and thankfully I was far away from it on Jubilee Bridge. Praying no one is seriously hurt.' Another wrote: 'Looks to be a serious incident on Westminster Bridge. Tons of armed police, couple of fire engines and a police line across the pavement.' A third said: 'Just walked out of a restaurant by London Eye to a ridiculously heavy police/fire/ambulance presence on and around Westminster Bridge and on the Thames. Something bad appears to have happened.' Westminster Bridge was the scene of a terror attack in March 2017 when Khalid Masood drove a car into pedestrians, killing four people, before crashing it into railings outside the Palace of Westminster and fatally stabbing a police officer. Pep Guardiola claims he would go to court to defend Manchester City's 100million signing of Jack Grealish. City completed the British record acquisition of Grealish on Thursday after triggering a release clause in his contract at Aston Villa. The size of the fee immediately raised eyebrows in some quarters over how the Premier League champions, who continue to be linked with another big-money move for Harry Kane, were remaining compliant with Financial Fair Play regulations. Manchester City splashed out 100m to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa Guardiola explained City have raised close to 60million in sales of fringe and Academy players recently, a figure which includes an 11million bonus from a sell-on clause activated by Manchester United's purchase of Jadon Sancho. The City boss said: 'We have spent 40million pounds - 100 we paid and 60 we won last year. Without the 60million we could not afford it and we are more than delighted. 'We did it because we can do it. If people are not sure about it, we can go to the court and we'll defend it. We did it perfectly.' England international Grealish has signed a six-year contract at the Etihad Stadium. The 25-year-old had become one of the hottest properties in the English game as a result of his inspirational performances at Villa. Guardiola has been a long-time admirer of the player. Pep Guardiola insisted City 'did the deal perfectly' and are complying with FFP rules Asked when he first thought he would like to sign him, the Spaniard said at a press conference: 'Years ago, when I saw him for the first time - but then it wasn't possible. You have the squad and we had to invest in other parts as those parts were weaker. 'But especially when I saw him on TV. I said, 'That guy controls the tempo'. 'I love when he has the ball. He stops before the dribble and all the opponents stop as well. He controls the tempo and rhythm when he accelerates and decelerates the action. 'Then especially when I played against him - the physicality, the special mentality of how he fought against the opponents, against our players, he said, 'I'm here'. 'I liked many things that we saw and that's why we tried.' Guardiola has no doubt Grealish will settle in quickly with City. City are also trying to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham in another big-money deal He said: 'I have the feeling that he knows exactly what he has to do on the pitch. 'We saw him a lot, we suffered against him a lot. When you see this mentality and quality, that's why we thought this was a guy who could help us maintain the level and try to raise it over the next few years.' Guardiola has also suggested Phil Foden is likely to miss the start of the Premier League season with the foot injury that ruled him out of the Euro 2020 final with England. He said: 'Phil Foden will still be out for a while. You have to be careful with this injury because, if we don't anticipate, it will be longer.' Kevin De Bruyne will also miss Saturday's Community Shield against Leicester with an ankle problem and it is unclear when he will return but Guardiola said he 'should come back a little bit sooner or quicker than Phil'. Nicki Minaj's husband Kenneth Petty has struck a plea bargain after being charged for failure to register as a sex offender. The 43-year-old's status as a sex offender stems from his 1995 conviction in New York of the first degree attempted rape of a 16-year-old girl. He was arrested last March for not registering as such in California after moving there with Nicki, but TMZ reports he has now accepted a plea deal. By his side: Nicki Minaj's husband Kenneth Petty has struck a plea bargain after being charged for failure to register as a sex offender Last year after his arrest he initially pled not guilty and was required by the court to observe a curfew and wear an ankle monitor. Now even with the plea bargain he will at the very least be sentenced to supervised release for five years, which is the mandatory minimum for the crime. Without the plea bargain however Kenneth could have wound up behind bars for up to a decade followed by supervised release for the rest of his life. In his current federal case the judge will supposedly give Kenneth a comparatively light sentence in exchange for his guilty plea on one count of failure to register. Mugshot: He was arrested last March for not registering as such in California after moving there with Nicki, but TMZ reports he has now accepted a plea deal He made use of a 'knife/cutting instrument' during the attempted rape, according to public records from the New York Division Of Criminal Justice Services. Kenneth also spent seven years behind bars for first degree manslaughter, which he pleaded guilty to after being charged with second degree murder, TMZ reported. Citing insiders in law enforcement, the website claimed that Kenneth shot one Lamont Robinson three times on a street corner in Queens in April 2002. Kenneth and some associates allegedly drove to a point across the street from Lamont, whereupon Kenneth emerged from the vehicle and walked over to his victim before firing into his stomach. Building a family: This past September they welcomed a baby son who is nicknamed 'Papa Bear' but whose real name they have yet to disclose to the public Lamont identified a photograph of his killer to police before dying in the hospital shortly after being shot, per court documents. An investigator dismissed the reason for the shooting as 'bulls***' to TMZ, whose sources theorized that the violence was gang-related. Nicki and Kenneth had been friends since childhood but only struck up their relationship in late 2018, marrying the following year. Relationship history: Nicki and Kenneth had been friends since childhood but only struck up their relationship in late 2018, marrying the following year During their whirlwind romance Nicki included Kenneth in the lyrics to her single Megatron: 'I f*** him like I miss him. He just came out of prison.' This past September they welcomed a baby son who is nicknamed 'Papa Bear' but whose real name they have yet to disclose to the public. Kenneth had to obtain a court order to be allowed to break curfew and be in Nicki's delivery room if the birth occurred after hours. TOWIE'S Amber Turner, Courtney Green and Chloe Meadows looked stunning as they headed for a girls night out at Bagatelle in Mayfair on Friday. The group dazzled in an array of mini-dresses during their meal out as the show was recently shaken up by the biggest casting axe ever. Amber, 28, looked a vision in white as she stepped out in the scoop-neck knitted dress, which she paired with a pair of nude three-strap sandals. Wow! Amber Turner, 28, looked a vision in white as she stepped out to Bagatelle in Mayfair in a scoop-neck knitted dress, which she paired with a pair of nude three-strap sandals Stylish: The blonde beauty styled her shiny locks in subtle waves which fell down her shoulders, and she carried her essentials in a small nude quilted purse The blonde beauty styled her shiny locks in subtle waves which fell down her shoulders, and she carried her essentials in a small nude quilted purse. Her gal pal Courtney, 26, put on a leggy display in a monochrome ensemble - comprising white scuba shorts and a black puff-sleeve crop top. The brunette wowed in a pair of cream gladiator heels, and accessorised with a black quilted cross-body bag and dazzling silver watch. Leggy display: Her gal-pal Courtney Turner, 26, put on a leggy display in a monochrome ensemble - comprising white scuba shorts and a black puff-sleeve crop top She styled her waist-length locks in impressive curls, whilst she sported her trademark feathered brows and a shiny nude lip. Chloe Meadows, 28, was pretty in pink in a revealing open-front denim dress, which she paired with a pair of statement cream fringe ankle boots. The star showed a peek of her perky assets in the baby pink number, which featured a plunging button-front neckline and pockets. Pretty in pink: Chloe Meadows, 28, was pretty in pink in a revealing open-front denim dress, which she paired with a pair of statement cream fringe ankle boots The pretty blonde wore her shoulder-length tresses in subtle waves which framed her face, and decided on a natural, glowing palette of makeup. She accessorised with a gold multi-layer chain necklace which featured two coin pendants. Also joining the TOWIE stars on their night out were season five Love Islander Elma Pazar, 29 and MTV's True Love Or True Lies 2018 contestant Carrie May Schofield. Girls' night: Also joining the TOWIE stars on their night out were season five Love Islander Elma Pazar, 29 (pictured far right) and MTV's True Love Or True Lies 2018 contestant Carrie May Schofield (pictured far left) The former Islander beamed as she was pictured in a little black dress, which boasted velvet-trim panels and underwiring on the bust. The brunette beauty stepped out into London with her girls wearing a pair of statement acid-yellow crocodile-print gladiator heels. The reality star carried her belongings in a small black purse and opted for a glamorous makeup look, including fluffy eyelashes and a baby pink lipgloss. Stunning: Elma Pazar, 29, beamed as she was pictured in a little black dress, which boasted velvet-trim panels and underwiring on the bust Bold: The brunette beauty stepped out into London with her girls wearing a pair of statement acid-yellow crocodile-print gladiator heels Their outing comes as The Only Way Is Essex was affected by cast cuts, including Courtney and Chloe - who both joined in 2016 and appeared in more than 140 episodes of the reality series. Also pipped to leave the show are Harry Derbidge and Tom McDonnell. Sources told The Sun that it was 'difficult' to break the news to the longstanding cast members. A source said: 'A lot of difficult conversations have been had in the last 24 hours. Its never nice to tell someone their services are no longer needed but the producers have to do what is right for the show.' 'They want more time focussing on fewer, and unfortunately some of those who havent had full, proper storylines had to go. They wish them all the best and are always here if they need the support', the source continued. Sad: Their outing comes as The Only Way Is Essex was affected by cast cuts, including Courtney (pictured) and Chloe They announced their engagement last year. And Nicola Peltz and her fiance Brooklyn Beckham continue to go from strength to strength, as the Bates Motel actress, 26, proved on Friday when she shared a series of sultry snaps taken by Brooklyn, 22, on Instagram Lifting up her white tank top to show off her taut midriff, blonde beauty Nicola worked her best angles while posing for her soon-to-be husband, telling fans: 'Brooklyn took these.' Instagram: Nicola Peltz and Brooklyn Beckham continue to go from strength to strength, as the actress, 26, proved on Friday when she shared a series of snaps taken by Brooklyn Nicola layered her top beneath a stylish, khaki shirt and accessorised with a delicate heart-shaped necklace alongside a diamond bracelet worn on her left wrist. In some of the photographs, the rising star also donned a fluffy pink hat white flashing her bra. The grainy images appear to have been taken on a film camera. Brooklyn - who is the eldest of David and Victoria Beckham's four children - popped the question last June, and to mark the year anniversary of their engagement he shared a gushing Instagram post, exactly 12 months after he got down on one knee, telling his followers that Nicola made him 'a better person'. Gorgeous: Lifting up her white tank top to show off her midriff, blonde beauty Nicola worked her best angles while posing for her soon-to-be husband, telling fans: 'Brooklyn took these' The photographer wrote: 'This exact day 1 year ago I asked this gorgeous woman to marry me. 'She makes me a better person everyday and is my best friend. I can't imagine my life without you because you continuously make me laugh and smile x happy 1 year baby.' Last year, Brooklyn confirmed the news he'd proposed to Nicola with a gushing Instagram post. Cute: Brooklyn didn't miss the opportunity to share his love for his fiancee Nicola on the one year anniversary of their engagement in June Sweet: Brooklyn shared a gushing post in which he credited Nicola with making him 'laugh and smile' and said that he couldn't imagine his life without her Sharing a stunning snap of the couple, he wrote: 'Two weeks ago I asked my soulmate to marry me and she said yes xx I am the luckiest man in the world. I promise to be the best husband and the best daddy one day. I love you baby xx' In October it was claimed that the pair planned to exchange vows in two celebrations on both sides of the Atlantic. It's thought that Brooklyn will have his brothers Romeo, 18, and Cruz, 15, as his best men for the ceremony, with proud mum Victoria designing actress Nicola's wedding gown. Engaged: Last year, Brooklyn confirmed the news he'd proposed to Nicola with a gushing Instagram post in which he called himself the 'luckiest man in the world' According to The Sun, Brooklyn's sister Harper, nine, will be chief bridesmaid for Brooklyn and Nicola's wedding. The two ceremonies - held in Nicola's hometown of Florida and the Beckhams' estate in the Cotswolds - will ensure that both Brooklyn and Nicola's loved ones can be in attendance. Brooklyn's father David will act as the master of ceremonies, with his younger sons being best men for the celebration and giving a joint speech at the reception. A source said: 'Brooklyn is incredibly family focused, just like his parents, and the boys are so close. They are brothers and best mates. 'Although many assumed David would get the gig, there was really never any question of who he would choose to be his best men.' He is the iconic director of such classics as Jaws and the Indiana Jones franchise. And on Friday, Steven Spielberg was seen in the Mid-Wilshire area of Los Angeles, California, alongside actor Seth Rogen, on the set of his semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans. The three-time Oscar winner, 74, was helming a scene of the project on location at a church adjacent to the historic Ebell theater in the area. Hot set: Steven Spielberg was seen in the Mid-Wilshire area of Los Angeles alongside actor Seth Rogen on the set of new film The Fabelmans Leading the way: The three-time Oscar winner (left) was helming a scene of the new semi-autobiographical project on location at a church adjacent to the historic Ebell theater Rogen, 39, was dressed in a simple white pocket tee and olive green pants with a drawstring waist. He was seen walking to set in rust-colored slip on shoes. Spielberg wore a Hawaiian-style T-shirt over a long sleeve white top, and black pants. Heading to set: Star Rogen, 39, was dressed in a simple white pocket tee and olive green pants with a drawstring waist Younger actor Gabriel LaBelle, who looks to be playing a young version of Steven in the movie, was also seen on set. Seth, known for his gregarious roles in films such as This Is The End and Pineapple Express, has been tapped to play the directors favorite uncle. All cast and crew made sure to remain masked up, even when outside, amid newfound concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic and the highly contagious delta variant. On his way: Seth, known for his gregarious roles in films such as This Is The End and Pineapple Express, has been tapped to play the directors favorite uncle Newcomer: Younger actor Gabriel LaBelle, who looks to be playing a young version of Steven in the movie, was also seen on set The Fabelmans, also stars Michelle Williams, Judd Hirsch and Paul Dano. Co-written by Tony Kushner and Spielberg, it is said to be loosely based on the celebrated filmmaker's own childhood in the 50s and 60s in Arizona. The E.T. director had a very colorful childhood. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1946, but was raised between Haddon Township, New Jersey and Scottsdale, Arizona. He spent three years attending Arcadia High School before moving to California with his dad after his parents divorced. Cautious: All cast and crew made sure to remain masked up, even when outside, amid newfound concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic and the contagious delta variant Seth in the driver's seat: The Fabelmans also stars Michelle Williams, Judd Hirsch and Paul Dano, and is co-written by Tony Kushner Pursuing his dreams of a career in movies, he applied to the USC film school twice but was never accepted. He attended Cal State University, Long Beach and began his career as an unpaid intern at Universal Studios. The six-time Golden Globe winner was eventually awarded an honorary degree from USC in 1994, and 35 years after he began his college career, he graduated with a B.A. in Film Production and Electronic Arts with an option in Film/Video Production in 2002. In total he has been awarded four Academy Awards: Best Director and Best Picture for Schindler's List (1994), Best Director for Saving Private Ryan (1999) and the Irving G. Thalberg honorary award (1987). He has been nominated a total of 17 times, most recently for 2017's The Post. Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City star Mary Cosby was charged this April with misdemeanor sheltering a runaway. The 48-year-old reality star has also been hit with a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She pled not guilty on June 28, more than two months after she was first charged with the misdemeanors, according to People. Trouble: Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City star Mary Cosby was charged this April with misdemeanor sheltering a runaway 'Mary is saddened that she was dragged into another family's domestic situation but is confident that this misunderstanding will be cleared up soon,' a representative of hers said in a statement to the magazine. The Real Housewife, who is married to her step-grandfather Robert Cosby Sr., has a pre-trial conference set for next Thursday. Mary's family life came in for criticism on the show because of her marriage to Robert Sr., who was previously married to her late grandmother. Pleading not guilty: The 48-year-old reality star has also been hit with a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor When the grandmother died she bequeathed Mary an inheritance that included homes and restaurants - on the condition that she marry Robert Sr. 'Don't think it wasn't weird because it was!' she said on The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City, saying she agreed to the marriage 'because I trusted my grandmother.' She insisted that she was ultimately 'so glad' she tied the knot with Robert Sr., whom she has now been married to for more than two decades. Looking ahead: The Real Housewife, who is married to her step-grandfather Robert Cosby Sr., has a pre-trial conference set for next Thursday Robert Sr. and Mary also have a teenage son called Robert Jr., whom she told Us Weekly does not watch the show and thinks the other Housewives are 'mean' to her. On one episode Jen Shah shouted that Mary 'f***ed her grandfather,' prompting their co-star Heather Gay to remark: 'Id f*** a grandpa, big deal, but if it was my grandpa that I was married to I would not want my friend to yell that at me at a party.' Jen herself is facing legal problems, having been arrested in March and charged with running a countrywide telemarketing scam with her assistant Stuart Smith. The husband of new Real Housewives Of Orange County star, Noella Bergener,has filed for divorce before her official cast announcement. James Bergener - who is known thanks to his Sweet James billboards which can be seen throughout Southern California - filed the paperwork in Puerto Rico last week according to a TMZ report on Friday. Budding reality star Noella was reportedly blindsided by the filing as personal injury attorney James is not currently living at the Orange County home they share together. Moving on: The husband of new Real Housewives Of Orange County star, Noella Bergener,has filed for divorce before her official cast announcement Recognizable: James Bergener - who is known thanks to his Sweet James billboards which can be seen throughout Southern California - filed the paperwork in Puerto Rico last week according to a TMZ report on Friday They were married just last year in June 2020 and share a two-year-old son, James Bergener II, together. She has an older daughter from a previous relationship. Perhaps the most interesting thing is that Noella's estranged husband James has been accused of owing nearly $6million in back taxes according to TMZ. According to legal documents obtained by the publication, James was hit with a massive federal tax lien for 2018 and 2019 which totaled over $4million in addition to a separate lien from the state of California of $1.85million. Squad goals: They were married just last year in June 2020 and share a two-year-old son, James Bergener II, together Family first: She has an older daughter from a previous relationship Noella addressed the situation on her Instagram writing: 'I was just as shocked and disgusted to find out a week before filming... and not from my husband. My marriage has been a fight every day since. 'I am being very open about my journey and looking at every option to settle my husbands debts.' According to TMZ, Noella has filed documents for legal separation of her own in California just days after James' filing. Uh oh: Perhaps the most interesting thing is that Noella's estranged husband James has been accused of owing nearly $6million in back taxes according to TMZ It has been reported that Noella is one of the new cast members of the upcoming 16h season of RHOC which is currently filming though Bravo has yet to make an official announcement (RHOC season 14 cast is pictured) She is asking for primary custody of the children in addition to spousal support. It has been reported that Noella is one of the new cast members of the upcoming 16h season of RHOC which is currently filming though Bravo has yet to make an official announcement. Season 15 of Real Housewives Of Orange county wrapped up in January and there was a big cast overhaul for season 16 according to previous reports. Kelly Dodd, Elizabeth Lyn Vargas and Braunwyn Windham-Burke all got the boot, while Noella Bergener and Nicole James are joining the show and RHOC veteran Heather Dubrow returned. Lindsie Chrisley has responded to her estranged father Todd's emotional Instagram post about her divorce. Last week after news broke that Lindsie's marriage was ending her father uploaded a gushing message in which he told her: 'I love you so much!' However Lindsie, 31, asserted on her Coffee Convos podcast this week that she is blocked from Todd's Instagram and therefore unable to even see his post. Retort: Lindsie Chrisley has responded to her estranged father Todd's emotional Instagram post about her divorce Public statement: Last week after news broke that Lindsie's marriage was ending her father uploaded a gushing message in which he told her: 'I love you so much!' She told her co-host Kail Lowry of Teen Mom fame that 'I truly was shocked when I saw something so personal shared as we do have each others numbers, and even though we are not in contact with each other we do have each other's personal phone numbers and our attorneys are in contact with each other.' Lindsie added: 'So I have reached out privately and I feel certain that our legal teams will be in communication with each other over the coming weeks.' It emerged last week that Lindsie and her husband Will Campbell have decided to end their marriage after nine years. And days later on his podcast Chrisley Confessions her father, 52, said it was 'a very sad day' when he heard his daughter and son-in-law were splitting up. Reality star: Todd broke his silence last week on his estranged daughter's divorce; he is pictured on the series Chrisley Knows Best Lindsie and Todd have been on the outs since a nasty public row nearly two years ago in which she accused him of trying to extort her with a sex tape and he alleged that she had cheated on Will with more than one man. On his podcast this week Todd said: 'I do not wish a divorce on any family, certainly not after going through one and watching what it did to Lindsie and Kyle so I certainly was not hoping to see that pattern repeated.' Todd, a real estate tycoon, shares his children Lindsie and Kyle with his first wife Teresa Terry who had been his high school sweetheart. He stated that 'Will Campbell has always been a good provider to my daughter and to my grandson,' nine-year-old Jackson. The way they were: It emerged this week that Lindsie Chrisley and her husband Will Campbell have decided to end their marriage after nine years Todd asserted that Will 'and his family have always been very supportive of Lindsie and Jackson to the best of my knowledge, which is very limited.' While noting that he and Lindsie 'don't have a relationship' and have no contact with one another, Todd said of the split: 'I hate it for Jackson, but I know that Will has always been a good father like I said, to the limited amount of knowledge that I have, but the times that I've been around him with Jackson he was a great father.' Todd added: 'To the times that I have witnessed - which have been a handful of times - his family with Jackson they have been wonderful grandparents and are really the only grandparents that Jackson knows and has a relationship with, so, and the only family really that he has a relationship with.' He shared his hopes that Lindsie and Jackson will continue to enjoy a bond with Will's relatives because 'I want Jackson to have as little disruption as possible.' Letting it out: Todd (right) gave a statement about Lindsie's divorce on his podcast Chrisley Confessions which he hosts with his current wife Julie (left) On his Instagram that day he wrote a message from 'God and Todd' and did not name its target but said '#you know who you are.' 'Im here. I love you. Whatever is going on in your life right now, I see it, and Im working all things out for good, for you, my child. There is nothing you can do or have done that will make me ever love you less. I will protect you from anything, and anyone who triess to harm you or your reputation,' he wrote. 'I am stronger than depression and anxiety. I am braver than loneliness, and nothing will ever exhaust me. I promise you I will never leave you nor forsake you. I am breathing a new wind into and over your life right now.' Todd gushed: 'Look for the favor and blessings Im sending in this season your way because they are from me. I love you so much!' Family photo: Lindsie and Will are pictured with their son Jackson who is now nine Lindsie had a tense relationship with Todd, as well as her half-brother Chase, during her time on the reality series Chrisley Knows Best. However matters came to a head over the summer of 2019 when she accused Chase and Todd in a police report of plotting to leak a 'sex tape involving her.' Todd turned around and alleged that Lindsie had been unfaithful to Will with Josh Murray and Robby Hayes of The Bachelorette fame. At the time Todd and his current wife Julie were enmeshed in a tax evasion case, and although they have since reached a settlement regarding the state charges in Georgia the federal case against them is ongoing, with them pleading not guilty. Blowup: Lindsie and Todd have been on the outs since a nasty public row nearly two years ago in which she accused him of trying to extort her with a sex tape Todd blamed his legal problems on Lindsie, claiming she had ratted him out by furnishing an investigator with his financial information. Lindsie told Dr. Phil that she had a meeting with Todd in which he intimated she had 'an affair' with a man at the Georgia Department Of Revenue and she denied it. Further she accused Todd of issuing a 'warning that Chase had incriminating evidence against me, nude photos and had obtained this tape for $5000.' She interpreted the conversation as blackmail in order to obtain her assistance with Todd's legal woes, and said that her lawyer then 'advised me to file the police report.' 'I love you': On his Instagram that day he wrote a message from 'God and Todd' and did not name its target but said '#you know who you are' Todd's remarks on his daughter's divorce came as new details surfaced with regard to Lindsie's split from Will. Divorce documents filed last month in Georgia reveal that the 31-year-old reality star will be seeking child support, according to TMZ. The documents also said the marriage was 'irretrievably broken,' and reveal Lindsie is seeking 'temporary and permanent' child support for their son Jackson, nine. Throwback hair: Lindsie is pictured in a publicity shot for Chrisley Knows Best in 2014 It was also revealed that the couple, 'are currently separated are living in bona fide state of separation.' Chrisley announced the divorce in an Instagram post featuring a photo with her nine-year-old son Jackson inside their new Atlanta abode. 'While one door closes, another opens. It's with the deepest sadness that, after 9 years of marriage, Will & I have mutually decided to end our marriage,' Lindsie began. Separation: It's also revealed that the couple, 'are currently separated are living in bona fide state of separation' 'We maintain the greatest respect & love for one another, & we're so grateful for our time together,' she added. Lindsie maintained they would 'remain friends' while still being, 'devoted parents to our son whom we both love very much. 'Personally, I am focusing on the new beginnings ahead & a fresh space with the move this week,' she added. 'Thank you in advance for respecting our privacy as we work through this challenging time for our family,' Lindsie concluded. Love and respect: 'We maintain the greatest respect & love for one another, & we're so grateful for our time together,' she added While they were married for nine years, they have split a few times in the past, though it seems it's over for good now. After eloping in 2012, the couple briefly separated in 2014, though they ultimately got back together and reconciled. They also split in 2016 and filed for divorce, although they ultimately reconciled yet again and withdrew the divorce petition. Lindsie has also been estranged from her family, having last appeared on Chrisley Knows Best back in Season 5 in 2017 and she has been 'distancing' herself from the family ever since. Bob Odenkirk is giving fans an update on his health after suffering a 'small heart attack' that caused him to collapse on the set of Better Call Saul in New Mexico in late July. 'I am doing great. I've had my very own "It's a wonderful life" week of people insisting I make the world slightly better, began the 58-year-old actor in a tweet on Friday. Odenkirk ended his brief update by sending fans his 'love' and thanking them for their well wishes. Update: Bob Odenkirk is giving fans an update on his health after suffering a 'small heart attack' that caused him to collapse on the set of Better Call Saul in New Mexico in late July 'Wow! Thank you, I love everyone right now but let's keep expectations reasonable!' he concluded. Odenkirk last updated his audience on July 30, when he revealed the details of his on set health scare, adding that he was 'going to be okay' and would be 'back soon.' The Better Call Saul star also thanked the doctors who were able to 'fix the blockage' without having to perform surgery. His note began, 'Hi. It's Bob. Thank you.' Doing great: 'I am doing great. I've had my very own "It's a wonderful life" week of people insisting I make the world slightly better, began the 58-year-old actor in a tweet on Friday; Bob pictured in 2020 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. It's 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.' 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' 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. 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' 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. Katie Price sparked wedding speculation among after she took to Instagram to post a photo of a very glamorous up do on Friday. The former glamour model, 43, alluded to a 'special occasion' in the caption for the post. Katie penned: 'Who loves my hair for this special occasion @carljwoods' with a string of emojis including the shocked face and red love hearts. Wedding bells? Katie Price, 43, sparked wedding speculation after she took to Instagram to post a photo of a very glamorous up-do on Friday Rumours: The former glamour model alluded to a 'special occasion' in the caption for the post The photo showed her hair in a half-up half-down look, with two pieces of hair from the front of her face pinned back from her face in twists. The two strands were clips into place at the back with black grips, and pushed up to create a beehive effect. The rest of her highlighted brunette locks flowed down her back in soft waves. Ceremony incoming? Katie has been engaged to Carl Woods since April 2021, and is yet to confirm when the big day will be Nice: The photo showed her hair in a half-up half-down look, with two pieces of hair from the front of her face pinned back from her face in twists Many of her followers speculated in the comments about whether Katie is preparing to say her nuptials. One fan wrote: 'Wedding hair -?? Beautiful', while another penned: 'U getting married' 'Did u get married' another follower said. Katie has been engaged to Carl, 31, for four months, and has yet to announce when their ceremony will be. Katie and Carl have been dating since June 2020, has previously described him as her Prince Charming, as he has been by her side through Harvey's online trolling. The couple were set up by a mutual friend after Katie broke up with Kris Boyson in 2019. Glamorous hair: Many of her followers speculated in the comments about whether Katie is preparing to say her nuptials, with one saying 'Wedding hair -?? Beautiful' Wondering: And another penned: 'U getting married' Speculating: Another asked: 'Did u get married' The Instagram post comes after the I'm A Celeb star returned from her recent trip to St Lucia. Katie made the most of her fun-filled trip by enjoying some pampering, a water park and an entertaining private chef. The couple were joined by her son Harvey, 19, and daughter Princess, 13, and it appeared they all had a blast. When is the big day? She has been engaged to Carl, 31, for four months, and have yet to announce when their ceremony will be On Monday evening, the family enjoyed an evening with a private chef as he entertained them by juggling his utensils over a hot grill. Earlier in the day, Carl filmed Harvey relaxing in a pool at a waterpark as he playfully splashed about and enjoyed the Caribbean sunshine. After enjoying the good weather, Katie soaked in a bubble bath and showed off her tanned legs, before relaxing on her bed with a towel wrapped around her head. Carl also shared the moment a lizard visited their suite and Princess picked it up in her hands. Hugh Sheridan has praised America's successful Covid-19 vaccine rollout - and expressed disappointment that his native Australia had fallen behind. The actor received the Johnson & Johnson jab during a trip to Los Angeles, where he was working on a project, in June. The 36-year-old says he was unvaccinated when he arrived in America, but as soon as he landed, he was given a list of 100 venues he could get a jab that were close to LAX airport. Success: Hugh Sheridan (pictured) has praised America's successful Covid-19 vaccine rollout - and expressed disappointment that his native Australia had fallen behind 'First thing they asked was: 'Are you vaccinated?' And when I said no, they handed me a piece of paper which had a hundred locations within a mile of the airport,' he told The Daily Telegraph on Saturday. 'You don't even have to be an American citizen, even tourists can have the free vaccination,' he added. Hugh said he was shocked by how open and lively New York was, while Australia continues to struggle with lockdowns due to a botched vaccine rollout. Easy! Hugh was unvaccinated when he arrived in America, but as soon as he landed, he was given a list of 100 venues he could get a jab that were close to LAX airport. 'You don't even have to be an American citizen, even tourists can have the free vaccination,' he said 'We witnessed their intense lockdown while Australia was still open and we thought we were smashing it. Now they are fully vaccinated,' he said of the USA. Hugh added that the vaccine messaging in Australia needs to change to 'you could still catch it, but you won't die' to get more jabs in arms. It comes after the actor revealed that a false-positive test for COVID-19 last year damaged his mental health. Close by: 'First thing they asked was: 'Are you vaccinated?' And when I said no, they handed me a piece of paper which had a hundred locations within a mile of the airport,' he told The Daily Telegraph on Saturday. Pictured: Americans being vaccinated Doing well: Hugh said he was shocked by how open and lively New York was, while Australia continues to struggle with lockdowns due to a botched vaccine rollout. 'We witnessed their intense lockdown while Australia was still open and we thought we were smashing it. Now they are fully vaccinated,' he said of the USA. Pictured: Americans being vaccinated 'I was sitting in that hotel room by myself and spiralling, crying because I was waiting for my body to change. I was expecting to get so very sick' he told The Daily Telegraph. 'So while I feel so much safer now I've had J & J [Johnson & Johnson] on that last day in quarantine I was ringing the police, doctors, the nurse in the hotel from early that morning, I just wanted to know my result.' Hugh tested positive for coronavirus at the end of August last year after returning to Australia from Los Angeles. Upset: It comes after the actor revealed that a false-positive test for COVID-19 last year left him distressed. 'I was sitting in that hotel room by myself and spiralling, crying because I was waiting for my body to change. I was expecting to get so very sick' he said However, just a week later, he tested negative for the virus, meaning that the first test was a false-positive. At the time, the star described the whole ordeal as a 'rollercoaster of emotions' and incredibly confusing. Before finding out that it was a false positive, Hugh admitted his mental health had suffered as a result of the diagnosis. Sami Lukis is getting by a day at a time, just like many single Sydneysiders stuck at home amid the extended lockdown. And on Saturday, she told The Daily Telegraph: 'I've always been pretty comfortable with my own company so I seem to cope quite well in lockdown.' The radio personality, 50, said she's noticed friends and neighbours reaching out to her with calls, texts and have sent care packages to brighten her day. 'I've always been pretty comfortable with my own company': Radio personality Sami Lukis (pictured) revealed how she is surviving the single life during Sydney's extended lockdown She also revealed that she will be soon be joined in a singles bubble with her best friend. 'We're going to drink champagne and watch Love Is Blind After The Altar. And I CANNOT WAIT,' she said. Single Sydneysiders are able to meet up with a friend indoors as part of a new 'bubble' system. 'There's a huge Big Apple-sized hole in my life': The blonde beauty noted that the biggest challenge for her has been cancelling her New York With Sami tours in the US for Australian women, which she launched over a decade ago It has been designed to combat mental health concerns during lockdown. The blonde beauty noted that the biggest challenge for her has been cancelling her New York With Sami tours in the US for Australian women, which she launched over a decade ago. 'I've already had to cancel seven New York tours since the pandemic started, so there's a huge Big Apple-sized hole in my life at the moment,' she said. Quality time together: Although lockdown has prevented her from overseas, or even interstate travel, Sami has been able to spend plenty of time with 15-year-old dog Lolli, who is unwell Although lockdown has prevented her from overseas, or even interstate travel, Sami has been able to spend plenty of time with 15-year-old dog Lolli, who is unwell. She has also been keeping busy recording and editing episodes for her own podcast, Romantically Challenged. Elsewhere, the TV presenter also recognised that she is in a very privileged position of being fully vaccinated, healthy, and with the comforts of a home and food. Working: She has also been keeping busy recording and editing episodes for her own podcast, Romantically Challenged Grateful: Elsewhere, the TV presenter also recognised that she is in a very privileged position of being fully vaccinated, healthy, and with the comforts of a home and food Last year, during lockdown, Sami revealed the bizarre new dating trend on the rise with single Australians isolating alone amid the coronavirus pandemic. In a blog post for 9Honey she said the 'COVID-Cuff', which involves finding yourself a temporary partner to snuggle with, will rise if the country is forced into lockdown again. She explained: 'It's when you settle in with a romantic partner to get you through the winter months.' Relationships: Last year, during lockdown, Sami revealed the bizarre new dating trend on the rise with single Australians isolating alone amid the coronavirus pandemic called 'COVID-Cuff' 'Then, as soon as the weather starts to warm up and you feel like venturing out again, you lose interest and dump them, so you can resume playing the field.' Sami said that its become a 'global phenomenon' and the recent spike in coronavirus cases has 'motivated singles to lock themselves into temporary relationships to help survive those winter nights.' She said: 'My prediction is this: we're about to see a cuffing-surge here in Australia. I'm calling it the COVID-cuff.' Vogue Williams cut a very stylish figure as she stepped out after work at Heart Radio on Saturday. The Irish model, 35, donned an eye catching waterproof raincoat from Costume Dublin with snake print and bright green panelling. Vogue opted for leather shorts which came down to her knee, paired with a black T-shirt, which she half tucked in. Stylish: Vogue Williams, 35, cut a chic figure as she stepped out after work at Heart Radio on Saturday Despite the wet weather, the media personality elongated her toned legs with white heeled sandals. She accessorised with a white shoulder handbag by West 22, and added jewellery details with hooped silver earrings. Braving the rain, she held a huge brown umbrella which sheltered her long blonde locks that were styled in soft waves. Chic: The Irish model donned an eye catching waterproof raincoat with a snake print and green panelling Fashion forward: She opted for leather shorts which came down to her knee, paired with a black T-shirt She highlighted her natural beauty with a hint of make up including nude lipstick and eyeliner. The miserable weather didn't dampen her mood, and she seemed in high spirits as she strolled down the London street. Vogue made sure to document her outfit on Instagram, as she posed in the mirror in a lift at 5am on Saturday. Another selfie showed her looking comfy as she posed in the mirror with slippers on. Looking good: Despite the wet weather, the Irish media personality elongated her toned legs with white heeled sandals The outing comes after Vogue marked her husband Spencer Matthew's birthday on Friday by sharing a selection of sweet photos from over the years. The presenter even posted a throwback of the pair 'wayyyyyy back before any babies' to celebrate Spencer's 33rd birthday. The couple, who have been married for three years, looked relaxed on a beautiful beach as a candid shot showcased their golden skin. In the first part of the birthday message, the Irish media personality was seen planting a kiss on her husband's lips on what appeared to be their wedding day. Happy birthday: The outing comes after Vogue marked her husband Spencer's birthday on Instagram on Friday with a slew of sweet snaps including some throwbacks Katie Hopkins has denied that she ever breached hotel quarantine in Sydney prior to her deportation from Australia in July. The far-right British pundit, 46, was kicked out of the country with a $1,000 fine after posting a bizarre video detailing her plans to break quarantine by opening her door to food deliveries naked and without a mask. However in a lengthy video uploaded to her Instagram on Saturday, Katie claimed she never broke the rules - and says she was subject to 'harassment' from officials. Denied: Katie Hopkins (pictured) has denied that she ever breached hotel quarantine in Sydney prior to her deportation from Australia in July. The far-right British pundit, 46, was kicked out of the country with a $1,000 fine after posting a bizarre video detailing her plans to break quarantine 'I am in quarantine and Australia has gone crazy and we have every politician ever having their say, no one in Australia has anything else to talk about other than me being naked, which I wasn't, and it just went crazy. 'So they started this kind of campaign of harassment,' she said in the clip. She went on: 'All of a sudden having done nothing at all to break any rules whatsoever I had calls in the middle of the night telling me that I had an incident of repeatedly opening my door. 'I said, 'I didn't repeatedly open my door, I wouldn't, I know the rules, I wouldn't break them'. Katie then denied she leaned into a hotel corridor without her mask on, on July 16, for which she was fined. Hitting back: However in a lengthy video uploaded to her Instagram on Saturday, Katie claimed she never broke the rules - and says she was subject to 'harassment' from officials Claiming innocence: 'I didn't repeatedly open my door, I wouldn't, I know the rules, I wouldn't break them' she insisted. Katie then denied she leaned into a hotel corridor without her mask on, on July 16, for which she was fined 'They alleged the reason I was deported from Australia was the allegation, unproven, that I leaned into an empty hotel corridor, like leaned, without wearing a face mask. 'Quarter to nine on a Friday evening I leaned into a corridor allegedly without wearing a face mask.' Katie claimed she was 'harassed' by hourly calls from officials through the night which she says kept her awake, before being visited by men, 'in full PCR blue hospital plastic, plastic, plastic, visor, mask, mask, masks and they had cameras.' She says she was rushed from her room and thrown out of the country by 'men in black' on July 19. 'I was given 10 minutes warning by the police telling me I was being picked up and taken out of that room, ten minutes to be ready to get on a plane home,' she said. Late calls? Katie claimed she was 'harassed' by hourly calls from officials through the night which she says kept her awake, before being visited by men, 'in full PCR blue hospital plastic, plastic, plastic, visor, mask, mask, masks and they had cameras' Packed off: She says she was rushed from her room and thrown out of the country by 'men in black' on July 19. 'I was given 10 minutes warning by the police telling me I was being picked up and taken out of that room, ten minutes to be ready to get on a plane home,' she said 'And then they came and picked me up in a police wagon supervised by men in black suits and threw me on a plane.' In the videos, the controversial media personality waved her $1000 fine at the camera, while repeatedly denying she ever breached quarantine. 'If you see any headlines saying was naked or broke quarantine or any of that, it is all bulls**t, it is all here on this piece of paper and they fined me $1000 for it' she said. Hopkins was paid $200,000 and flown to Sydney by Channel Seven to appear on Australian Big Brother VIP, of which she is a former winner back home in Britain, before her deportation. But she was booted out of the show and kicked out of the country with a $1,000 fine after posting a bizarre video detailing her plans to break quarantine. In town: Hopkins was paid $200,000 and flown to Sydney by Channel Seven to appear on Australian Big Brother VIP, of which she is a former winner back home in Britain They included refusing to wear a mask and surprising staff by opening her door while stark naked when they delivered her food. Earlier this week, Katie claimed Australia is in a 'dark place' with Covid lockdowns. Now safely back in the UK after being frogmarched to the airport, Hopkins hit out at Australia's coronavirus strategy in a new video on YouTube on Monday. 'An Australian update from me Katie Hopkins,' the controversial anti-lockdown campaigner begins while siting in front of a mashup of the US and British flags. 'I think I can safely say from very personal experience that Australia is in a very dark place indeed,' she continued. Darkness? Earlier this week, Katie claimed Australia is in a 'dark place' with Covid lockdowns. 'The different premiers of the different states seem to be competing as to who can treat their citizens the most harshly' she said 'The different premiers of the different states seem to be competing as to who can treat their citizens the most harshly.' Hopkins claimed state premiers had reverted the country back to a 'penal colony' with lockdowns in four states since her departure. She in particular slammed Sydney's 'never-ending' lockdown, restrictions on shopping, exercising, and compulsory social distancing in the four-minute tirade. The social commentator then turned her attention to Queensland and criticised the state government for calling a lockdown over fewer than 20 cases. Hopkins said while the premiers were competing on who can be the toughest, there was one thing on which they agreed. Anger: The Covid sceptic also vented her outrage that her 'friends at Sky News' were banned from YouTube for a week for 'speaking things that go against the government narrative' The TV personality said state leaders agreed the way out of the lockdown was with a vaccine, citing Gladys Berejiklian's target of six million jabs by the end of August. She said the NSW premier was only willing to release residents from the stay-at-home orders after half her state rolled up their sleeves for a jab. Hopkins went express outrage over helicopters hovering above peoples' homes in western Sydney to ensure they remained at their home address. She then tried to compare Australia's 'stringent' lockdown with the second amendment in the US that gives Americans' the right to keep and bear arms. 'This couldn't happen in America,' she explained. Theories: The personality, who has previously called Covid lockdowns 'the greatest hoax in human history, continues to take on Australia's stay-at-home orders as a cause since being kicked out of Australia 'This can't happen in states that uphold their second amendment because you couldn't just send police and the army door-to-door to check if people are imprisoned in their own homes against their will.' Hopkins said the amendment gave citizen's freedoms to defend their own homes. The Covid sceptic also vented her outrage that her 'friends at Sky News' were banned from YouTube for a week for 'speaking things that go against the government narrative'. YouTube blocked the Australian TV channel after 'numerous' videos violated the tech giant's medical misinformation policies. Sky News promoted content that denied the existence of Covid-19 and spruiked controversial treatments that aren't backed by science. Hopkins instead claimed the ban was used to scare producers and media channels into becoming more compliant in the kind of Covid-19 content they posted. Slammed: Hopkins slammed Greater Sydney's 'never-ending' lockdown and restrictions on shopping, exercising and social distancing in a four-minute tirade she uploaded to YouTube 'And of course, I guess I'm an example of that as well,' Hopkins said. 'Don't speak out, or we will deport your a**.' The commentator concluded her monologue by questioning who could challenge Australia's political leaders if certain individuals and media channels were not allowed to speak on the 'dark direction' Australia was heading in. 'Is this really still a functioning democracy or is this more of a dictatorship? And has Australia really got freedom for its citizens?' she asked. 'Has Australia reverted to being a penal colony where the prisoners are in fact Australians themselves?' The scathing tirade comes after Hopkins blasted Australian authorities on Instagram and attempted to spark a 'free Australia' viral trend. 'I will not relent. I will not back down. I will not apologise. Australians must be set free. #FreeAustralia,' she wrote on several Instagram posts last week. Claims: Katie has tried to claim her humiliating deportation from Australia as a victory, telling her supporters on Instagram she will never be 'silenced' after being sent back to the UK for joking about breaching hotel quarantine in Sydney Hopkins' comments while in hotel quarantine led to a huge backlash. 'The police officer who checked me in told me when they knock on my door I have to wait 30 seconds until I can open the door,' she said in an Instagram Live video while breaking out into hysterics. Hopkins said she was 'lying in wait' to 'spring [the door] open and frighten the s*** out of them and do it naked with no face mask.' The controversial British social commentator boarded a Singapore Airlines flight from Sydney on July 19 after her 'critical skills' visa was torn up by the Federal Government. She continues try and claim her humiliating deportation as a victory, also telling her supporters she will never be 'silenced'. Hopkins rose to fame after starring on The Apprentice in the UK in 2007 and is known for her contentious views on race, sex, class, obesity and migration. The personality, who has previously called Covid lockdowns 'the greatest hoax in human history, continues to take on Australia's stay-at-home orders as a cause since being kicked out of Australia. Phillip Schofield put on a united display with his estranged wife Stephanie Lowe as they attended Ant McPartlin and Anne-Marie Corbett's star-studded wedding on Saturday. The former couple, who would have been together 28 years in March, separated in early 2020 because the TV presenter, 59, came out as gay. Phil, 59 and Steph, 57, appeared in high spirits as they arrived at St Michael's Church, alongside the likes of Alesha Dixon, David Walliams and Dermot O'Leary, but Holly Willoughby missed the ceremony because she was on holiday. Friends: Phillip Schofield put on a united display with his estranged wife Stephanie Lowe as they attended Ant McPartlin and Anne-Marie Corbett's star-studded wedding on Saturday The pair of them looked very glamorous for the event, as Phillip opted for a grey checked suit paired with a crisp white shirt and patterned blue tie. Stephanie looked stunning in a very dark navy blue wrap dress which came down to her ankles to reveal black stilettos. The pair looked very cool as they donned black sunglasses while leaving the church. Still amicable: The couple, who would have been together 28 years in March, separated last year because the TV presenter, 59, came out as gay Dressed to impress: The pair of them looked very glamorous for the event, as Phillip opted for a grey checked suit paired with a crisp white shirt and patterned blue tie The presenter said of the wedding ceremony: 'it was amazing and great fun'. Many believed Holly would be in attendance at the wedding, but was unable to make it because her and her husband Dan Baldwin are on holiday. Another star who was invited and unable to come was Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden. The BGT judge, 50, is also holidaying and took to Instagram to express her sadness of not being able to attend. What happens next? The This Morning star insisted that the two of them hadn't discussed divorce Phil without Holly: Phillip left the church after Ant's wedding saying he 'really enjoyed it' after his This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby was unable to make it The television personality has worked with Ant for years on Britain's Got Talent, and sent her well wishes to the happy couple, ahead of the nuptials. Other guests who were in attendance included, Stephen Mulhern, David Walliams, Christine Lampard and Alesha Dixon. Phil tied the knot at Ackergill Tower on 29 March 1993 and went on to have daughters Molly, 28, and Ruby, 25. Missing one: Many believed Holly would be in attendance at the wedding, but was unable to make it because her and her husband Dan Baldwin are on holiday Good times: He was quoted to have said: 'it was amazing and great fun' about the star-studded ceremony in Hampshire on Saturday The This Morning star called their relationship a 'work in progress' earlier this year and insisted they hadn't discussed divorce. Late last year, the host admitted he is 'not fixed in any way' and he still has to 'come to terms' with his life after publicly coming out as gay in February. Talking about his family on BBC Radio 5 Live, the Dancing On Ice star said: 'We love each other massively. We are a loving family, that hasn't changed... it's us four but different. Absent: Holly, who was invited to the wedding and couldn't make it, took to Instagram on Friday to post a fresh faced selfie while enjoying her time away 'We are a work in progress. I've been very honest about all of this and there's no question, we have to pick our way through this daily as a family. 'And that's what we are doing. We are making our way through very unusual and unexpected waters.' The media personality also explained how a legal end to their marriage has not been brought up, telling Chris Evans on his How To Wow podcast: 'I'm still married to Steph. There is a great deal of talk of divorce - we have not discussed that at all.' Missing out: Amanda Holden took to Instagram to express her sadness about not being able to make her her pal Ant's wedding to Anne-Marie Corbett because she is away on holiday The father-of-two has credited his longtime spouse for being supportive following his revelation. The TV star previously told co-star Holly Willoughby on This Morning: 'There's no one in my life who would have supported me the way, as a wife, as the way she supported me. She's astonishing, literally astonishing.' Anne-Marie stunned in an elegant wedding gown as she arrived for her star-studded nuptials to Ant McPartlin in Hampshire. Married! Ant and Anne-Marie Corbett shared a kiss outside the church after saying their vows Wow: Anne-Marie looked stunning in her gorgeous wedding gown as she arrived for her nuptials to Ant McPartlin in Hampshire on Saturday The bride, 43, was radiant in the bespoke floor-length dress by designer Suzanne Neville that featured an off-the-shoulder design with lace detailing as she carried a beautiful bunch of white and purple roses. She wore a long veil which flowed down the back of her dress and pinned her blonde tresses back in a chic up do while opting for glowing makeup. Meanwhile Ant gave a beaming smile as he arrived at the church with Best Man Declan Donnelly just before Anne-Marie made her show-stopping appearance. The presenter, 45, cut a dapper figure in a black suit and bow tie as he headed into the service alongside his fellow Geordie pal Dec. The bride was driven up to the church in a black Rolls-Royce Cullinan and was helped out of the car by event manager Jason Morais who held up her long train. He was declared single earlier this year, paving the way for him to marry his fiancee Allison Dunbar. And Ron Perlman couldn't help but make a romantic gesture to the 49-year-old actress by kissing her hand while they were out in Los Angeles on Friday. The 71-year-old Hellboy actor kept his hand locked with his new love's as they took care of some shopping in town. Romantic outing: Ron Perlman, 71, kissed the hand of his fiancee Allison Dunbar, 49, as they held hands while out shopping in Los Angeles on Friday Allison rocked a classic summery look with a white dress covered in polka dots that highlighted her tanned and toned legs. The off-the-shoulder outfit featured puffy short sleeves, and she paired it with a tasteful set of black open-toe heels The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend actress wore her lustrous blond locks styled straight and down her shoulders with a black bow tied in her hair. Ron kept things more casual with a charcoal short-sleeve button-up shirt and gray jeans with black trainers. Contrast: Allison rocked a classic white off-the-shoulder dress covered in polka dots, plus black open-toe heels. Ron wore a charcoal shirt and gray jeans with black trainers He also had a stylish pair of military-style square aviator sunglasses perched on his head. Earlier this week, the lovebirds celebrated Allison's 49th birthday at Mijares Mexican Restaurant in Pasadena, but she decided to share the celebration by turning it into a belated surprise birthday for Ron. The Sons Of Anarchy actor was surprised after his fiancee invited a bevy of his best pals after he wasn't able to celebrate his last two birthdays with pals due to the ongoing pandemic. 'When Ron asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday this year, I said tacos and tequila, just us. Then I stole his phone and reached out to his favorite people & asked them to be there to surprise the sh** out of Ron (I had wanted to throw him a 70th, but then.2020 happened),' Allison confessed in the caption to a photo of her standing with a pleasantly shocked Ron. Surprise! Earlier this week, the lovebirds celebrated Allison's 49th birthday at Mijares Mexican Restaurant in Pasadena, but she decided to share the celebration by turning it into a belated surprise birthday for Ron Famous faces: On his own Instagram page, Ron posted a photo of himself beaming while surrounded by (LR) Edward James Olmos, the filmmaker Peter Medak, and his longtime collaborator Guillermo del Toro 'I was blown away by how people from all walks of Rons life rallied to pull this off. It was beautiful to see this man (who ALWAYS has a quick comeback)stand before his friends in stunned confusion,' she continued. 'Finally he uttered the words, what the f*** is happening just as we all cheered SURPRISE !! This photo was taken moments later. What a beautiful night. 'What a beautiful gift, celebrating you loml,' she added, before thanking the restaurant 'for spoiling us & making this a true celebration of love, friendship, and life.' On his own Instagram page, Ron posted a photo of himself beaming while surrounded by Edward James Olmos, the filmmaker Peter Medak, and his longtime collaborator Guillermo del Toro. 'Solast night I ambled into my favorite mexican joint for a taco to celebrate my girls bday.when 100 of my nearest & dearest jumped out of the woodwork and screamed Surprise! In other words' he wrote. 'Allison used her own birthday as subterfuge to give me the thrill of a lifetime.' Moving on: Back in February, a judge granted Ron a bifurcation, meaning that he's now legally considered single and is free to marry Allison, even as his divorce proceedings continue Back in February, a judge granted Ron a bifurcation, meaning that he's now legally considered single and is free to marry Allison, even as his divorce proceedings continue on a separate track. He's been in the process of ending his marriage to Opal Perlman, 69, after filing for divorce in November 2019. Prior to that, the couple had been married for 38 years. In her divorce filings, she has been seeking $4,500 for mental health services to deal with depression and anxiety she claimed to be struggling with after their quick separation. Ron and Opal share two adult children, a daughter Blake, 37, and a son Brandon, 31, an electronic musician who performs under the name Delroy Edwards. She regularly keeps her social media followers up to date with her style choices. And Carol Vorderman, 60, debuted a new blonde do after visiting the salon this weekend, and showcased he stunning results with her fans. The television presenter took to Twitter to share a snap of herself with lighter locks, writing: 'Got a new hairdo....#blondeish...' Changing style: Carol Vorderman, 60, debuted a new blonde do after visiting the salon this weekend, writing on Twitter: 'Got a new hairdo....#blondeish...' The maths whizz previously sported a darker look, displaying her tresses often online recently as she posted images from her staycation in Wales. However, it was back to work for Carol last week as she showed off her sexy look while filming Beat The Chasers on Sunday. The former Countdown star left very little to the imagination in an eye-wateringly tight red lace midi dress as she shot the fun-filled show. The dark side: The maths whizz previously sported a darker look, displaying her tresses often online recently as she posted images from her staycation in Wales Carol shared a slew of snaps with her 123k Instagram followers including a full length shot of the outfit and a picture with TV doctor Zoe Williams. She added a caption reading: 'Had a blast recording Beat The Chasers today. Can't tell you what happened OBVS....but was a delight to meet @drzoewilliams.' Beat The Chasers is a spin-off of The Chase and sees contestants face head-to-head challenges with all of the Chasers. In the Cash Builder round, contestants answer five multiple choice questions for the chance to bank up to 5k. Hot stuff: Carol was up to her old tricks once more as she showed off her latest sexy look while filming Beat The Chasers last Sunday Prior to her latest job, she was hotting things up on Saturday morning when she took to Instagram to share a provocative bikini snap. The Welsh star showed off her ample assets in a skimpy black bikini - which she wore back-to-front - as she posed for a selfie looking away from the camera. Carol looked relaxed as she took the snap, her brown tresses wet after spending time by the Welsh coast. Someone call a doctor! Carol shared a slew of snaps with her 123k followers including a full length shot of the outfit and a picture with TV doctor Zoe Williams In the same post, the former Countdown presenter also shared an image of her wearing an anorak in Bristol - and she penned a post how someone should have a word with 'Mr RainCloud' 'Last week.....#sunbatheing....#Wales'. 'Can someone have a word with Mr RainCloud, in need of more summer. And yes I'm a #happyscruff.....#bikini top inside out (with huge apologies to @elizabethhurley1... Queen of the bikinis),' she penned. Carol continued: '....one day I'll learn to posh up a bit....but probably not going to happen anytime soon. Happy Saturday every Saturday from 1130-2pm on BBC RADIO WALES @taylormorrisofficial'. Lisa Vanderpump will add a new title to her ever-changing resume as she becomes a grandmother for the first time. Pandora Vanderpump Sabo exclusively revealed to DailyMail.com that she's pregnant with her first child with husband Jason Sabo as she posed with her mother on the pink carpet at the 5th Annual World Dog Day in the City of West Hollywood, California, co-sponsored by the City of West Hollywood. The 35-year-old President of Marketing and Events for the Vanderpump Dog Foundation debuted her growing baby bump in a gorgeous blue floral dress as she announced she's due in winter and will keep the child's sex a surprise. Baby on board! Pandora Vanderpump Sabo exclusively revealed to DailyMail.com that she's pregnant with her first child with husband Jason Sabo as she posed with her mother on the pink carpet at the 5th Annual World Dog Day in the City of West Hollywood, California, co-sponsored by the City of West Hollywood 'Jason and I are beyond thrilled,' Pandora told DailyMail.com. 'It is such a blessing after such a difficult year for everyone. 'We are so excited about this new chapter in our lives.' Lisa revealed she had already picked a moniker and will go by 'Nanny Pinky' in a nod to her signature color. 'Jason and I are beyond thrilled,' Pandora told DailyMail.com. It is such a blessing after such a difficult year for everyone The 35-year-old President of Marketing and Events for the Vanderpump Dog Foundation debuted her growing baby bump in a gorgeous blue floral dress as she announced she's due in winter and will keep the child's sex a surprise; seen with Lance Bass and Michael Turchin Mom and Dad! Pandora and Jason have been married since 2012; seen at the Daily Mail Summer White Party in 2016 'Ken and I are overjoyed and are so happy for Pandora and Jason,' she said. 'Its such wonderful news and has been such a difficult secret to keep. 'We cant wait for the new baby to arrive and Im so excited to become Nanny Pinky.' Pandora was positively beaming at the annual event which benefits their 501(c)(3) non-profit dog rescue organization. Ken and I are overjoyed and are so happy for Pandora and Jason,' she said. Its such wonderful news and has been such a difficult secret to keep' (seen with brother Max) The funds raised through this event help support The Vanderpump Dog Foundations various initiatives that include providing dogs with veterinary care, essential medication, food, vaccinations, and training, as well as international rescue efforts in countries like China and Venezuela. Pandora has been at the helm of the organization since its inception in 2016, and also works actively with a host of charities, including The Trevor Project, Susan G. Komen, Kind Campaign, American Humane Association, National CASA Association and a variety of other wonderful organizations. Lisa, who starred on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills for nine seasons, has been married to husband Ken Todd for nearly 40 years. They also have a son, Max, 29. Jenna Coleman and Gemma Chan put on a stylish display as they led the way at Wilderness Festival in Oxfordshire on Saturday. Actress Jenna, 35, looked effortlessly glamorous in a long red summer dress which made the most of her hourglass figure. The mid section of the garment hugged her body to give the outfit a cinched in look while her naked arms and decolletage were left exposed to the afternoon air. Fashion focus: Jenna Coleman, 35, looked effortlessly glamorous in a long red summer dress which made the most of her hourglass figure at Wilderness Festival in Oxfordshire on Saturday She could be seen holding a bright orange glass as she enjoyed a beverage in the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Garden while her loosely curled brunette tresses rested on her shoulders. Jenna was joined at the event by fellow actress Gemma, 38, who cut a casual figure in Wellington boots as she opted for footwear typical of a British summer festival. She wore a black and white mini dress which left her long slender legs on show as she protected herself from the rain by wearing a red rain mac. Rain ready: Jenna was joined at the event by fellow actress Gemma, 38, who cut a casual figure in Wellington boots as she opted for footwear typical of a British summer festival Keeping it casual: She wore a black and white mini dress which left her long slender legs on show as she protected herself from the rain by wearing a red rain mac Gemma was accompanied by dashing Brit actor Dominic Cooper, 43, who went incognito as he wore a pair of dark shades. He wore a khaki coat with bright orange lining over the top of a blue shirt which was left unbuttoned at the collar to give onlookers a peek at his chest. His hair was styled into a messy do and he sported a beard as he went about his business for the day. Making the most of herself: The mid section of Jenna's dress hugged her body to give the outfit a cinched in look while her naked arms and decolletage were left exposed to the afternoon air Summer style: She could be seen holding a bright orange glass as she enjoyed a beverage at the bash while her loosely curled brunette tresses rested on her shoulders In the VIP: Jenna mixed with a number of stars at the event including Gemma and actor Dominic Cooper, 43 The screen star appeared in good spirits this weekend after misfortune earlier this year, with Dominic revealed he'd had his fifth car stolen from outside his home in North London in June. The Mamma Mia cast member appealed for help on social media at the time after having his fifth car stolen in 12 months. He revealed his prized Jaguar XF had been 'pinched' from the driveway of his property, appealing for information over its whereabouts. Undercover: Dominic went incognito as he wore a pair of dark shades and a khaki coat with bright orange lining in a bid to keep dry from the rain On his Instagram page alongside a picture of the black motor, Dominic wrote: 'Happy Father's Day... 'This has just been pinched. Can't be far. If you're in North London please keep an eye out. Thank you ever so much.' The theft comes just four months after his rare 83,000 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 was stolen from outside his home. And his run of bad luck with cars stretches back into July 2020 when he had his 1950s era Austin Healy car, with around 65,000, swiped and its replacement - a red Jaguar F-Type coupe p300 - was taken shortly afterwards. The following month, a Range Rover which he had been using to deliver meals to NHS staff, was also stolen, sparking a plea a social media for his return. Taken: Dominic Cooper had fifth car stolen in a year after his brand new Jaguar XF was pinched from his driveway Asking for help: Appealing for information over its whereabouts on his Instagram page alongside a picture of the black motor, Dominic wrote: 'This has just been pinched' Festival style: Meanwhile also attending Wilderness Festival was White Lines star Laura Haddock (pictured), who showed off her trim pins in ripped black Daisy Dukes and black leather boots Details: The 35-year-old, who was previously married to Sam Claflin, teamed the look with a white slogan T-shirt, a khaki bomber jacket, a white headband and vintage round-rimmed sunglasses Meanwhile also attending Wilderness Festival was White Lines star Laura Haddock, who showed off her trim pins in ripped black Daisy Dukes and black leather boots. The 35-year-old, who was previously married to Sam Claflin, teamed the look with a white slogan T-shirt, a khaki bomber jacket, a white headband and vintage round-rimmed sunglasses. Laura's caramel locks cascaded past her shoulders in waves, and her makeup was minimal yet elegant, enhancing her striking facial features. The Guardians of the Galaxy actress appeared relaxed as she posed for photos with a glass of Champagne in hand. VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh government is getting ready to face the possible third wave of Coronavirus pandemic, setting itself a target of ensuring zero mortality. In this regard, it has notified 262 government hospitals, about 600 private hospitals and Covid care centres that they accord high priority to every serious case of Coronavirus infection as well as patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms. Directions have been issued to keep a check on availability of adequate paediatric, general and oxygen beds, medical oxygen supply in form of storage tanks, PSA oxygen plants, especially in medical colleges; D-type oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators even at PHC or health sub-centre levels, handling of biomedical waste, functioning of fire fighting equipment, power supply lines and plug points; power backup facilities, ventilators, requisite medical equipment, drugs and several other requirements of Covid-infected patients. Authorities have also started recruiting doctors, health personnel, paramedics and others at government hospitals. Respective district medical and health officers (DMHOs) have been instructed to complete this exercise early. Orders have been issued to identify nodal officers for each hospital providing Covid care. Reviewing the matter in an online meet with joint collectors and DMHOs on Saturday, Health and Family Welfare commissioner K. Bhaskar directed them to be fully prepared and be on high alert for the likely third wave to ensure zero mortality. This would help avoid loss of precious lives due to want of full preparedness in the first and second waves of the pandemic. As part of preparatory works, ANMs have been instructed to visit existing Covid patients in home isolation and carry out door-to-door fever survey. Sentinel surveillances are being taken up among 23 categories of people to know areas and age at which people are more vulnerable to infections. Accordingly, district authorities must put in place plans to curb the spread of virus. Incidentally, pharmacies are being closely monitored through an app to find out people purchasing medicines for Covid symptoms like cold, cough and fever. They will be tracked down to extend healthcare based on their need. A senior health official said, We are preparing for early identification of Covid symptoms, so that infected persons are shifted to the nearest health facility and provided healthcare, whether at mandal or village-level in the state. This will hopefully enable us to ensure zero mortality during the possible third wave of pandemic. According to these schools, 90 percent of students have not paid the fees for the last academic year, because they got the assurance of getting promoted to the higher classes without any exams. (Representational Photo:AFP) HYDERABAD: Around 2.1 lakh teaching and non-teaching staff working in around 10,000 private recognised schools in the state are living in extreme poverty as the managements of these schools stopped paying them salaries. In Hyderabad alone, 2,041 schools are in this category. Even these schools failed to generate revenues as students are not bothered to pay fees. According to these schools, 90 percent of students have not paid the fees for the last academic year, because they got the assurance of getting promoted to the higher classes without any exams. From the time of the first nationwide lockdown, the private schools were hit hard. Though the state government extended an aid of Rs 2,000 and 25 kgs rice to the staff of these schools, it lasted only for only three months. Now these employees request the government to resume the same help. Representatives of the Hyderabad District Recognised School Management Association, who met on Saturday, requested the government for the exemption of property taxes, water bills and electricity bills, during the period of closure of schools. Srikanth, a teacher at Durga School, Marredpally, said, We teachers are badly hit by Covid-19 crisis. The government failed to save us. When the government gives so much aid to many communities, why doesnt it extend any help to teachers? Fatima Ellena, another teacher, said, The three months aid from the government helped us, but now most of the teachers are helpless as managements are not paying the salaries. Sadulo Madhusudhan, general secretary of the association and correspondent for Pragathi Vidyaniketan School, said, On April 9, the state government announced, through a memo that the teaching and non-teaching staff working in private recognised schools would be provided with Rs 2,000, along with 25 kg of rice till the schools reopen. As per the promise, the government delivered the above for three months starting from April. However, the government stopped its support, he said, adding that the association requested the government to resume the same help for teachers till the situation became normal. Our school has a strength of 1,400 students out of which only 400 are attending online classes. Only less than 50 percent paid the fees, he said. Umamaheswa Rao, president, said, Our demand is to resume the assistance for these teaching and non-teaching staff. Also, online attendance should be made compulsory for the students as well examinations should be considered to get promoted to the next class. The government should consider level-wise reopening of schools. HYDERABAD: Days after the death of labourers Butla Shiva and Navalli Anantaiah, the state government has finally announced Rs 10 lakh ex gratia to the kin of each deceased family, who lost their lives cleaning the sewage filled storm water drain (SWD) in BN Reddy. This apart, contractor B. Yellaiah has announced Rs 5 lakh financial aid to each deceased family. City mayor Gadwal R Vijaylakshmi, along with TRS MLA D Sudheer Reddy, handed over the cheques amounting to Rs 15 lakh to the families of the deceased. Later in the day, the mayor inspected recovery operations and informed that the authorities were yet to retrieve Anantaiah's body. She said the authorities searched a 9-km long stormwater drain including 250 manholes. Earlier in the day, TPCC chief A. Revanth Reddy criticised the government for not announcing ex gratia to the kin of the deceased. The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Friday dismissed a petition which sought that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah be disqualified under the Representation of the People (RP) Act, 1951. The court also imposed a cost on the petitioner Ram Khobragade, a lawyer. The petition demanded that Modi and Shah be declared guilty of "corrupt practices" under section 123 of the RP Act and disqualified for alleged violation of the model code of conduct during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. A division bench of Justices Sunil Shukre and Anil Killor said the petition was not maintainable as it was filed "in ignorance of the provisions made in sections 80-81 of the RP Act" and also Article 102 of the Constitution. Sections 80 and 81 deal with under what circumstances a petition challenging election can be filed, and Article 102 explains how an MP can lose the membership of Parliament. The petitioner, instead of pursuing other remedies under the law, moved the high court even when he himself is an advocate, the judges noted. The court dismissed the petition and imposed a cost of Rs 1,000 on the petitioner. He will have to deposit the amount with the HC legal services committee. Check out DH's latest videos: The rapid deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan is a "serious matter", External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday after meeting Qatari special envoy for conflict resolution Mutlaq bin Majed Al-Qahtani. Al-Qahtani, the Special Envoy of the Foreign Minister of Qatar for Counter-terrorism and Mediation of Conflict Resolution, is on a visit to India ostensibly to discuss the latest developments in Afghanistan. In a series of tweets, Jaishankar said a peaceful and stable Afghanistan requires that the rights and interests of all sections of the society are promoted and protected. "Pleased to receive Qatar Special Envoy Mutlaq bin Majed Al-Qahtani. Shared the Indian perspective on recent developments in Afghanistan. Also the concerns of the region that I heard during recent interactions," he said. Pleased to receive Qatar Special Envoy Mutlaq bin Majed Al-Qahtani. Shared the Indian perspective on recent developments in Afghanistan. Also the concerns of the region that I heard during recent interactions. pic.twitter.com/D6yA7EB4JL Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 7, 2021 "Rapid deterioration of the security situation is a serious matter. A peaceful and stable Afghanistan requires that the rights and interests of all sections of society are promoted and protected," the external affairs minister added. Al-Qahtani had played a key role in the Afghan peace process and his visit to India comes amid mounting global concerns over escalating violence by the Taliban in Afghanistan. On Friday, Al-Qahtani met J P Singh, the Joint Secretary in the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division in the Ministry of External Affairs. Singh has been India's point-person for Afghanistan. As a key stakeholder in Afghanistan's stability, India has been holding talks with countries of the region and all leading players on the fast-evolving situation in the war-torn country. Qatar's capital Doha has been the venue for the intra-Afghan peace talks and the Gulf country has emerged as a crucial player in facilitating the Afghan peace process. Al-Qahtani's visit to India also comes days ahead of talks among Russia, China, the US and Pakistan on the situation in Afghanistan. The 'extended Troika' convened by Russia is scheduled to be held in Doha on August 11. In June, Al-Qahtani suggested that Indian officials were engaged in talks with the Taliban. "I understand that there has been a quiet visit by Indian officials...to speak with the Talibans. Why? Because not everybody is believing that the Taliban will dominate and take over, because Taliban is a key component of, or should be or is going to be a key component of the future of Afghanistan," he said. Al-Qahtani made the remarks while replying to a question during a discussion on the theme "Looking towards peace in Afghanistan after the US-NATO withdrawal." The Taliban has been making rapid advances across Afghanistan by resorting to widespread violence since the United States began withdrawing its troops from the country on May 1. The US has already pulled back the majority of its forces and is looking to complete the drawdown by August 31. India has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process that is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled. It has also been calling upon all sections of the political spectrum in Afghanistan to work together to meet the aspirations of all people in the country, including those from the minority communities, for a prosperous and safe future. Doctor G: Ayushmann Khurrana to film the next schedule in Prayagraj, says he has been 'mesmerised by its history, heritage and architecture' Actor Ayushmann Khurrana says filming the next schedule of his upcoming movie "Doctor G!" in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj will take him on the trip down memory lane. The campus comedy-drama, directed by Anubhuti Kashyap, will see the 36-year-old Chandigarh-born actor play Dr. Uday Gupta. Khurrana, who earlier visited Prayagraj during his time on reality show "Roadies", said he was amazed by the "history, heritage and architecture" of the city. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ayushmann Khurrana (@ayushmannk) "I still remember getting mesmerised by its history, heritage and architecture. Prayagraj sees the confluence of three rivers - Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. I will be shooting again in this beautiful city and I can't wait to go back," Khurrana said in a statement. The actor said he would like to revisit the places where he had shot for "Roadies". It will bring back a deluge of emotions and nostalgia for me. I will try and find some time to visit the places that I had shot for Roadies just to relive my days of struggle and self-belief. It will be amazing to shoot in the city that carved my fortune at the start of my career, he added," he added. "Doctor G!" is written by Sumit Saxena, Vishal Wagh, Saurabh Bharat along with Kashyap. Backed by Junglee Pictures, the film also stars Rakul Preet Singh and Shefali Shah. Prior to Prayagraj, the team had travelled to Bhopal for a month-long schedule. CORK actress Siobhan McSweeney had never set foot in Northern Ireland before filming the hit comedy show Derry Girls. Now she cant keep away from the place. The 41-year-old from Aherla, who is now based in London, is climbing aboard an electric bike to tour its rural landscape in a new four-part series. Called Exploring Northern Ireland With Siobhan McSweeney, the series, which starts on More4 on Thursday at 9pm, sees her tour the lakes, mountains, coastline and forests. The actress, who plays Sister Michael in popular Channel 4 series Derry Girls, delivers her own affectionate and mischievous take on the province during her travels. She begins in County Down, as Siobhan follows in the footsteps of pilgrims along Saint Patricks Way, coming face to face with some vicious Vikings, getting a birds eye view of stunning Strangford Lough, and revealing her artistic side with artist Colin Davidson. She also samples regency life in an 18th-century mansion and, in Belfast, the actress conquers her fear of heights at one of the citys iconic landmarks. Siobhan, who also presents The Great Pottery Throw Down on Channel 4, says of the new series: When the idea was first mooted, I think I was a little bit surprised very surprised that anybody would want me to do it. And especially because they wanted an outdoors feel to it. And Im like, Well, youll need somebody who likes the outdoors. "I mean, I love rambling, I love walking, hiking. But when I thought about it, I was delighted to leave the flat. I was very excited to show Northern Ireland in a way that I feel isnt being shown at all, and I was very excited about exploring the place. And going back there, I feel like Im at home. "We have four episodes and they each deal with a geographic area. Those areas would have very distinct feels, distinctive landscapes, and even the activities wed get up to would be quite different in each area. And you got a different vibe from the place. And that surprised me, that surprised me a lot. I loved how different every place was. What didnt surprise me was the vast and warm and generous welcome we got everywhere we went. And genuinely, not in a trying to hawk their business or smile for the camera way, but I think people really understood the intention behind the show. There is a great pride in Northern Ireland for their home place. Its a very interesting place and especially in Britain, we only see one aspect of it. Overall, presenting is great fun and I love it. But its a side hustle. Its something that I feel Im getting away with. Audi is hard at work preparing the RS Q E-Tron for the 2022 Dakar Rally in hopes that it can earn the distinction of being the first electrified vehicle to win the grueling competition. In fact, the vehicle has just completed an eight-day endurance test near the Spanish city of Zaragoza. The Volkswagen subsidiary tested the off-road SUV on unpaved ground back in July. But this was the first time it put the vehicle through its paces in actual conditions it's expected to encounter during one of the toughest rallies in the world. Three teams with two drivers each participated in the event, dividing the eight days and 1,056 miles of intensive testing between them. On the gravel roads that stretched for up to 11 miles, the RS Q E-Tron reached a speed of 112 mph. The drivers admitted that there's still some fine-tuning to be done, but they were impressed with the vehicle's performance. Arnau Niubo Bosch, Audi's development engineer, explained that the test "was focused on getting in as much driving as possible and detecting weak spots." For the SUV's next test in September, Audi will take it into the dunes for the first time. As we previously mentioned, the RS Q E-Tron has an electric drivetrain with two modified Formula E motors. It has an energy converter with a TFSI engine to charge its battery while driving and braking, since one wouldn't find charging stations in the middle of a rally. That means it's not a zero-emissions vehicle, though Audi says the converter is energy efficient. Usha Ramanathan writes: The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill is on the list of business in the Lok Sabha. It was first introduced in the Lok Sabha in August 2018 but lapsed when Parliament was dissolved in 2019. It was reintroduced in the Lok Sabha on 8 July 2019, soon after the new government took office. The report of the Standing Committee on Science and Technology was placed before both houses of Parliament on 3 February 2021. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) said to the committee that the law was to establish the identity of certain category of persons including victims, offenders, suspects, undertrials, missing persons and unknown deceased persons. The main purpose of the bill, according to the DBT, was identification of missing children, apprehending repeat offenders in heinous crimes, developing stringent quality standards and regulating the use of DNA profiles. That, however, is not all that the bill says. Instead, the bill seeks to establish national and regional DNA data banks. Every lab doing DNA profiling shall share DNA data prepared and maintained by it with the National DNA Bank and the Regional DNA Data Bank, in such manner as may be specified by regulations. The DNA Data Banks will be used in both civil and criminal cases. These, according to the schedule to the bill, will extend not just to serious crime, but to all kinds of matters, including matters of abortion and domestic violence. It extends to civil disputes and other civil matters, including questions of paternity and maternity; issues relating to pedigree which will allow determination of relationship by using the DNA database; emigration and immigration and issues relating to establishment of individual identity. It is not only suspects, undertrials and convicts whose DNA will be on the database, but also everyone whose DNA is part of the crime scene index. Anyone whose DNA is found at the site could have their DNA put on the database and not even know it. If one does not know ones DNA is on the database, they would not know that they should be asking for it to be deleted; and according to the law, the data will be deleted only when the person makes a written request to remove their profile. There is no explanation why such a generous harvesting of DNA is being permitted by the law. It is difficult to take the regulatory role of the DNA Board seriously when the regulatory body that the bill describes is replete with ex officio members with just a smattering of experts, who are expected to perform tasks of accreditation and regulation. Much as myth and legend may say otherwise, DNA is only a probabilistic science. The failures of the criminal justice system have, ever so often, been sought to be papered over using technologies in ways in which they were not intended to be used. In the much cited case of Selvi v State of Karnataka (2010), the court had to clamp down on this rampant use of technologies such as narcoanalysis. With DNA, apart from the probability factor, there are problems of contamination of the DNA sample, chain of custody in the handling of the DNA, error where samples or results may get mixed up, or fraud and abuse, all of which are known to happen. There is anxiety palpable in the Standing Committees report. A number of members, the report reads, have expressed concern about the use of DNA technologyor more accurately its misuseto target different segments of our society based on factors like religion, caste or political views. These fears are not entirely unfounded and have to be recognised and addressed. Coincidentally, there is news coming that eight members of the editorial board of a scientific journal, Molecular Genetics and Genomic Medicine, have resigned after a spate of papers were published that could be used for DNA profiling and persecution of ethnic minorities in China; the papers were on Tibetans and Uyghurs, among other ethnic groups. This is contemporaneous demonstration that profiling and databasing provide temptations that some may find hard to resist. The committee is worried that the database may extend to uses beyond enforcing the law. They ask that the title of the bill be changed to DNA (Use and Application in Justice Delivery System) Regulation Bill. They ask for the crime scene index to be narrowed; some would have it deleted. They recommend that only those convicted of an offence punishable with seven years or more should be covered by the law; and law must not apply to suspects and undertrials. Further, they ask for no Regional Data Banks, and that DNA labs should not maintain any database. They want DNA testing to go, and the definition of DNA profile to specifically state that the profile shall not include characteristics such as physical appearance, behaviour or health status. The regulatory body should be independent and professional, and not be peopled with ex officio personnel. Any addition to the schedule should only be made by Parliament, and not by regulation. The adjective wilful must be removed from offences such as the disclosure of DNA data, its unauthorised use or access or tampering, as reckless and negligent behaviour too can cause irreparable harm. DNA is very sensitive information and creating DNA databases is a perilous venture. There has hardly been any public debate on the bill, neither about the need, safety, function or the mass, and targeted, surveillance that this proposal sets in place. As the editorial comment in the current issue of EPW suggests, the provision of sedition law has experienced a seamless transition from a colonial to a postcolonial state. However, what is important is to underpin the different meanings that have come to be attached to the concept of sedition. Sedition has a variegated trajectory in that during the anti-colonial struggle, the colonial state used it against the freedom fighters who were questioning the colonial rule. The freedom fighters, in turn, used it against those whose criticism of one-dimensional approach to freedom was considered an anti-nationalist struggle. Thus, any ShudraAtishudra or subaltern criticism of political freedom as the only conception of freedom, on moral grounds, was condemned as a seditious act. Those who were at the receiving end of such a condemnatory description, also used the vocabulary of manav droha, a seditious act, against human dignity. The extension of meaning of droha, in its logic, did encompass those whose social domination motivated them to defy the universal moral laws that were aimed at both distributing and persevering equal dignity to all human beings along with their human and, hence, civilisational rights. It is needless to mention that the colonial state created the provision of sedition law with the purpose to control various nationalist expressions that sought to question the colonial rules. These expressions were represented both by the radical/rhetorical nationalists as well as the moderate nationalists. As has been pointed out by scholars, various expressions of disaffection with the colonial government were considered as a punishable crime by the punitive power of the sedition law. From the point of view of liberal nationalists, the sedition law that was used against the freedom fighters was unfair inasmuch as it denied the latter the right to a nationalist imagination and subsequently get their own independent nation. It is in this sense that the act of defiance and disobedience of the colonial authority, even in the face of sedition law, has been seen as patriotic in the anti-colonial context. Thus, some of the nationalists like good realists seemed to be politically conscious about the constraining power of an instrument like the sedition laws. It is also true that some of them were also seen showing so much intolerance to the ShudraAtishudra efforts which sought to make the value of freedom normatively so capacious by including social freedom along with political freedom. It was really intriguing to see some of the nationalists using against the humanists, such as B R Ambedkar, the same oppressive instrument such as colonial sedition law of which the former were the victim. In this regard, it is interesting to understand the position that Ambedkar had taken on the use of the vocabulary of droha. As is clear from his writings, he is also using the concept of manav droha especially for those who sought to condemn him as a deshdrohi on the grounds that he was arguing for the simultaneous treatment of political as well as social and economic freedom. Ambedkar extended the use of the word droha in order to morally impress upon the nationalists that suppressing social freedom of a large number of people constitutes the violation of universal moral law and human dignity. For Ambedkar, treating a large section of Indian people as untouchable, unseeable and unapproachable, was a moral crime against humanity. For Ambedkar, this put a large proportion of Indian people beyond the bounds of civilisation which was a crime against humanity. Ambedkar assigned a different meaning to the act of droha by changing its context from the political to the social and moral. He assigned equal weightage to the need for an independent nation as well as the human beings who inhabited this nation. Both the human beings and the nation are mutually constitutive. He argued that the language of droha or moral sedition, at the other end of the spectrum, is against the very desire for human community. It is deeply moral as it is not just against an abstract entity but against a concrete, corporal being and their moral ethical needs of being treated with respect. Manav droha in Ambedkars metaphysics of emancipation involves a strong desire to downgrade others. From this point of view, droha acquires a double edge, in the sense that it is against oneself inasmuch as it undermines ones ethical capacity to remain a decent human being. The ethical condition of self-estrangement, thus, is constitutive of moral sedition or droha against oneself. Manav droha also involves the desire to downgrade others ensuring self-preservation. Thus, moral sedition according to the conception of humanism in Indian philosophical tradition gets fundamentally defined in terms of the violation of human dignity, the universal moral law. Thinkers for human dignity, most specifically Jotirao Phule, Rabindranath Tagore, and Mohandas Gandhi, who were prominent exponents of freedom, did share with Ambedkar the need to expand the meaning of freedom. OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP) A Pennsylvania girl's injuries at a Maryland beach are consistent with a bite from a sandbar shark and would be a first for the state, according to the state's Department of Natural Resources. Experts made the determination after reviewing photos of the 12-year-old girl's injuries shared by the Ocean City Beach Patrol, department spokeswoman Megan McGinn-Meals said in an email to The Associated Press. There have been a few unconfirmed reports over the years, McGinn-Meals said, but this would be Marylands first confirmed, nearshore ocean bite that's not fishing-related. An angler at Assateague Island was bitten in 2014 while releasing a shark from his line and a man clamming near Mills Island in Chincoteague Bay was bitten around the same time, she said. The bite left 12-year-old Jordan Prushinski with 42 stitches for 20 cuts, family members told WBRE-TV. She was in knee-deep water in Ocean City on Monday when she limped out of the water bleeding from the leg, the family said. Other beachgoers, including an EMT and a nurse, helped give Jordan first aid and the family took her to a hospital. Jordan said she will go out in the water again once her stitches are out, WJZ-TV reported. Something like this is rare and rare for it to even happen again, she said. These sharks aren't aggressive and have little interactions with humans, and beachgoers shouldn't let this stop them from enjoying the ocean, Ocean City Beach Patrol Capt. Butch Arbin said. They dont need to worry about it," he said. They should be more concerned with things like rip currents. Gov. Greg Abbott delivered Friday on a recent promise to use his political weight to try to halt medical interventions for transgender children, which are considered standard of care for adults. He wants state officials to redefine reassignment surgery which is very rarely used for children as a form of child abuse. The governor said he intended to craft his own approach after state lawmakers failed a second time this year to pass an array of laws that would penalize health care providers for providing and parents for seeking gender affirming care and curtail transgender childrens medical and educational rights. Abbotts new plan came in the form of a letter to the state agency tasked with protecting children from abuse. Abbott asked the director of the Department of Family and Protective Services to please issue a determination of whether genital mutilation of a child for purposes of gender transitioning through reassignment surgery constitutes child abuse. On HoustonChronicle.com: Some Texas families flee 'toxic environment' they say targets their transgender children The term genital mutilation is traditionally used among human rights workers to refer to a procedure for young girls that prevents them from experiencing sexual pleasure. Abbott who does not have a medical background reframes the definition, stating as fact that subjecting a child to genital mutilation through reassignment surgery creates a genuine threat of substantial harm from physical injury to the child. If the child protection officials ultimately determine these surgeries to be a form of child abuse, Abbott goes on to say, DFPS would be duty bound to investigate a childs parents, and other state agencies would have to investigate medical practitioners who carried out the surgeries. On HoustonChronicle.com: 'I finally feel right in my body': Houston kids confront anti-trans legislation that targets them The governors office did not respond immediately to a request for comment on his inquiry. Adri Perez, a policy and advocacy strategist for the ACLU of Texas, said trans kids in Texas are continually forced to advocate for their very right to be who they are. No child should have to fight for their right to exist as their authentic selves, said Perez, who is transgender. Every major medical association agrees that gender-affirming care is critical health care that saves lives. Its unconscionable that the governor would seek to endanger the mental, emotional, and physical health of our children to score cheap political points by distorting the truth. gabrielle.banks@chron.com Air Serbia handled 280.958 passengers in July, representing its busiest month since September 2019 and a 63% increase on the month before. Of those, 74.797 travellers were welcomed on the airlines summer charter flights, while the remaining 206.161 were carried on services out of Belgrade, Nis and Kraljevo. During July, Air Serbia maintained operations to 41 destinations as part of its scheduled network, with Tivat being the busiest. It was followed by Podgorica, Paris, Zurich, New York and Moscow. In comparison, in May, the national airline operated flights to thirty destinations, carrying more than 100.000 passengers, while in June it recorded a 68% increase on the month before with more than 170.000 passengers handled, and 38 destinations served. Air Serbia handled 280.958 passengers in July, representing its busiest month since September 2019 and a 63% increase on the month before. Of those, 74.797 travellers were welcomed on the airlines summer charter flights, while the remaining 206.161 were carried on services out of Belgrade, Nis and Kraljevo. During July, Air Serbia maintained operations to 41 destinations as part of its scheduled network, with Tivat being the busiest. It was followed by Podgorica, Paris, Zurich, New York and Moscow. In comparison, in May, the national airline operated flights to thirty destinations, carrying more than 100.000 passengers, while in June it recorded a 68% increase on the month before with more than 170.000 passengers handled, and 38 destinations served. Commenting on the results, the airlines General Manager for Commercial and Strategy, Jiri Marek, said, We are glad that the growth trend continues, despite the circumstances caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. This is an indicator that we have made the right business decisions at the right moment. We monitored demand and increased capacity to the most popular destinations in our network whenever we had the chance, thus providing our passengers even more choices during the summer season. We will continue to do so in the coming period as well, with the aim to provide strong connectivity between cities in the region, Europe, and the whole world. During July, Air Serbia put back into operation one ATR72 turboprop aircraft after having been grounded since September of last year. The carriers active fleet now comprises of eighteen aircraft, including five ATR72s, ten Airbus A319 jets, one A320, one A330 and one Boeing 737-700 which is on wet-lease from Smartwings until September 26. One of the carriers eleven A319s has been grounded since early November 2020. During August, the airline will operate the most scheduled flights to Tivat, Podgorica, Paris, Zurich and Tirana, while the most capacity will be offered to Tivat, Podgorica, Paris, Zurich, Moscow and New York. Baristas are no strangers to customers coming in with over-the-top and, at times, annoying-to-make orders. For Starbucks (SBUX) baristas, this is especially customary as many viral "secret menu" drinks and hacks on social media have made purchasing a seemingly out-of-the-box order somewhat commonplace. But one customer might have taken it too far to a level where two entire Venti cups needed to be used to fulfill a laundry-list-long order in a video that has since gone viral. Starbucks barista @aadinaff posted a video, which has now been viewed over four million times, of an order with a receipt that spans the length of two iced Venti cups. Related: 'Criminal' and 'Absolutely Obscene' Photo of $28 Beer on Menu at Airport Sparks Outrage In the video, a barista attempts to pour what appears to be a blended Frappucino concoction into two cups, one cup that is standing upright and another that has been taped to the other upside down with the bottom cut off. The cups begin to leak, and the drink pours out until the barista grabs a third Venti cup to put the other two in. Dude just give them the blender at this point, one TikTok user joked. So this is why the line[s] re always so long at Starbucks, another mused. However, many in the comments were less than amused, questioning why the baristas working didnt simply fill multiple cups with the customers order instead of duct taping two cups together. Related: Starbucks Stock is Brewing a Breakout Why wouldnt you just put it in a Trenta cup and the remainder in a venti, one asked, alongside others who questioned whether or not it was allowed for Starbucks employees to put one drink into multiple cups. Others accused @aadinaff of faking the order to try to get 15 minutes of fame and warned that Starbucks has been firing employees for faking videos in an attempt to go viral. However, the TikToker doubled down in a follow-up video showing the actual receipt of the drink order. The label, which is longer than the length of the check-out screen at the cash register, includes add-ons of everything from Passion Tango and Berry Hibiscus, to both black and green tea, to foam and apple juice. @aadinaff Reply to @bout2b Lmaooooo The total came to a whopping $29.32 for one drink. Whether the drink was ordered in all seriousness or was someone laying a practical joke we might never know, but in the meantime we can probably all agree to not feel guilty about adding one extra shot of flavor or espresso to our coffee orders today. Starbucks was up an impressive 56.44% year over year as of early Friday afternoon. Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Less than 24 hours after Gov. Ned Lamont gave cities and towns control over mask mandates in all indoor public settings including stores and restaurants, only a few local leaders seem interested in taking advantage of the new power. The top Democrat in the state Senate and the Republican leader in the House expressed concern with leaving the decision up to local elected officials. And some town officials around the state are saying theyd prefer a mandate to come from the governors office so we dont see different rules in different places. This is really an about face, said House GOP leader Vincent Candelora, R-Branford, who said hes concerned that local control could further politicize mask wearing. To give local politicians this decision-making power at a time when they are entering into municipal elections I think is very dangerous, he added. New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker became the first local elected official to take advantage of the new rule. Stamford Mayor David Martin said Friday he is considering a city-wide mask mandate. Both are Democrats; Martin is facing a strong challenge in the party and didnt win the endorsement for reelection. Elicker announced Friday that masks will be required indoors at all city establishments including bars, restaurants, theaters and office building lobbies regardless of peoples vaccination status starting at 12:01 a.m. Monday. This commonsense measure will help protect our residents amidst the increasing spread of the delta variant, Elicker said in Fridays statement. Data released by the state Friday show infections and hospitalizations continue to rise, which officials have attributed to spread of the more contagious delta variant. Hospitalizations declined the previous two days, but Friday the state reported an additional 19 patients for a total of 174. The state also reported 731 new cases out of 20,772 tests, a daily positivity rate of 3.52 percent the highest since April 13. The weekly percent of positive tests remains at 2.7 percent. What the order says Local officials were already able to impose indoor mask mandates on city- and town-owned property. Lamonts executive order, issued late Thursday, gives them the power to require businesses within their borders to do the same, but only in indoor settings, not outdoors. That includes public areas in office buildings such as lobbies but not private offices on upper floors, for example. The executive order does make it clear that no city or town can prevent a private company or property owner from requiring masks. The order also does not pertain to vaccinations, other than what was already in place that cities and towns can require their own employees to show proof of receiving a vaccine. Schools are also not covered under the order. Lamont has said he plans to provide guidance to public schools in the coming weeks. The governor reiterated Friday that with varying infection and vaccination rates across municipalities, local officials are better positioned to determine how best to keep their communities safe. The move represents a shift from his approach earlier in the pandemic when he said uniform rules were needed to avoid spread of the virus across communities and to minimize confusion. Mayors and first selectmen ought to have a little more discretion so they can have the right tools to combat Covid given the particularties of their situation. If we have to do something more broadly, time will tell. Were not there yet, Lamont said Friday after an event on affordable health care in New Haven. Its unclear how long the local control will last as Lamonts pandemic-related emergency powers, including this executive order and others, are due to expire Sept. 30. They cant be trusted Some town leaders believe a statewide mask mandate would be more appropriate because it would provide greater consistency across town lines, said Betsy Gara, executive director of the Connecticut Council of Small Towns. Officials in towns with low infection and high vaccination rates are comfortable making the determination on their own, Gara said. Senate President Martin Looney, D-New Haven, said Friday that he told Lamonts office a uniform mandate would be more effective. I would prefer to see it used at the state level, Looney said. We did tell him that if he came out with a state mandate, that I would immediately put out a statement in support of that. Asked when and whether the state would be warranted in mandating masks indoors, Looney said, very soon. He added that another reason to stick with a statewide policy is that some towns under the control of Trumpian leadership may never tighten restrictions. They cant be trusted to do the right thing, he said. I would hope the governor would be open to a state mandate if the towns dont take action, Looney said. Candelora, the House Republican leader, said none of the communities he represents have asked for this type of authority, which he said would be more appropriate for local health departments than politicians. Control over the states indoor mask madate was one of the major reasons Lamont requested his emergency powers be extended from July 20 until Sept. 30. He has taken that very power and has delegated it to local officials, which is exactly what he had been trying to avoid, Candelora said. julia.bergman@hearstmediact.com TRUMBULL Area businesses and public and private agencies are joining forces to aid job seekers in not only finding employment but also providing tips on obtaining that desired position. The Moving Forward Regional Hiring Event - featuring more than 50 businesses - is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 9 from 10 to 3 p.m. at the Trumbull Marriott Shelton, 180 Hawley Lane, Trumbull. The pandemic has really disrupted so many parts of our lives and big one of those parts is the jobs, careers sector, Beryl Russell, sales executive with Trumbull Marriott Shelton, said, for both the employer and the employed as furloughs and severances were unexpected and both sides felt the negative effects. Russell said when Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce President Bill Purcell approached Trumbull Marriott with the idea of a job fair, we knew we wanted to be involved as a partner because this employment situation is not unique to just one industry but to practically all industries. This collaborative effort is being held in response to the demand for qualified labor from our members and other area employers, Purcell said. (This event) also coincides with the planned phase-out of the Federal Supplemental Unemployment Benefits scheduled to expire on Sept. 6, Purcell said about the importance of this program for businesses and potential hires alike. Purcell said the Valley Chamber joined with fellow sponsors, the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, The WorkPlace, Inc., Career Resources, American Job Center, and the Connecticut Department of Labor in presenting this event, which comes at a time when employers in some sectors are struggling to attract workers, he said. Now is the time to find a job, Joseph Carbone, president and CEO of The WorkPlace, said. The impact of COVID-19 has been devastating, leaving thousands without employment and in doubt about their personal recovery. It is more important than ever to get back to work and avoid long term unemployment. The longer a person is unemployed the more difficult it becomes to re-enter the job market, Carbone added. The Moving Forward Regional Hiring Event is an opportunity to get your foot in the door and take that step towards employment. TEAM, Inc., President and CEO David Morgan said the timing of this event could not be better, considering the sunsetting of unemployment and many other COVID relief supports in the month ahead as well as the unprecedented levels of employer vacancies across many sectors. Those who attend will experience the full array of job opportunities and new connections and possibilities for their future, Morgan said, across a wide spectrum of skill sets and responsibilities relevant to both entry-level as well as seasoned/experienced job opportunities. In addition, Morgan said TEAM will showcase many immediate and future supports that can eliminate or reduce barriers to gainful employment including childcare, housing assistance, COVID assistance, and other critical financial hardship relief that can be a bridge to obtaining gainful employment. At TEAM we are seeing hundreds of people every week seeking help with childcare, housing assistance, other basic necessities of life, and new opportunities for sustainable employment, Morgan said. The exhibitors cover a cross-section of businesses, from banking and finance to construction, healthcare to hospitality, manufacturing to senior care, plus some nonprofit industries. In addition, there will be a total of eight resource partners providing support and assistance on issues ranging from childcare, transportation, job training and public health, Purcell said. The WorkPlace, Inc. will also host a series of workshops on issues such as resume writing and interviewing skills. Nicole Russo, president and CEO of Seymour-based Microboard, praised Purcell and the chamber for setting up this event. The right people in the right position are critical to Microboards continued success, Russo said. The pool of available candidates has changed in our area due to COVID-related issues, so hiring has become more challenging. Microboard, in business for 38 years, manufactures electronics for defense, medical, industrial and telecom customers. Russo said her company is growing and seeking individuals to manufacture the most advanced technology for our countries warfighters and Fortune 500 customers, while also helping Microboard continue to support our long-term global humanitarian partners. She said the company offers in-house training programs, certifications and a career path from entry level to senior professional. Purcell said event organizers strongly urge people in attendance to wear masks during the program. There will also be hand sanitizer available for guests throughout the day. When the chamber began planning this event, the state was fully opened and overall general positivity was gaining momentum. But, as we continue to look for the light at the end of this pandemic tunnel, companies and organizations still need employees and there are many people looking for their next job/career opportunity, Russell said. The past year and a half has taught us to err on the side of caution when it comes to interactions so we will safely execute the job fair following the State and CDC guidelines. brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com SAN DIEGO (AP) The Biden administration has begun flying Central American families expelled from the United States deep into Mexico as authorities encounter more families and unaccompanied children at the U.S.-Mexico border, two American officials said Friday. For years, the U.S. government has intermittently flown deported Mexican migrants back home to make it more difficult to try to cross the border again, but this appears to be the first time it has flown Central Americans to Mexico instead of their home countries. The first flight Thursday fell short of its targeted number of passengers because of elevated COVID-19 rates among migrants, according to two officials who are familiar with the policy change and spoke on the condition of anonymity because details were not intended to be made public. Reuters first reported on the change. The flights were expected to continue, with plans for Mexico to deport the migrants to their home countries in Central America, the officials said. One official said the planes have capacity for 135 people. The U.S. Homeland Security Department confirmed that it began expelling migrants by air to Mexico under a pandemic-related authority that prevents migrants from seeking asylum at the border. The department, which did not respond to a question about the nationalities of those aboard Thursday's flight, said the frequency of repeat crossers and transmissibility of the delta variant of the coronavirus necessitated the move. Mexico's Foreign Relations Department and immigration agency did not respond to requests for comment Friday. The flights are the Biden administration's latest attempt to confront growing numbers of migrants. David Shahoulian, Homeland Security assistant secretary for border and immigration policy, said in a recent court filing that July will likely mark the highest number of unaccompanied children picked up at the border and second-highest number of people arriving in families. There are significantly increased rates of migrants testing positive for COVID-19, he said without offering more specifics. The administration also began fast-track deportation flights July 30 for Central American families who are not subject to the pandemic-related expulsions. Manuel Padilla, the Border Patrol's chief of operations, said Friday that those flights have gone to Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras and will continue weekly. Anyone who doesn't have legal status in the United States will be returned to their home countries and will not be allowed to stay here, Padilla said in a conference call for Spanish-language media. The accelerated efforts to expel Central American families have prompted pro-immigration groups to draw parallels to Donald Trump's presidency. It is surprising and disappointing to see the U.S. administration implementing such harsh measures at a time when humanitarian needs could not be higher, said Olga Byrne, director of immigration at the International Rescue Committee. The Trump administration flew many Mexican adults deep into Mexico last year in an effort to deter repeat crossings, which have become common under the pandemic-related authority because there are no legal consequences for getting caught. Those flights, often to Mexico City, Guadalajara, Queretaro or Villahermosa, tapered off early in the Biden administration. The Biden administration also appears to be flying more migrants out of Texas' Rio Grande Valley, by far the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, to other U.S. border cities. Witness at the Border, an advocacy group that tracks flights, said there were likely 24 flights from Brownsville, Texas, to El Paso, Texas, during July and likely five to San Diego and four to Tucson, Arizona, in the last few days of July. It is unclear how many flown from Rio Grande Valley to other U.S. cities were allowed to remain in the United States to seek asylum and how many were expelled to Mexico. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has not responded to questions about those flights. ___ Salomon reported from Miami. Associated Press reporter Maria Verza in Mexico City contributed. (The Center Square) Roanoke-Chowan Community College issued more than $10 million in checks with invalid signatures and overpaid employees more than $45,000, according to a recent investigative report by the Office of the State Auditor. The office received 15 allegations of operational mismanagement by Roanoke-Chowan Community College officials. State auditors found the college's administration issued 2,644 checks from August 2019 to August 2020, totaling more than $10.3 million, with digital signatures of the former president and former controller, who no longer were employed by the college. Auditors said the error increased the risk of fraud for the college. The checks with invalid signatures were issued and not detected because the college did not have policies and procedures in place to detect that the checks contained signatures of former employees, the state auditors office wrote. The school used digital signatures to sign checks after the checks were approved by the controller. Policy requires the current president and chief financial officers signatures to be on checks. It was the responsibility of the chief financial officer to update the digital signatures to reflect the names of the current administration. However, the chief financial officer position was vacant at the time. The auditors office said the issues could have been avoided if the interim president at the time had filled the position and had policies and assessments in place to avoid errors and examine risks. It recommended the Roanoke-Chowan Community College Board of Trustees oversee the presidents operational roles and management of the college. The auditors also discovered the college overpaid employees by $45,008 and submitted retirement contributions after deadlines, resulting in $3,564 in penalties. Auditors said three employees received pay simultaneously for two positions: their former position and their current position. The employees were not required to return the duplicate payments. The auditors office said both issues also were caused by a lack of oversight by the former interim president. Current Roanoke-Chowan Community College President Murray Williams agreed with the audit findings and said the college already has taken corrective actions to address the issues. Human resources is using approval forms for all employee-related actions to avoid errors, Williams said. She also agreed to make sure key positions in the college are filled in a timely manner. The investigative report, which was released last week, was the second report in a month that showed a lack of oversight by college officials. An audit report released July 9 showed the community college's administration failed to reconcile payroll changes and bank accounts and to properly maintain financial and personnel records. As a result, the Ahoskie-based community college issued unsupported pay increases to employees and was late with federal reimbursement requests. The college also had to contact outside consultants to help fix its financial records. Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa To the Thani, the one who in addition to being sheik is brother of the emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad To the Zani, has published in his official account of Twitter that already exists an agreement between the PSG and Leo Messi. "The negotiations conclude officially. And it will be announced later", wrote the sheik catari in a message posteado in his account of Twitter. The near journalistic surroundings to the leaders of the PSG, and also to the family qatari that handles the club, seems to have seen with good eyes the message, accompanied with a photomontage of a photography of Messi dressing the T-shirt of the PSG. In fact, in statements to RAC1, the journalist of L'Instrument, Jose Barroso, already gave figures of the new agreement that Messi would sign with the PSG: "it speaks of a wage of 40 million net euros by year, with a proposal of 2 to 3 years. From the club think that it would be possible to give fit to the three, Messi, Neymar and Mbappe. It is an only possibility and the club wants to do the effort". Negotiations Plough officially concluded. And announce later #Messi #Paris_Saint_Germain pic.twitter.com/bxlmcfarii (@khm_althani) August 6, 2021 This yes, the communicator cleared that it still has not signed any agreement between the player and the Parisian square. "Still there is not at all signed, but never before Messi has been so near. There is almost a verbal agreement and now is missing a meeting to concretise it, think that the meeting will be the Sunday". The most wished signing by To the Khelaifi From starts of this year, the directive of the PSG did not hide in the most minimum his wish of fichar to the crack Argentinian, situation that even arrived to generate brush between both teams in the course of this year. However, everything aimed to that the rosarino had refused the offers of the leaders of the combined Parisian to be still in the club where initiated and has continued all his career futbolisitca. Now the situation has changed, although the directive of the Barcelona attained to arrive to an agreement with Messi, the complicated economic situation and that has been worsened by the crisis of the coronavirus, in addition to the rules of the Fair Play Financial, complicated to Laporta finish to close the renewal of Leo Messi, by what the Barcelona left it free. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Nushrratt Bharuccha has been shooting for Luv Ranjans next untitled film. The film has been under wraps and not much has been revealed about it. However the actress who was shooting for it in the city, had to be recently rushed to Hinduja hospital after she received a vertigo attack. According to reports in a daily, Nushrratt was staying in a hotel which was close to the set she was shooting for as it was convenient for her to travel to the set. However in the past few days the actress was not feeling well and even took a day off to rest herself and feel better. The next day when she returned to set, things went spiralling down as her condition worsened. She was quickly rushed to Hinduja hospital and even required a wheelchair to be taken to the doctors ward immediately. Her parents rushed to the hospital as soon as they learnt about this. Reports suggest that Nushrratt didnt get admitted as she took medicines and the doctor realized that it had been a vertigo attack. Since the actress has been shooting for it in the last 24-25 days the actress probably underwent some stress and suffered a bout of vertigo. The actress has been advised 15 days of bed rest. Hope the actress gets well soon. Mumbai has been on high alert since this morning, after the Mumbai police received an anonymous call about bombs being placed at three Mumbai railways stations (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus CSMT, Byculla and Dadar) and Amitabh Bachchans bungalow. A search was immediately held out at the locations and fortunately nothing suspicious has been found. Reports in E Times suggest that security has now been doubled at Amitabh Bachchans bungalow in Juhu (Mumbai). The veteran actors bungalow is a prime location and a hotspot in the suburbs as it is located at the main road and several passersby always hold on to the spot for some time hoping to catch a glimpse of the actor. Post the bomb scare, security has been doubled at the bungalow. Meanwhile the Government Railway Police, Railway Protection Force and along with the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, dog squads and local police personnel rushed to these locations and carried out the search operation. But the investigation is on and heavy police deployment has been put in place there. Meanwhile, Amitabh Bachchan was recently shooting for Nag Ashwins next film which stars Prabhas and Deepika Padukone. The actor was in Hyderabad for the shoot and is also awaiting releases of his forthcoming films. Sidharth Malhotra is super excited about his next Shershaah which will drop soon on an OTT platform. The actor today reveals that there has been someone who inspired him to take on the role of Captain Vikram Batra. He said that the inspiration came from a meeting with Vikrams real life twin brother, Vishal Batra, five years ago. Shershaah, an original war drama based on the Kargil War between India and Pakistan in 1999, tells the story of Captain Vikram Batra who selflessly lost his life whilst saving a fellow soldier during a skirmish. At just 24, Vikram became a symbol of the patriotism and heroism associated with Indias triumph against the odds against the Pakistani army who took up a far more advantageous position at higher ground and were able to fire down at vulnerable Indian forces. Despite this, the Indian army was triumphant in claiming victory and Captain Vikram soon became the embodiment of the courage and valour shown by himself and his army. Sidharth Malhotra was just 14 when the Kargil War took place, yet the story of Captain Vikrams sacrifice would go on to inspire him to spearhead efforts to launch a film on his efforts over twenty years on. A meeting with Captain Vikrams twin brother, Vishal Batra, was instrumental in the star's rigorous attempts to have a film on the Kargil War told across the world. Sidharth met with Vishal who narrated him anecdotes about Captain Vikrams incredible personality, courage, patriotism and of course selflessness which would eventually see him lose his life for his country something he says inspired him greatly. I first met with Vishal Batra around five years ago, at the time with a completely different team. He and his family had approached me to discuss the potential of telling Vikrams story and I must say I was immediately gripped emotionally by the way Vishal described Vikrams life and his character his charm, his courage and his all-round personality, said Sidharth. We couldnt make it work at the time, but it was a story I believed needed to be told. I approached Dharma Productions and they were immediately on board and 5 years on we are so pleased with the end product, he added. Maintaining a sense of authenticity and justice to Vikrams story was important for Sidharth, who admits there is always a sense of pressure when it comes to portraying the character of a national hero in a sensitive way: Vikram and I are both Punjabi and culturally of course we have several similarities, perhaps right though to our appearance. I believe this is why his family sought me to play his character. But it is one thing possessing the physical and background traits and another to accurately portray his personality. I feel meeting with Vishal helped with this greatly the descriptions he used about his twin were incredible, it really helped me to take on some of his courage and strength. Having formed a relationship with Vikrams family, and his brother in particular, Sidharth was pleased to hear that they felt the film was the perfect representation for his legacy: "Doing his family proud was the priority for me, not commercial success. Weve been on this five year journey together and It was vital we got this right. Vishal told me that he had never visualised his brother on the battlefield before, but now when he sees me in Shershaah he can'', concluded Sidharth. Directed by Vishnuvardhan, Shershaah is inspired by the life of Captain Vikram Batra (PVC) and stars Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani in the lead. The film will stream from August 12th. Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - August 7, 2021) - Cuda Oil and Gas Inc. (TSXV: CUDA) ("Cuda" or the "Company") is pleased to announce an additional $4.0 million of financing ("Credit Facility B") from its Senior Lender, Tallinn Capital Energy Limited Partnership ("Tallinn"), under the Senior Credit Facility agreement signed on January 20, 2021. The additional proceeds will be used for the payment of account payables relating to, and continued development of, its oil assets and miscible gas flood injection program in the Powder River Basin, Converse County, Wyoming. The original maturity date of November 30, 2021 will remain in effect for the Senior Credit Facility and will also apply to Credit Facility B, and Credit Facility B will be charged interest at 16% per annum unless an event of default occurs and remains, allowing the Senior Lender to apply interest at 19% per annum on outstanding amounts. Repayment of the aggregate credit facilities will continue to follow the original repayment schedule under the Senior Credit Facility. Tallinn will receive customary commitment, work and monitoring fees and a 1% deferred interest fee on Credit Facility B. Approval of the additional financing was received from the Company's subordinate Canadian institutional lender. Except for an oil put requested by Tallinn, amendments to the Senior Credit Facility agreement as a result of Credit Facility B will not include any additional financial, operational and environmental covenants. However, Tallinn and the Company have agreed to engage a sales advisor by August 9, 2021 to pursue a sales process, including the opening of an online data room by August 27, 2021. Additionally, the Company shall execute one or more non-binding letters of intent by September 30, 2021 and a binding offer to purchase by October 31, 2021. As previously communicated, further rationalization of assets and/or funding through share issuances, private placements, restructuring of existing or new credit facilities, non-core property sales, increased production from core properties combined with improvements in realized oil and gas prices received and/or a combination of these alternatives will be required to continue as a going concern. About Cuda Oil and Gas Inc. Cuda Oil and Gas Inc. is engaged in the business of exploring for, developing and producing oil and natural gas, and acquiring oil and natural gas properties across North America. The Cuda management team has worked closely together in both private and public company environments. Cuda will continue to implement its proven strategy of exploring, acquiring, and exploiting with a long-term focus on large, light oil resource- based assets across North America including significant operational experience in the United States. The Cuda management team brings a full spectrum of geotechnical, engineering, negotiating and financial experience to its investment decisions. For further information please contact: Glenn Dawson President and Chief Executive Officer Cuda Oil and Gas Inc. (403) 454-0862 Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking information. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this news release are forward-looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties and are based on forecasts of future operations, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. In particular, this news release includes forward-looking information relating to: (i) the use of proceeds of the financing; (ii) exploration and development activities; and (iii) the intention of the Company to pursue strategic alternatives. These statements are based on certain assumptions of the Company relating to current conditions and expected future developments including assumptions relating to regulatory approvals and business prospects and opportunities. Risk factors that could prevent forward-looking statements relating to Cuda and its operating activities from being realized include ongoing permitting requirements, the actual results of current exploration and development activities, operational risks, risks associated with drilling and completions, uncertainty of geological and technical data, access to capital, market conditions, the availability and nature of alternative sources of energy, conclusions of economic evaluations and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined as well as future prices of oil and natural gas. Although Cuda has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention and has no obligation or responsibility, except as required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. 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. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/92432 Galveston, TX (77553) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some clouds. Low 81F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some clouds. Low 81F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. WASHINGTON, Aug. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ibex today issued this announcement concerning an earlier event, disclosed by the company on October 23, 2020 in its Annual Report (Form 20-F), which may have potentially impacted the security of information relating to certain employees and their families. While ibex is unaware of any attempted or actual misuse of personal information in relation to the event, ibex provided potentially affected individuals with notice, information about the event and steps individuals can take to help protect their information. On August 17, 2020, ibex learned that it was the victim of a malware attack that impacted the availability of a limited segment of our systems. We immediately took these systems offline and, with the assistance of third-party computer specialists, launched an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the incident. On or about September 15, 2020, the investigation confirmed that certain files on our systems may have been accessed without authorization between July 27 and August 17, 2020. We therefore undertook a meticulous and time-intensive review of the potentially impacted files and our internal systems in order to identify the information that was involved and to whom it related. In connection with this review, on or about September 29, 2020, a third-party firm was engaged to review the potentially impacted files. ibex, upon receiving and validating the findings of the third-party firm, on or about June 14, 2021, determined that one or more of the potentially impacted folders included information related to individuals. In conjunction and collaboration with the third-party review team, ibex continued to diligently review and reconcile the information with internal and public records in furtherance of identifying the individuals to whom the data relates and the appropriate contact information for those individuals. These efforts were completed on or around July 11, 2021, at which time ibex determined the scope of impacted individuals and the types of protected data associated with those individuals. We thereafter worked to provide notification to potentially impacted individuals as quickly as possible. Importantly, there is no indication that any persons specific information was accessed or misused. However, ibex is notifying potentially impacted individuals out of an abundance of caution. Information security is important to us, and we have strict security measures in place to protect information in our care. Upon discovering this incident, we immediately took steps to review and reinforce the security of our systems. We have implemented additional cybersecurity measures to further protect against similar incidents moving forward. Additionally, ibex is providing potentially impacted individuals with complimentary access to identity monitoring, fraud consultation, and identity theft restoration services. ibex encourages individuals to monitor their accounts and activate the complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services being offered. Please see the section below for more information. Individuals may call ibexs call center at 866-871-8614 (toll free), Monday through Friday from 9 am to 9 pm Eastern Time. Potentially affected individuals may also consider the information and resources outlined below. Steps You Can Take to Protect Personal Information Monitor Accounts Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of your credit report. Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended fraud alert on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumers credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumers credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumers identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below. As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a credit freeze on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumers express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report. To request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information: Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.); Social Security number; Date of birth; Addresses for the prior two to five years; Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill; A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state drivers license or ID card, military identification, etc.); and A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if you are a victim of identity theft. Should you wish to place a fraud alert or credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below: Equifax Experian TransUnion https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ https://www.experian.com/help/ https://www.transunion.com/credit-help 888-298-0045 1-888-397-3742 833-395-6938 Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016 Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094 Additional Information You may further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps you can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov ; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and your state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement. Media and Investor Contact: Brad Jones ibex 720-643-8731 brad.jones@ibex.co Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Aug. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- After EverRises recent announcement, welcoming David Gokhshtein on Twitter , the team is excited to announce its strategic partnership with Luna PR, an award-winning PR and marketing agency in emerging tech.With these collaborations, EverRise has found prolific partners to enhance its marketing efforts and ensure it has a growing loyal community. EverRise is a radical platform and it wants to reach out to the entire industry, so that users can benefit and learn more about EverRise. For the same purpose, partnering with a commonplace marketing agency would keep the scope of expansion limited. EverRise is a hyper-deflationary digital asset that pays investors for holding their tokens. It also incorporates the buyback mechanism, which is commonly used in stock markets. It is the first coin in the industry to have an automatic Buyback option. It is necessary for the uninitiated to grasp the notion of Buyback in order to apply it here. The Buyback feature will also keep the prices in check making it an attractive concept to choose from. EverRise is already becoming popular and appreciated but it still needs to include more users making the adoption of digital assets faster. This was why EverRise was looking for a partner that also upheld its values and mission beyond the realms of marketing. We are really excited to onboard the LUNA PR team. We strongly believe that this partnership will be significant for our upcoming launches", stated the EverRise Team. The EverRise team has established a terrific brand and a highly distinctive product in an industry bubbling with creativity. We're excited to help the industry market speed its growth and expand its reach as it prepares to become a truly mainstream financial service. We're ecstatic to be a part of their success, says Nikita Sachdev, founder and CEO of LUNA PR. Luna PR is a global digital marketing agency that helps businesses increase brand awareness and genuine interaction by empowering, assisting, and partnering with them. With works charted out for more than 200 clients making it one of the most pursued digital marketing agencies in the space. Luna PR is a full-stack, digital marketing agency with its work expanding across 5 continents. This partnership will be the first step to grow the community, reaching out to more people with effective content and making it easier for people to understand the mechanics. The goal is to develop new and beneficial partnerships (blockchain, gaming, education, celebrities, and more), building new content strategies, modifying and upgrading their SEO, working on public relations, working with social media influencers and a lot more. About EverRise A proprietary, hyper-deflationary token which rewards token holders with static rewards and automatic burns every trade from the liquidity pool. On top of that, EverRise offers an automatic buyback option for token holders. When the buy-back feature is enabled, the contract will buy back and burn tokens after each purchase. The use of $RISE tokens will be applied to their upcoming dApps, EverOwn being the most anticipated. EverRise aims to bring additional levels of trust, safety and security to the Binance Smart Chain space. About Luna PR Luna PR is an award-winning Dubai-based public relations, marketing, and business development consultancy agency, offering services to digital asset initiatives and cutting-edge technologies in emerging markets. With a customized model focused on creating better business relationships between tech companies and brands, Luna PR has become the go-to agency for leading digital asset brands. Media details Company Name: Luna PR Name: Dina Mattar, Head of Public Relations Business Email: dina@lunapr.io Website: www.lunapr.io The views, suggestions and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. Via: Globalreleasewire Attachment FILE - This Aug. 29, 2018, file photo shows an arrangement of Oxycodone pills in New York. During the Hungarian Grand Prix Mercedes had high hopes that Lewis Hamilton could still win. The Brit thought differently, but could appreciate the support of the team. Because Lewis Hamilton was the only one who didn't choose to change to normal tyres at the restart of the Hungarian Grand Prix, the seven times World Champion had to drive into the pit lane one lap later and fell back to last place. A position he recovered from to finish third, later promoted to second. At Mercedes, however, they still had a lot of hope. The team came over the radio to explain the situation to him and team boss Toto Wolff added that he could even win the race. At the time, Lewis Hamilton thought very differently. "I thought, I want to smoke what they are smoking," Hamilton told Motorsport-Total.com. Despite not believing in the encouragement, Lewis was able to appreciate the radio message. Not just during the race "When you're driving there, sometimes it can look lonely and sometimes you have such tunnel vision that it looks like ten laps, it's like a light year. It feels like you're travelling through time. It's a very strange experience and then you forget that there are people on the other side of the line. It's nice to be reminded they are there for you," the Mercedes driver told the press conference afterwards. In the end Mercedes were not far off in predicting that Hamilton could still win the Hungarian Grand Prix. He eventually crossed the finish line in third place, but Fernando Alonso hindered his hunt for the win. The Spaniard managed to keep Hamilton's Mercedes behind him a significant amount of time, for which Max Verstappen is all too grateful to the Alpine driver. Gevo has restarted production operations at renewable fuels production facility located in Luverne, Minnesota. The Luverne Facility will produce fuel-grade, renewable isobutanol (IBA). The IBA produced will be used as a feedstock for Gevo to produce sustainable aviation fuel and renewable premium gasoline to fulfill existing sales contracts. Gevo had shutdown the plant last spring after the slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. These renewable hydrocarbons will be produced in Silsbee, Texas at the South Hampton Resources, Inc. hydrocarbon production facility. Gevo also expects to utilize some of the IBA produced to develop certain IBA specialty markets. The production operations at the Luverne Facility will also allow Gevo to test and evaluate certain potential unit operations that may be incorporated into Gevos state-of-the-art Net-Zero 1 production facility that is expected to begin production in 2024 in Lake Preston, South Dakota. Agri-Energy, LLC, Gevos wholly-owned subsidiary that owns the Luverne Facility, has rehired multiple former employees and is in the process of hiring an additional 11 employees to produce the IBA with the goal to have 30 full-time employees. The team in Luverne has done an exceptional job restarting isobutanol operations safely and with a focus on continuous improvement for future growth. We appreciate the continued support weve received from the State of Minnesota and City of Luverne and are happy to be increasing the number of high-quality jobs at the site. Ongoing production of IBA and building our team is just the first phase of what we want to do at Luverne. We see that Luverne has potential to serve specialty markets other than jet and gasoline. We expect to announce more in coming months as the rest of the plans come together. Dr. Paul Bloom, President of Agri-Energy, LLC FARGO, N.D. (AP) An oil company that waited more than five months to investigate and report a 2014 pipeline spill in North Dakota that discharged more than 29 million gallons of drilling wastewater has agreed to pay more than $35 million in civil and criminal fines. the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday. Federal officials said it's the largest inland drilling spill of produced water, a waste product of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The spill from the 96-mile (154.50-kilometer) underground pipeline contaminated more than 30 miles of Missouri River tributaries as well as land and groundwater, the complaint said. It was visible in photographs taken by satellites. The complaint against Summit Midstream Partners LLC says the data collected by the company in August 2014 showed a significant drop in the pipeline pressure, indicating a rupture in the newly built line. Despite concerns raised in October 2014 by Summit's construction manager and engineer, the company did not identify the leak until January 2015, after an employee walked the line. Court documents show that Summits construction manager sent an email to other employees in October 2014 about extreme low pressure on the system. The facilities engineer responded: Not good. We may want to consider shutting it down. Summit continued to operate the line. Summit eventually reported a 2.9 million gallon spill of produced water even though the leak was 10 times larger, according to the civil complaint filed against Summit and related companies, Meadowlark Midstream Company LLC and Summit Operating Services Company LLC. The criminal fine against Summit is $15 million. The state had levied a $2.4 million fine against Summit Midstream and Meadowlark in 2015. Summit admitted in documents that it knowingly failed to share all relevant information regarding the volume and duration of the spill and that its reports to federal and state authorities were incomplete and misleading." The company also said it did not have proper meters installed until the beginning of 2015. Heath Deneke, president, CEO and chairman of Summit Midstream Partners, said in a statement that the company has accepted the responsibility for the produced water spill and has invested $75 million on numerous improvements, including state-of-the-art leak detection technology and other monitoring and alarm systems. While we consider the overall monetary settlement penalties as severe under the circumstances, particularly given our substantial remediation and and mitigation efforts to date, we believe that putting this matter behind us with manageable payment terms over the next six years is in the best interest of all of Summit's stakeholders and employees, Deneke said. State and federal authorities said the wastewater had a large concentration of saline, as well as oil, radioactive substances and other pollutants, including ammonia, aluminum, arsenic, boron, copper, nickel, selenium, zinc, barium, benzene, and thallium. Summit prioritized profits over the environment. The companys disregard for pipeline safety resulted in pollution of the environment on a massive scale over 143 days, said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the DOJ's Environment and Natural Resources Division. The parallel settlements call for the three defendants to pay $20 million in civil penalties and $1.25 million in natural resources damages, as well as fulfilling a list of numerous steps to prevent future spills. Summit has already spent $50 million to clean up the spill. The company will serve three years of probation while those remedial measures are being completed and monitored by state regulators. Twenty months into the pandemic, the latest wave of the face-mask culture war is in full swing. Parents are protesting in school board meetings from Virginia Beach to Stafford County, Va., demanding their children be allowed to attend school maskless. In Congress, Republicans are revolting, defiant after the Capitol Hill physician again required masks on the floor. It's just a snapshot of the political climate state and local officials must contend with as the delta variant drives coronavirus caseloads and they consider whether to reimpose restrictions. Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser reinstated an indoor mask mandate last week for everyone, vaccinated or not. But Virginia and Maryland governors Ralph Northam, D, and Larry Hogan, R, did not follow. Hogan has left decisions to local officials, who have already started to put mask mandates back in place as cases surge. Neil Sehgal, a health policy and management professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, said he believed the precipitous rise in new cases in the region made indoor mask mandates imperative as an extra layer of protection alongside vaccination. The seven-day average of new daily cases is up between 62 and 69% in D.C., Virginia and Maryland compared to last week -- back to levels not seen since April and May. But the reality, Sehgal said, is that widespread political resistance to masks is likely a factor in officials' decisions to avoid new mandates, particularly in Virginia, where the ongoing gubernatorial campaign only intensifies the culture wars. "The political resistance is palpable," he said. "You have a group of people who never agreed with things like masking, because unfortunately masks became very political very early. And that challenge, combined with the notion that we are in late-stage pandemic, makes it really difficult for a state, local or national leader to do what scientifically is the right thing to do." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week issued new masking guidelines after the latest research showed the delta variant caused more severe illness and could still be spread by vaccinated people who have breakthrough infections. It recommended all vaccinated or unvaccinated people in areas with substantial or high spread -- constituting all 0f D.C., the majority of Virginia counties and cities and more than half of Maryland counties -- wear masks indoors. Hogan and Northam on Thursday both reiterated that they were not considering reimposing statewide mask mandates, instead emphasizing the importance of getting vaccinated -- the tool that public health officials still urge as the most effective protection and fastest route to end the pandemic. "Mask mandates or shutdowns will not be able to eradicate the threat of the virus or this delta variant," Hogan said, noting the state is at "very low" levels of hospitalizations. Some Republicans have applauded Northam's decision to avoid a state mandate -- while alleging the decision was political. State Sen. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg, for example, told WSET that Northam "doesn't want to hurt Terry McAuliffe's campaign chances by issuing another mask mandate," referring to the Democratic candidate for governor. David Ramadan, a former Republican state delegate who now teaches at George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government, said it's now "election silly season -- where politicians relate every move to some political conspiracy." He pointed out Northam is a doctor first and argued his decision aligns with the CDC's guidance focusing on county-level transmission. Although Northam isn't the one running, GOP gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin has frequently campaigned against Northam's previous pandemic restrictions, arguing they were "arbitrary" and hurt businesses. After Northam noted on Thursday that state legislation requires schools to follow current CDC guidance -- which recommends everyone over the age of 2 wear masks inside school buildings -- Youngkin on Twitter accused Northam of "overreaching and implementing a mask mandate." "We have to respect parents' decisions about their own children. If parents, teachers, & children want to wear a mask then they can -- but there should NOT be a schoolwide mask mandate," the candidate tweeted. A spokesman for McAuliffe said the candidate supports following CDC guidance on masks. Andrew Pennock, a public policy professor at the University of Virginia, said Northam's political quandary is more about compliance than the election. Democrats in Northern Virginia, where vaccination rates are higher than they are in redder parts of the states, likely don't need to be convinced to be more cautious, Pennock said. But places where mask mandates would be most beneficial -- in less vaccinated areas -- are also the most likely to buck them, he said. That leaves the governor with a challenging array of risk levels and attitudes to balance, he said. "He has to save not his political capital, but his ability to persuade," Pennock said. "He can only move people marginally. If he tries to move them too far, they won't move at all. But if he tries to move them a little bit, he can move them a little bit." In a statement, a spokeswoman for Northam, Alena Yarmosky, said Northam is "focused first and foremost on the health of Virginians," stressing that masks help stop the spread but that vaccination is "the only way to put this pandemic behind us once and for all." An aide in the governor's office added that given transmission rates can vary drastically by community and change daily, "any mandate would be confusing and difficult to enforce." "Instead, the Governor is making it as clear and simple as possible: Get vaccinated," the aide added. Cameron Webb, a doctor who is now a member of the White House covid-19 task force after losing a campaign for Congress against Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., said the localized approach allows officials to be "nimble" in tailoring restrictions to match conditions on the ground. But the fact that there are no masks required in the 116 counties and cities in Virginia that the CDC has labeled as having "substantial" or "high" transmission is concerning, Webb said. "I still take care of covid patients in the hospital," said Webb, who practices at the University of Virginia Medical Center. "Overwhelmingly, the hospitalized patients, the sickest patients who have covid, weren't vaccinated and oftentimes weren't adhering to those public health practices that can keep them safer. Or as I say, they let their guard down. And this is not a moment to have your guard down." Without statewide mask mandates and few county-level rules, school boards have largely become the target of anti-maskers' ire as they continue to consider whether to impose mandates in time for the fall school year in both Maryland and Virginia. Maryland state education officials "strongly recommended" masks for unvaccinated students in the fall. Northam's administration went a step further, urging elementary schools to require both vaccinated and unvaccinated students and staff to wear masks -- since children under 12 aren't yet eligible for vaccines -- while urging the same for unvaccinated people in middle or high schools. Northam's mere recommendation had some Republican lawmakers up in arms. In a tweet labeled "misleading" by Twitter, Good linked to a story about Virginia's new mask guidance, argued masks made no significant difference in stopping the spread of covid-19, and then urged Virginia school boards: "JUST SAY NO!" Anti-mask parents in Virginia Beach drew national headlines while protesting at a school board meeting where masks rules were up for discussion, calling masks "child abuse" and berating board members as "monsters" or "hypocrites" for debating masks guidelines while maskless. In D.C., the only locality in the region with a full mandate in place, Bowser had to respond to similar accusations of hypocrisy over the weekend after being photographed maskless at a table during an indoor wedding reception just after her new mask order went into effect. Bowser's mask order includes an exception for eating and drinking, which spokespeople said she was doing at the table, although The Washington Post's Fact Checker gave Bowser four Pinocchios after a video emerged of the mayor failing to put on a mask when the meal was over. Sehgal applauded D.C.'s decision to return to indoor masking requirements early despite the ongoing political tension and hoped more officials would follow suit. Nine states plus Puerto Rico have reinstated mask orders, mostly for unvaccinated people, with Louisiana becoming the latest on Monday due to the spike in new cases tied to the delta variant. "If we wait, if we wait long enough for cases to climb, then we're going to have to mandate masks," he said. If officials do it now, he said, "we prevent a lot of illness and potentially death." These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales. A few hours ago a comprehensive leak gave us all the details regarding Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Z Fold3, and now it's time for the exact same thing to happen to the other foldable smartphone the company plans on unveiling at its August 11 event - the Galaxy Z Flip3. At this rate, we're not sure the event itself serves any purpose other than outing some promo videos. Anyway, let's dive right in. The Galaxy Z Flip3 will run Android 11 with One UI 3.1 on top, even though Google will probably release Android 12 to its Pixels within days or weeks after the Flip's announcement. That's how it goes with Samsung's August unveilings, though. The phone has a 6.7-inch internal display with 1080x2640 resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate, as well as a 1.9-inch 260x512 external screen. The glass 'back' that folds in half is covered in Gorilla Glass Victus. Running the show is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, paired with 8GB of RAM and 128/256GB of non-expandable UFS 3.1 storage. The main camera system consists of a 12 MP f/1.8 main sensor with OIS, and a 12 MP f/2.2 fixed-focus ultrawide. On the inside screen there's a 10 MP f/2.4 hole-punch selfie camera. The phone has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, an IPx8 rating for water resistance (but not dust), dual-SIM support through one nanoSIM and one eSIM, and a 3,300 mAh battery. The device measures 166 x 72.2 x 6.9mm when opened, and weighs 183g. It's expected to start at 1,099 in the Eurozone, and possibly $1,099 in the US. It will be offered in Phantom Black, Cream, and Lavender color versions. Samsung has tested the hinge mechanism 200,000 times, which means you should be fine for more than five years of opening and closing it 100 times a day. Source (in German) Haiti - News : Zapping... Moise assassination : Delay in the appointment of the investigating judge The judge in charge of the investigation of the case of the assassination of Jovenel Moise which was to be unveiled Thursday https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34402-haiti-flash-the-file-on-the-assassination-of-president-moise-finally-transferred-to-the-investigation-cabinet.html will be known this Friday, announced, the Dean of the Court of First Instance of Port-au-Prince, Bernard Sainvil, explaining that he will make his choice depending on the specialty and the experience of the examining magistrate specifying having had discussions with several judges. In addition, he informs that he requested, on Wednesday, from the authorities concerned, a set of means to be made available, as quickly as possible, to the judge who will be in charge of the case so that he can complete his investigation. 3 bandits killed by the Police Thursday August 5 around 4:30 pm on the National road # 8 between the Spanish and Falaise streets, 3 individuals who were circulating aboard a boxer brand motorcycle, red and black, opened fire on a police patrol of Croix-des-Bouquets who immediately responded. During the exchange of fire with law enforcement, the 3 individuals were fatally injured. The BRH injects US $ 15 million On Thursday August 5, 2012, the Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BRH) injected US $ 15 million into the foreign exchange market to support available supply. This amount is distributed and sold on the market according to the conditions set by the central bank. PHTK will not run for election On Thursday on a radio station in the Capital, Line Balthazar (Leader of the PHTK political party) again rejected the electoral plans and the referendum promoted by Prime Minister Ariel Henry Balthazar, who is the subject of a warrant to bring https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34395-icihaiti-assassination-of-the-president-5-new-suspects.html for his alleged link with the assassination of former President Moise, assured that the PHTK was not one of the 117 parties registered for the next elections https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34385-haiti-news-zapping.html Colombia out of the plot Colombian President Ivan Duque speaking on the assassination of his counterpart Jovenel Moise on Panama TVN said that the assassination of the President of Haiti was neither planned nor carried out from Colombia. He asserted that there was a big plot around this assassination "There are much higher political interests which could be at the origin of this assassination and which should be the subject of an investigation by the Haitian authorities." Vaccination compulsory at OFNAC In a note dated August 4, the Administrative Directorate of the National Office of Civil Aviation (OFNAC), informs all employees that it is mandatory to be vaccinated in the face of the threat of Covid and its variants. Otherwise, employees will be required to present a copy of a negative test every Monday to gain access to the OFNAC building from September 1, 2021. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - FLASH : EDH power plants fuel theft network Michel Presume, the Director General of EDH informs that on August 5, 2021 during an inspection, it was noted the disappearance of more than 4,000 gallons of diesel on an order of 18,000 gallons at the Central Carrefour 3. Two trucks of fuel and their drivers were kept on site. A third driver fled, abandoning his truck before being checked. Similar cases have been reported in Les Cayes and Port-de-Paix. "Upon investigation, EDH discovered a fuel theft ring operating in the company's production plants. Significant differences were noted between the quantities of fuel ordered and those delivered. A situation which seriously affects the functioning of our various power plants," explained Michel Presume. The General Directorate promises to its subscribers to take all the necessary measures to put out of harm's way this mafia network in order to improve the supply of electric current. See also : https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34411-icihaiti-flash-the-peligre-plant-occupied-and-under-the-threat-of-armed-individuals.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34054-icihaiti-justice-resurgence-of-cases-of-theft-of-electricity.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-33962-icihaiti-edh-electricity-production-continues-to-decline-in-the-metropolitan-area.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Martissant : A mini-bus targeted Thursday August 5, 2021, in Martissant, unidentified armed individuals shot at a mini public transport bus full of passengers, who tried to cross the portion between Martissant 15 and 17. The driver was killed and the mini bus was hit a concrete separator before overturning, causing injuries to several passengers, some seriously. With the absence of an ambulance in this dangerous, gang-controlled area, several injured people were transported to hospital by courageous citizens... 3 children burned alive 3 children (2 boys and a girl), were charred in the fire of a house in Bonbon (Dept. GrandAnse). The mother (30 years old) was absent at the time of the tragedy. Assassination of the President : Still no investigating judge Friday, Me Bernard Sant-Vil, Dean of the Civil Court of Port-au-Prince, has still not succeeded in finding a judge with the required skills who agrees to investigate the very delicate and dangerous case of the assassination of the President Jovenel Moise. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34417-haiti-news-zapping.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34402-haiti-flash-the-file-on-the-assassination-of-president-moise-finally-transferred-to-the-investigation-cabinet.html Appeal of Judge Wendelle Coq Thelot postponed Friday, August 6, 2021, the summary court could not rule on the appeal brought by Judge Wendelle Coq Thelot against the arrest warrant, the departure ban and the search notice https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34333-icihaiti-justice-arrest-of-the-former-magistrate-at-the-court-of-cassation-wendelle-coq-thelot.html issued against her due to the absence of the Public Prosecutor's Office. The judge of the raison , the dean Bernard Saint-Vil chose the Judge Godelie Joseph to represent the Public Ministry and put the case in continuation to Wednesday August 11 next. A historic meeting "At the invitation of Dr Ariel Henry, I participated, alongside former Heads of Government, in a historic meeting on the current situation in the country. The need for a political agreement got the better of ideological differences. May Haiti, my country, benefit from the fallout" ex-Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34420-haiti-politic-towards-the-establishment-of-a-forum-of-former-prime-ministers.html Important meeting of the PM with the CMEP On August 4, Prime Minister ai, Ariel Henry, held a very productive working session with members of the Public Enterprise Modernization Council (CMEP) to inquire about the various issues they are working on and the difficulties that the institution faces as part of its mission. HL/ HaitiLibre Korean Movie | 2008 Comedy Romantic comedy Melodrama Romance Directed by Lee In-soo () Written by Lee In-soo () Son Jeong-eun () 90min | Release date in South Korea: 2008/09/04 Mimi falls in love with Albert while working for the Korean embassy in the United States. But Albert disappears on the day he is supposed to propose to her. In fact, he is an FBI agent and has to conceal that fact. Mimi returns to her hometown when her visa expires. Albert follows her to Korea but Mimi and her neighbors are not happy with his belated apology. Source Published on 2021/08/07 | Source Korean omnibus movie "Surviving in Hell Joseon" added to HanCinema database Advertisement "Surviving in Hell Joseon" (2021) Directed by Kim Jeong-tae-I, Kim Kyung-jae, Mun Jeong-mi With Chun In-seo, Chae Song-hwa,... Synopsis The story of four women who somehow want to survive in this hellish world. "Surviving in Hell Joseon" "Deux Ex Machina" ( , de-u-seu ek-seu ma-ki-na) In-hye, a job seeker who continues to fail to get a job, knows a special and dangerous way to improve her intellectual skills. "Poor Fighter" (, pu-eo-pa-i-teo) Academic background, appearance, specification, whatever, but the only specialty of the unemployed food fighter challenger Seon-mi is 'eating well'. "302" (302, 302-ho) Mi-yeong works hard in the factory due to difficult family conditions. Financially, even her boyfriend only depends on her. Then one day another woman named Min-ji appears at the factory. Mi-yeong envies Min-ji, who has a pretty appearance and a talented boyfriend. Mi-yeong is trying to fake things and kick Min-ji out of the factory dormitory... "Can I Kill Myself?" ( , ja-sal-hae-do doe-na-yo) An elementary school student writes 'suicide' when asked what she wants to do the most now. A homeroom teacher who is worried about the child meets her parents for counseling, but faces harsh protests from her parents. After that, contrary to her intentions, distorted information spreads rapidly. No release date in Korea yet A BOAT owner is urging parents to stop their children from jumping into the River Thames at Goring lock. Karen Wiles, who lives on a barge is moored nearby, says groups of up to a dozen teenagers regularly dive into the water both upstream and downstream of the gates. She fears there could be an accident because it is difficult to see a young person swimming in the water. Some children jump right in front of boats, which holds up lock crossings, and are seemingly oblivious to the danger. Mrs Wiles, 59, a retired IT professional, says the groups have been appearing regularly since the start of the summer holidays and the end of the coronavirus restrictions. The police have been called to disperse groups several times but the youngsters always return, sometimes within hours. Mrs Wiles says she has seen gatherings of up to 100 youths at locks further up the Thames and doesnt want the problem to get any worse in Goring. She said: I dont want people to think that Im a killjoy. When I shared a warning on Facebook, some people thought I was upset about children swimming in the river generally, which isnt the case. Kids need to have fun but theyve got to have it in the right place. There was always an issue but its getting worse as the weather becomes warmer. I guess theres a lot of pent-up frustration and boredom after months of lockdowns. The lock-keeper has tried telling the young people off but he risks getting a ton of abuse in return and while the police can get the kids to leave the scene, they quickly come back. I dont think they realise the danger theyre putting themselves in and, to be honest, I doubt the parents have any idea where they are or what theyre up to. There could be all kinds of sharp debris under the waters surface, like shopping trolleys, and a boat cant stop suddenly in the way that a car might as it has a far longer stopping distance. You cant just bring 32 tonnes of metal to a halt on water and if anybody gets tangled in a propeller, they arent going to survive. The only option is to throw yourself in reverse but that could endanger people behind you. There have been problems with them running across the gridding [at the weir] and the lock-keeper has even had to stop people from paddleboarding over the weir, which could be lethal if anything went wrong. Were hearing more and more about people drowning in rivers over the summer and Im very concerned that something similar could happen in Goring. Ive spoken to a lot of boat owners who are very angry and feel intimidated by young people hurling absolutely foul language at them if they dare to speak up. Were terrified about what might happen and hope the situation will improve. Id be very worried if I thought my child was involved in anything like this. Dozens of river users left comments online supporting Mrs Wiles. Mary Galer, who runs the Miller of Mansfield restaurant in Goring high street, said: Thank you for your ongoing commitment to keep people safe. I warn my kids every time as they get older and more independent and your sentiments are appreciated. Peter West, who skippers passenger boat services in and around Goring, said: I quite agree. I witnessed a drowning 20 years ago of a 12-year-old who dived in at Wallingford with his friends and didnt come back up. The kids were crying and three hours later the rescue divers found the child tangled up in river weed. It still haunts me today. Similar problems were reported at Hurley lock last summer, when more than 1,000 people descended on the site and damaged equipment owned by the Environment Agency. Handrails were removed and padlocks and fences keeping the public away from electrical equipment were damaged while people were jumping into the water near moving boats. The Environment Agency, which has recorded similar incidents across the country, had to employ a security officer to patrol the area. It says people shouldnt dive or jump into rivers because there could be unseen hazards and shouldnt swim at all near weirs, locks or sluices because they could be pulled down by strong currents. It says young people are most likely to get in trouble but anyone swimming in the river should keep an eye out for boat traffic as they can be difficult to spot, even with high-vis clothing. The agency wouldnt allow the lock-keeper to speak to the Henley Standard. Meanwhile, a bollard on the path leading to a riverside beauty spot in Goring has been replaced at a cost of about 350. It was ripped out and thrown into the river several months ago by kayakers wanting to access an unofficial launch point at the Ferry Lane green space despite the fact that launching vessels there is forbidden by the parish council, which owns the land. The number of unauthorised users increased and this was damaging the verge at the waters edge despite the council spending thousands of pounds on restoring it. Council chairman Kevin Bulmer said improvements would be discussed as part of a review of all the villages green spaces, which will take place over the coming months. Steel Magnolias, the beloved story of a group of Louisiana women who stick together through thick and thin, will be presented Aug. 13-14 by some popular members of J. Frank Dobie High Schools faculty and staff as a fundraiser for their students fall show, Walt Disneys High School Musical. Musicals are super expensive; so this project will help earn funds to produce our schoolwide musical this fall, said director Clinton Hopper, an assistant principal who began working at Dobie in 2010 as a theater teacher. The cast includes Dobies head theater director, Juliet Rogers, as MLynn, the Sally Field role in the 1989 movie version of Robert Starlings hit stage play. Dolly Parton, Olympia Dukakis, Daryl Hannah, Julia Roberts and Shirley MacLaine also gave memorable performances in the film. Rogers is joined by one of Hoppers fellow assistant principals, Lauren Calderaro, as Truvy, the Dolly Parton character whose beauty salon is the setting for the play. Nicole Johnson, a social studies teacher, will portray Clairee, with Tracie Richeson of the Career and Technology Education department as Annelle. Want to go? What: "Steel Magnolias" Where: J. Frank Dobie High School, 10220 Blackhawk Blvd, Houston, TX 77089 When: 7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 13-14 and 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14 Admission: Minimum donation of $10 per adult, $8 per student or other child Information: 713-740-0370; email MagnoliasTickets@gmail.com to reserve tickets. See More Collapse English teacher Rachel Rodriguez is cast as Shelby. Some of the shows funniest lines go to the eternally grouchy Ouiser, played by science teacher Tracy Whatley. I think the performances will remind audiences why Steel Magnolias is a lot of peoples favorite movie or play, said Hopper. The show will be performed in the schools auditorium, where modular platforms have created a small stage surrounded by 100 seats positioned in a circle. Performing it in the round, said Hopper, puts the audience closer to the action and allows the actors to be really natural with their movements. The director added, Now that students are coming back, we have a stage manager and other very talented theater kids getting the lighting and other technical elements together. One of the neatest things about the whole process has been the friendships created between members of the cast, he said. Dobie is a big school; there are 200 people in every teachers meeting. So, most of the ladies had never interacted with one another. The relationships built during rehearsals are a crucial part of their performances, and they are great. For Hopper, the opportunity to raise money for High School Musical and advertise its upcoming production in November draws on his years of experience in theater. The graduate of Tomball High School earned a bachelor of fine arts in directing in 2004 at Texas State University and a master of fine arts in directing at the University of Houston in 2010. He also ran a Houston theater company, the Nova Arts Project, and has directed at other Houston venues. This is kind of a lark, he said. Don Maines is a freelance writer who can be contacted at donmaines@att.net Magnolia ISDs Summer Camp Adventures put together a new Teen Leaders Camp, headed by Magnolia West High graduate and current Texas A&M student Giovanna Fly, the district announced in a news release. The camp was established for students ages 11-12 who were interested in building leadership skills, listening to guest speakers, and partaking in service-learning projects and team-building activities. All 25 individuals, and their guardian, submitted applications and were chosen to participate in the program during the summer, according to the district. I met friends that I never thought I would meet, student Averie said via the news release. I had more fun than I would have had if I stayed home. It was a great summer. -From the Magnolia ISD website Partnership to bring more library resources to Tomball ISD A partnership between Tomball ISD, Lone Star College-Tomball and Harris County Public Library/LSC-Tomball Community Library has brought about a new initiative called SPARK to support education and literacy goals. SPARK, which stands for Sharing, Partnering and Reaching for Knowledge, will make resource sharing and library cards more accessible to individuals, an Aug. 2 press release announced. Tomball, Magnolia school notebook: Tomball, Magnolia ISD starting school year soon Focused on several key concepts including innovation, creativity, accessibility and communication, the partnership intends to enhance the educational experience for students and teachers. Four specific areas will be addressed as the partnership progresses: library cards, resource sharing, library learning corners, and program collaboration and communication. The SPARK partnership aims to provide library cards to every Tomball ISD student and teacher without requiring them to visit a physical library to register for a card. On HoustonChronicle.com: Magnolia ISD wants to address learning loss in new school year Tomball ISDs students, faculty and librarians will also gain more access to a variety of HCPL resources both electronically and through a new material delivery service. Additionally, the partnership is also planning to create library learning corners in Tomball ISD libraries, which will house an assortment of materials from different HCPL resources. The partnering institutions will also work together to develop a variety of new activities, programs, and events. -Contributed by Tomball ISD Tax rate drop proposed The Magnolia ISD Board of Trustees proposed a 7 percent decrease in the current tax rate, or 8.7 pennies, during the Aug. 2 budget workshop. The board recommended a tax rate of $1.1872 which is the lowest in over 20 years, according to a Magnolia ISD news announcement. Furthermore, the district estimates the average homeowner to save roughly $60 a year. A balanced budget for the 2021-22 school year featuring a bond defeasance plan was presented by Assistant Superintendent Erich Morris. First-year teacher salaries and other benefits were also discussed and the board approved a $1,000 retention pay for employees. According to the announcement, the retention pay is scheduled to be on employees Aug. 15 paycheck. The hearing for the budget and tax rate proposal is scheduled for Aug. 23. -From the Magnolia ISD website Teacher Saldana honored by Region 6 Magnolia High English teacher Kristen Saldana was named Region 6 Teacher of the Year, Magnolia ISD announced in a news release. Saldana has 20 years of education experience and was also named district Secondary Teacher of the Year. It is important to me that students can see themselves with the reading we do in class and I try to make learning relevant through unique classroom experiences, Saldana said via the news release. What the students learn from these types of activities will live on in them as they move into adulthood and into the real world. Saldana was presented the award by Region 6 Deputy Director of Administrative Services Brian Zemlicka. When the committee sat down to review the applications, this one immediately rose to the top, Zemlicka said via the news release. There is no doubt in my mind that she is a top contender for the Texas Teacher of the Year. -From the Magnolia ISD website New teachers officially welcomed Tomball ISD held its district-wide New Teacher Academy, officially welcoming 260 new teachers ahead of the 2021-22 school year, the district announced in a news release. The three-day event was held at Tomball High and was intended to help new teachers launch their career by meeting district leaders, offering professional development opportunities. Teachers were greeted with a welcome breakfast, a group session and visited 50 local businesses and organizations via the New Teacher vendor fair. The event featured welcome addresses, presentations and an invocation from current and former administrators including Board President Matt Schiel, remarks by the Tomball Education Foundation and giveaways from the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce. In the end, parents want great teachers and want those teachers to truly care about their kids, Board President Matt Schiel said via Tomball ISD. We, as School Board members, are here to help you and encourage you. We want you to be successful. The reining elementary and secondary teachers of the year also addressed the crowd as well as Superintendent of Schools Martha Salazar-Zamora. You are shaping the future, Salazar-Zamora said via Tomball ISD. You are making a difference. There is no role in this district that is any more important than any other. We are all in this together. We make Team Tomball. -From the Tomball ISD website Principal Quinn honored Magnolia High Principal Greg Quinn was presented with the Outstanding School Administrator Award by the Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas at the ATAT Professional Development Conference in San Antonio, Magnolia ISD announced in a press release. Quinn was honored for supporting the agriculture science and technical field and FFA programs. He was nominated by Magnolia High teacher Bethany Goodman. -From the Magnolia ISD website alvaro.montano@chron.com A Harris County jury on Thursday convicted a man of capital murder in the death of a woman who was shot in 2018 after she refused to hand over her phone outside her Myrtle town home. Dondrick Flagg, 31, was automatically sentenced to life in prison after the jury handed down their decision following a week-long trial, according to the Harris County district attorneys office. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty for Flagg, who was charged with capital murder. Flagg approached Tiffany McKnight about 9 p.m. April 21, 2018, as she sat in her car outside her home in the 2500 block of Reed Road after picking up spaghetti to make with her son and mother, prosecutors said. McKnight was on the phone with her sister when she saw Flagg, who asked if he could use her phone. When McKnight said no, Flagg pulled her out of the car and shot her multiple times, prosecutors said. This was a cold and calculated murder that happened because this man decided he wanted to use a gun to rob and steal, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. He made a choice to try to take someone elses property, and when it did not go as planned, he reverted to deadly violence. When police found Flagg shortly after the shooting, he was wearing a lanyard with McKnights keys and a photo of her with her boyfriend around his neck, prosecutors said. Officers also found his semi-automatic gun near the scene of the crime. Flagg had previously served a two-year prison sentence after violating the terms of his probation on a burglary charge from 2010 in Fort Bend County. Metro Video The Harris County Sheriff's Office is searching for multiple suspects involved in a Friday night shooting outside a Kroger store north of Jersey Village that sent a man to the hospital with two gunshot wounds. Authorities said the shooting appeared to arise from a domestic dispute that did not involve the injured man, who was struck while inside his vehicle in the parking lot shortly before midnight. He was transported to Ben Taub Hospital and was expected to survive, according to a Harris County Sheriff's Office lieutenant. Carissa Baldwin-McGinnis has a little more than a week until school starts and a big dilemma. Her 7-year-old daughter was born with a hole in her heart and has Down syndrome. She benefits the most from in-person learning in the classroom, but her underlying health conditions could make her particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. The virus can cost her her life, Baldwin-McGinnis said. Im very concerned that my child is going to be at greater risk this year because public schools wont keep doing the same safety practices they followed last year. With the school year set to kick off as early as this week in some districts, Baldwin-McGinnis is one of many parents across the Houston region expressing a mix of frustration, confusion and anxiety as they prepare to send their children back to classes amid a surge of COVID-19 infections that is straining area hospitals and prompting alarm once again from local officials. Uppermost among those concerns, of course, is the possibility young and unvaccinated children could become ill with COVID-19 or its highly contagious delta variant. Children under 12 are not eligible for any vaccines currently on the market. For parents, the questions extend to the schools, as well: Will administrators notify them if their child has been exposed to the coronavirus? Will the same health and safety protocols in place for the last 18 months still be in force? Will students and teachers wear masks? Will remote learning be available? Will children exposed to someone with COVID have to quarantine for a time? If so, how will they catch up? It is painful as a parent to feel like I cant influence my childrens learning environment to protect her and keep her safe, said Baldwin-McGinnis. We have so little we can do. All Houston-area school districts have spent the summer working to answer those kinds of questions and formulate plans for the 2021-22 academic year. Some of that work still is going on as school leaders have sought more help from the Texas Education Agency. The TEA issued new guidance this week, allowing schools to offer up to 20 days of remote instruction for students who become ill with COVID or have to quarantine following close contact with an infected person. TEA previously had said there would be no virtual schooling during the 2021-22 school year because the Texas Legislature did not provide funding for online learning. Additionally, under the new guidance schools will not be required to perform contact tracing when infections are confirmed, nor will they be required to notify parents when their children have been in contact with an infected person. The guidelines are viewed by some as a reasonable first step, but parents still say they have a lot of questions about how districts and schools will operate. At least nine districts in Greater Houston La Porte, Texas City, Santa Fe, Spring Branch, Pearland, Katy, Galveston, Clear Creek and Conroe ISDs say they plan to notify parents when a student tests positive for COVID-19. Plans and policies in other districts vary and many said they still were reviewing the new TEA guidance and finalizing their start-of-school plans. All these questions are still being discussed and ironed out, said Art Del Barrio, director of communications at Pasadena ISD, where school begins Aug. 17. (It) would be negligent to comment until decisions are made. Humble and Conroe ISDs appear to be the only districts in the region so far with plans to offer remote instruction for the upcoming year for students who had signed up for it. A Humble ISD spokeswoman said the district would pay for it through its fund balance or federal COVID relief money. Almost a third of the districts students opted for online instruction last year. Aldine ISD may do the same. Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer District officials did not earmark federal relief funds for virtual learning in its plans, spokeswoman Sheleah Reed said. However, we know that the funds were designed to accelerate learning and mitigate the spread of COVID, Reed said. Based on that description, the funds could be used for virtual learning. Remote instruction was a popular choice in Aldine ISD last school year, with nearly half the student body remaining online. At Houston ISD, the largest public school district in the state, new Superintendent Millard House II said earlier in the summer that 100 percent of student learning would be on campus. House surprised many Thursday when he announced he would propose a mask mandate for all students and staff in HISD facilities and buses to the school board next week. If approved, the mandate would go against Gov. Greg Abbotts executive order barring schools and government agencies from enacting mask requirements. The rate of COVID-19 cases is rising in our communities and Harris County is now at threat level red, House said. We must remain vigilant and use every tool we have to keep this virus at bay. Therefore, the mask mandate will become effective upon board approval. While the district intends to keep some safety measures in place such as plexiglass dividers and limited campus visitation it will forgo other practices, according to the back to school plan. For instance, the district's current plan says there will be no formal screening and encourages individuals to self-monitor for symptoms, check temperatures and stay home when sick. Additionally, limits on capacity and attendance have been lifted. A more thorough plan is expected to be released soon. In Montgomery County, Marissa Mapes, a 42-year-old mother to two elementary-aged kids, said she has been pressing Conroe ISD officials for answers to her questions before school begins Wednesday: What will be considered an outbreak? What will students do if a classroom is shut down? I wish I knew what steps are being taken for public safety to turn this around for the better, Mapes said. Is there any plan? I wish there was a plan. Montgomery County Public Health Authority Dr. Charles Sims told district boards and superintendents it was their responsibility to strongly recommend and require masks and vaccinations. Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Until the current wave of new COVID-19 infections is over, mask utilization and a continued push to achieve higher levels of vaccination are the only ways to keep schools successfully open, Sims said in a letter that can be found on Conroe ISDs website. In La Porte, Tricia Cave, mother to a teen, said she may resume the practice of having everyone in the household take off their clothes when they get home and putting them in the washer. A couple of weeks ago, Cave said, her daughter went to a cheer camp in Galveston. About half her team since has since tested positive for COVID-19, she said. As an educator, it is very frustrating to me because I saw what worked last year, said Cave, who teaches high school in another district. This year its like, Lets just throw caution to the wind and throw everybody into a room at the same time and just hope it works out with no masks. It is just nonsensical, in my opinion. I dont understand. So, I am really nervous. Roxanne Werner, whose son will be a second-grader in HISD, said she initially was really, really nervous when he was set to return to in-person instruction last fall. She said she felt better after reading the districts precautions and because there remained an option for him to learn virtually. Now she worries about the protocols that will not be in place, including capacity limits that promote social distancing. With school set to start Aug. 23, Werner said she is nervous once again. She has told her son to wear his mask and wash his hands. She plans to check his temperature herself. Any sniffle or cough, she said, will result in him staying home. Werner said she considered sending her son to a private school that will require masks, but the cost and availability forced her to put that idea aside. She also considered finding a virtual school, but said that would be difficult because she works full time. I have been just rolling every possible scenario around in my head and there is not a good one, Werner said. At this point, I am just hoping with everything I have that the governor will listen to everybody, right? Godofredo A. Vasquez/Staff photographer She was referring to Abbotts ban on mask mandates. Not everybody wants a mask mandate, though. Charles Titus, the father of a Lamar CISD student, called requiring children to wear face coverings borderline abuse. My kids and I have never masked up not one time and were fine, he said at a gathering of parents asking Fort Bend ISD to keep masks optional at the school systems administration building on Wednesday. Titus also said he does not want his children to receive the vaccine because they dont need it. At Texas Childrens Hospital, Dr. Carol Liu said she has been seeing children sick with COVID almost every day. People think children cant get sick with COVID, the mother of two said. Thats just not true. Working on the front lines, Im seeing children that require intubation in an intensive care unit. Its not worth the risk of being unmasked, she said. Even if one childs life is saved, its worth saving. alejandro.serrano@chron.com hannah.dellinger@chron.com Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital is at critical capacity due to the latest wave of COVID-19, according to an internal email the hospital confirmed was sent to staff Friday. The hospital in Shenandoah is currently treating 90 patients in its 20-bed emergency department, the email said, and another 50 are waiting for intensive care unit beds to open up. LEFT SCRAMBLING: As COVID strains Houston hospitals, smaller facilities rush to transfer patients out of state We are experiencing an unprecedented COVID-19 surge, said Dr. Jason Knight, the hospitals Chief Medical Officer, in the email. We need and request that the entire medical staff rally together to help. The correspondence asks medical personnel to discharge their patients as quickly as is safely possible in an attempt to meet demand. On Friday night, a spokesperson for Houston Methodist Hospital confirmed the email was sent confidentially to medical staff. 'IT WAS TOO LATE': A Houston restaurant owners says he was brainwashed into not trusting the vaccine. Then he got COVID. "All Houston hospitals are experiencing crowded ERs," the spokesperson said. "We can confirm our emergency rooms are full around our system of Houston Methodist hospitals as we continue to see a surge in COVID-19 patients." The statement said that the hospital is still treating all patients who arrive and that safety is its top priority. "We continue to safely care for our patients COVID and non-COVID," reads the statement. We, as a team, with all hands on deck and along with our other system hospitals, have been able to triage, stabilize and care for all patients. Our medical staff are incredible partners, and we know that when asked to help they always rise to the occasion. Today we have 562 COVID-19 inpatients across our hospital system. We encourage the public to get vaccinated. The email comes as the spread of the virus has worsened in the Houston region in the past month. Hospitalizations have increased for the last 20 days and the positivity rate is now 16 percent. On Friday in the 25-county region, there were 49 open ICU beds. The day is tied with July 16, 2020 for the fewest hospital beds during the pandemic. Experts blame the current surge in cases on low vaccination rates and the highly transmissible delta variant. Mayor's Office Press Release Mayor Turner Joins Family of 36th President & Community Leaders to Dedicate Monuments to Lyndon B Johnson and Apollo I Memorial August 6, 2021 -- Mayor Sylvester Turner today accepted on behalf of the City of Houston a statue dedicated to Americas 36th President Lyndon Baines Johnson and an additional Memorial to the astronauts who perished in testing the Apollo I module in 1967. Mayor Turner was joined at the statue unveiling by LBJs daughters Lynda Bird Robb and Luci Baines Johnson, attorney Charles Foster, and members of the Lyndon B. Johnson Advisory Board. Vice President Kamala Harris sent a video message honoring the legacy of President Johnson. President Johnson led through extremely difficult timesthrough national grief, through global threats, through deep-seeded injustice. And I believe that there are lessons we can learn from this monument of a man and apply to the moment we're in, said Vice President Harris. President Johnson regularly ranks as one of the greatest presidents based on his extraordinary legislative achievements, including the three seminal civil rights bills that after 100 years achieved full legal rights for all Americans. Also included in President Johnson's extraordinary portfolio is the Immigration Act of 1965, which opened legal immigration from all nations equally, based upon family reunification and needed job skills in the United States. Development for the monument was initiated by Houston attorney Charles C. Foster, who served with David B. Jones as co-chairmen of the Lyndon B. Johnson Monument Advisory Board, raising all funds for the direct costs from private donors. This project could not have been accomplished without Mayor Sylvester Turner, who provided us the park space and his full support, said Mr. Foster. On this date, August 6 in 1965, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. As we reflect on this historic occasion, it is hard to believe that we are still working to uphold the rights of ALL eligible voters. President Johnson was a Southern white man from Texas fighting for civil rights and during his lifetime changed the course of history both politically and socially. The LBJ and Apollo I Monuments are located adjacent to the Federal Courthouse on Bagby St. at 400 Rusk Ave. and sit in the park space previously known as Little Tranquillity Park. The unveiling accompanies the reopening of Bagby St. with a significant enhancement of wider sidewalks and design elements. Also dedicated Friday at Little Tranquillity Park was a memorial to Apollo I astronauts Command Pilot Gus Grissom, Senior Pilot Edward White and Pilot Roger Chaffee, who perished on January 27, 1967, while testing their capsule prior to launch. Little Tranquillity Park has contained for years two small memorials to the astronauts of the Space Shuttles Challenger and Columbia, who perished in service of their country. The memorials include two semicircles of seven Magnolia trees, with each tree representing one of the astronauts. The new Apollo I memorial includes the planting of three additional Magnolia trees, each representing one of the astronauts. The LBJ Monument joins a series of monuments along Bagby St., including the George Bush Monument, the James Baker Monument across the bayou from the Bush Monument, and the Barbara Jordan Monument at the new Post HTX development on Franklin St. Further south from the LBJ Monument, a seated bronze sculpture of Barbara Bush will be placed at the new Barbara Bush Literacy Plaza in front of the Central Library. This is a special day for Houston, and I hope people from all walks of life will visit the site honoring President Johnson and the astronauts who gave their lives in service to our country, Mayor Turner said. On this date, August 6 in 1965, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. As we reflect on this historic occasion, it is hard to believe that we are still working to uphold the rights of ALL eligible voters. President Johnson was a Southern white man from Texas fighting for civil rights and during his lifetime changed the course of history both politically and socially." The monument design team was comprised of renowned sculptor Chas Fagan, who created the 8 bronze statue of President Johnson, and Gensler Architect, led by Sharon Steinberg and C.K. Pang. Gensler previously worked on the design of the George Bush and James Baker monuments and the Robert Mosbacher Memorial Bridge connecting the two. W.S. Bellows Construction served as lead contractor. Landscaping design was handled by Lauren Griffith Associates. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. Berkshire Camino CEO Mindy Miraglia, right, with walkers on one of her tours. Miraglia offers safe but adventurous walkabouts in the Berkshires. Berkshire Camino Aims to Provide Safe, Immersive Walking Experiences Mindy Miraglia founded the walking tour business after being inspired during a visit to Spain. LEE, Mass. Berkshire Camino a woman-owned walking tour business has been leading safe, intention-focused adventures through the nooks and crannies of Berkshire County for one year. A success story from a dark time for small businesses, it launched in June 2020 with programming on two routes and now offers guided walks on seven different routes and growing. The trips range from one hour to five hours for all comfort levels. "The mission of Berkshire Camino is to make it easy, safe, and engaging for people to take long-distance hikes in the Berkshires," founder and CEO Mindy Miraglia said. "And I put 'long' in sort of parentheses, because what we are naturally learning by doing this is not everybody wants to take a long walk, and that's part of why we're offering different durations and distances and routes so that we can give people the choice of what actually works for them, because not everybody has this journey, this pilgrimage kind of mindset." The business became a limited liability company in June 2020 during the thick of the pandemic but has been in the works since 2017 when Miraglia left her full-time job and stepped off the "corporate career track" that she had been on for 30 years. Miraglia's journey led her to the Camino de Santiago in Spain in June 2018, which is the inspiration for her business's name. Also known as the Way of St. James, it is a 500-mile pilgrimage of medieval origin to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, in northwest Spain. "I had heard about the Camino de Santiago in Spain and it seemed like a really ambitious idea that I really didn't know if I have the physical or mental ability to take on, but I suddenly had this precious time in my life when I could give it a try, and so I did," she explained. "So I ended up researching and training and getting ready to go to Spain and I walked the Camino for the first time in May in June of 2018, I was already having entrepreneurial ideas at that point, but I wasn't yet really certain, and that trip helped me to really appreciate what it is to take these long distance type hikes." With the addition of seven trail support staff and a Berkshire Camino van, the solo entrepreanuer has expanded the businesses to offer what she describes as a "sacred walking journey" to a wealth of locals and tourists alike. As a former member of the 1Berkshire Business Boot Camp and the inaugural cohort of the Entrepreneurship For All mentoring program, she used those learned skills to make her ideas a reality operating virtually out of Lee. Her priorities include locally curated routes that encourage curiosity, safe paths that encourage meaningful engagement with natural surroundings, community building, and unplugging from daily life. "The lead guides are first aid and CPR certified, we carry first aid kits, we've got a safety protocol, we've got liability insurance," Miraglia added. "This is this is a real business, this isn't just somebody who will say, 'come on, I'll take you for a hike.'" The activities are designed to be a miniature version of the pilgrimage Miraglia experienced in Spain, setting an intention and using silence and chatter to unwind and feel more resolved about some aspect of life. "I really appreciate it understanding how there's this infrastructure in Spain, that supports people who do these long-distance walks, and the infrastructure includes the hostels and the cafes, and the outfitter stores and the guidebooks and there's like a whole industry around it. And so I came back with this thought that it would be really amazing to establish hostels here in the Berkshires, to support people who want to do long-distance hiking," she said. "My mentors helped me to see that this idea of experiential programming and taking people outside and guiding them on hikes and walks were of the moment and I had been thinking about that, but I thought that would come later I thought it was hostels, and then this, this experiential programming, so now I flip-flopped it, there may still be hostels down the road, still part of the long-term vision." Staying in a hostel is a part of the pilgrimage experience, she said, and is also inexpensive. "This sort of communal idea, when it comes to lodging is part of what makes the Camino de Santiago what it is," She explained. "You're meeting people, you know, you're sleeping in the same place, it's this real sense of community, and people are coming together from all over the world, and so it's not just you in the walk, but it's the people that you meet. So I would really love to find some partners with existing infrastructure that would like to work with us to make this as economical as possible." Right now, Berkshire Camino's entire guide team is comprised of women. This was not intentional and will likely not be forever, but Miraglia is using it as an advantage to get women into the woods and feel supported. In early August, she will be running a Berkshire Resident Appreciation week, offering a half-off discount to fellow county dwellers. For more information visit www.berkshirecamino.com. This week, United told employees that it's now going to require its entire workforce to get vaccinated against Covid-19, or else risk losing their jobs. Say this for United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby: Whether you agree with this policy or not -- and I am sure there will be readers who come down on both sides -- it's a bold decision. Among the big U.S. airlines, United is now the first to make this choice. In fact, just yesterday, the CEO of American Airlines, Doug Parker, reiterated his decision not to require vaccinations. At Southwest Airlines, CEO Gary Kelly recently said he isn't even in favor of extending the federal mask requirement. And while many big companies have rolled out employee vaccination requirements, some -- Walmart, for example -- are exempting lower-paid, customer-facing roles, limiting the rules to employees who work in offices. The United decision comes with several strict parameters: First, a vaccination deadline -- either five weeks after the Food & Drug Administration gives final approval to a COVID-19 vaccine, or else October 25, whichever comes first. (The message United sent to its employees says United expects final FDA approval will come sometime early next month.) Second, the airline isn't just taking its workers' word for it. They'll be required to upload their vaccination records to United's employee portal, according to the message, which was sent in the names of Kirby and United's president, Brett Hart. Finally, with the exception of a small number of employees who might be able to show legally required exemptions for health or religious reasons, a United official confirmed that the penalty for noncompliance will be separation from the company. "We know some of you will disagree with this decision," Kirby and Hart's message said, adding: "But, we have no greater responsibility to you and your colleagues than to ensure your safety when you're at work, and the facts are crystal clear: everyone is safer when everyone is vaccinated. Over the last 16 months, Scott has sent dozens of condolence letters to the family members of United employees who have died from COVID-19. We're determined to do everything we can to try to keep another United family from receiving that letter." It's worth noting that United says 90 percent of its pilots and 80 percent of United Airlines flight attendants have already voluntarily uploaded proof of vaccinations to the employee portal. (They were incentivized to share their information, with extra pay or additional vacation days.) And, the union representing United flight attendants sent me a statement that didn't quite endorse the mandate, but said it "shouldn't be a big surprise," and that "[e]xperts agree, vaccination is our best defense against COVID-19 and the extension of harm." So, what's the lesson for your business? Well, we can bemoan the fact that vaccinations have become an enormous and divisive political issue in the United States, but it's the reality. So, I suspect that some of United's employees and passengers will applaud United's decision, while others will object. Likewise, you're going to have to decide, if you haven't already, whether a vaccination mandate is a good choice for your company. And, you're going to have to live with the consequences of how your customers and employees will react, either way. Because even if you don't announce a public policy, people are already asking. And they're making employment and buying decisions informed by where companies land on Covid-19 protocols. It's why big companies are racing to explain their positions, and why, for example, Yelp revealed a new search function this week, designed to allow people to filter even the smallest local businesses based on their pandemic policies. To quote the classic Canadian rock group, Rush: "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice." This all comes down to why I continually suggest that leaders of businesses of all sizes, in almost every industry, should watch what the big airlines do. They're often facing the same problems you are -- only they have to announce their solutions on a world stage, explaining almost every small decision to analysts, journalists, and stakeholders in granular detail. This new decision is no different, even if it is a little more controversial than most. Let us know in the comments what you think of United's decision--and what the policy at your company should be. There are two big questions facing almost every company right now. The first is when to bring people back to the office. It's a tricky question considering that Covid-19 cases are, once again, on the rise. Many companies are understandably anxious to get everyone back in the office, but there is increasing pushback from employees who have worked remotely for more than a year, and are just as anxious about going back. The other, far more fraught question is whether to require them to be vaccinated when they do. That question raises all kinds of issues about personal choice, public health, and accountability. It's not a legal question, by the way. The law is clear that employers can mandate that employees be vaccinated or lose their jobs. That doesn't make it any less challenging to implement at any company. On the first question, many tech companies had planned to start bringing people back to the office either full-time, or in some form of hybrid schedule where employees work a few days a week in the office, and the rest at home. Apple, for example, said it would expect employees to be in the office three days a week, starting in September. As we get closer to the fall, however, companies are having second thoughts. Apple now says it won't require employees to be back in the office before October as Covid-19 cases rise in cities across the U.S. Other tech companies have already said they don't expect to bring employees back until later in the fall. For now, many companies are opening up on a voluntary basis, allowing employees who want to return to do so, while not requiring it for everyone. As for the latter question, several large corporations have started to draw a line, stating that they will require employees to be vaccinated before returning to work. United Airlines told employees that it will require all employees to be vaccinated no later than October 25. If the FDA gives final approval to vaccines before then, employees will have five weeks to get their shots. If they don't, they'll be fired. Some companies have started already. CNN terminated three employees this week, after it discovered they were working in the office, but were not vaccinated. That's according to a report in the New York Times, which says that it isn't clear how CNN found out about the employees' vaccination status, but that the company was operating on an honor policy and hadn't started requiring proof. CNN had been allowing employees to come back to the office ahead of a planned return for everyone on September 7. It has now said it doesn't expect to have all employees back that soon and may start requiring proof of vaccination before entering the office. There's an interesting balance between the two questions, which is that some people have so far refused to be vaccinated. Another group don't want to return to the office. You might argue that people who would prefer to not get a Covid-19 vaccine should be allowed to stay home. That might be an option for some companies, but in many cases, the goal is to eventually bring everyone back to the office. We can debate whether that's the best decision, but the reality is that every company has to decide what is best for the business, its employees, and its customers. In many cases, that means the boss is going to expect everyone back in the office. And, if your company requires you to work in the office, and mandates that you must be vaccinated to do so, you're going to lose your job if you don't. Requiring employees to be vaccinated is legal, but it also opens companies up to external criticism from those who believe that whether to be vaccinated should be a personal choice. Ultimately, both questions are extremely challenging for employers and business owners right now. For smaller businesses it means balancing often competing interests like the benefits of having your team together, with the need to keep everyone safe and healthy. Tom McCarthy, the director of Stillwater, has finally responded to Amanda Knoxs criticism of the film. Stillwater stars Matt Damon as a father who travels to France to help exonerate his daughter, who is in prison for a murder she claims she didnt commit. The story is partially inspired by what has been described by press as the Amanda Knox saga. Knox, who was acquitted in the case of Meredith Kerchers murder in 2007, claimed that McCarthy and Damon have profited from her wrongful murder conviction in a lengthy Twitter thread that went viral last week. McCarthy and Damon did not immediately respond to Knoxs thread, but in a new interview with Variety, the director has now said: I deeply empathise with Amanda and what she went through. She was rightfully found innocent and acquitted in the Meredith Kercher case. She has platforms to speak her truth and engage with the media and she is exercising her absolute right to do so. But, by her own account, she has not seen Stillwater and what she seems to be raising feels very removed from the film we actually made. He added that Stillwater is a work of fiction and not about her life experience. When asked whether he wished he had spoken with Knox prior to making the film, McCarthy said that because Stillwater is a work of fiction, it would not have been necessary. There were a few entry points that sparked the narrative, including aspects of real-life events but the story and characters within my latest film are all invented, he said. Stillwater, which was given two stars in The Independents review, is out now. Clare Dunn has opened up about a recent assault and her fears that her alleged attacker is still at large. As reported in People, Dunn was allegedly assaulted in the early hours of June 26 at the hands of her Lyft driver following a night out with friends. Dunn managed to call 911 during the altercation and after filing a police report shortly after the incident, Dunn was able to identify her alleged attacker. A warrant is now out for his arrest. Speaking to People, Dunn says she is still fearful because her alleged attacker is still on the streets. Hes out on the street is he doing this to someone else? she told the publication. Does he have a wife hes abusing? Does he have a girlfriend hes abusing like this? Because he obviously has no regard right now. She continued: This has been hell. I dont want anyone else to go through it. In a statement to People, Lyft said, Safety is fundamental to Lyft. The behaviour described is appalling, and we permanently removed the driver from the Lyft platform as soon as we learned of this incident. Weve reached out to Ms Dunn to offer our support and are assisting law enforcement with their investigation. More than a month after the alleged incident, Dunn returned to her farm in Colorado, which she says is a safe place for me right now. If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here. Earlier this week parts of London saw rainfall so intense that one months-worth of water plummeted from the sky in just over an hour. The alarming regularity of deadly extreme weather, from US and Siberian wildfires to flooding in Belgium and Germany, is a grim reminder of the need for low-carbon energy. Nuclear power plants have been put forward as an alternative to fossil fuel-powered plants because they produce no greenhouse gas emissions during operation. However, opponents of nuclear power say the safety concerns and high cost of nuclear power has rendered it obsolete in the face of renewable energy like solar and wind. The arguments for: Over the course of a plants life-cycle, nuclear produces about the same amount of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions per unit of electricity as wind, and one-third of the emissions per unit of electricity when compared with solar, according to the World Nuclear Association. The organisation also claims nuclear power is reliable and can be deployed on a large scale, so it can directly replace fossil fuels for electricity generation. It adds: All technologies that can contribute towards solving one of the greatest challenges faced by humankind should be deployed. We cannot afford to wait, as the impacts of climate change will hit the poorest and most vulnerable first and failing to act will have significant humanitarian consequences. Doug Parr, Greenpeace policy director, says nuclear power is dangerous and inefficient ( Ashley Cooper / Greenpeace) Nuclear energy has shown that it has the potential to be the catalyst for delivering sustainable energy transitions, long before climate change was on the agenda. France generates over 70% of its electricity from nuclear power the largest nuclear share of any country globally and its electricity sector emissions are one-sixth of the European average. In around 15 years, nuclear power went from playing a minor role in the French electricity system to producing the majority of its electricity, showing that nuclear energy can be expanded at the speed required to effectively combat climate change. Many proponents of nuclear power also cite the uncertainty of renewable energys reliance on the right type of weather to generate power, although critics say this can be countered with energy storage and distribution technologies. The arguments against: Greenpeace claims nuclear power is incredibly expensive, creates huge amounts of hazardous waste, and is slow to build, while renewable energy can slash emissions cheaper and quicker. The environmental organisation cites the UKs new Hinkley Point C reactor, which could cost over 25 billion by the time its finished in 2025 at the earliest eight years behind schedule. Even without accidents like Chernobyl and Fukushima, nuclear power creates radioactive waste at every stage of production, including uranium mining and reprocessing of spent reactor fuel, Greenpeace adds. Some of this waste will remain dangerously radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years, yet nobody knows of a way to safely store it so problems arent created for future generations. Greenpeace policy director, Doug Parr, told the Independent: They have been trying for 70 years but there is still no workable plan for nuclear waste. Nuclear waste must not re-emerge into the environment for a quarter of a million years. If we had buried nuclear waste under the Great Pyramid of Giza when it was built, just 2% of the time it needs to become safe would have passed. The Fukushima disaster was the most severe nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986 (Kyodo News) Mr Parr says terrorism and security is an added concern. He says there have been plans to attack nuclear plants and associated infrastructure by terrorists who want to create devastating dirty bombs. He said: No one worries about a terrorist crashing a plane into a wind farm. Nuclear power is also seen as far too expensive compared to renewables. Professor Rob Gross, director of the UK Energy Research Centre, recently told Politics Home: Individual renewable schemes, even big schemes like offshore wind farms, are relatively small and relatively cheap compared to a nuclear power station, and theyre also relatively quick to build. So nuclear power has really struggled to find finance, and is now looking expensive compared to renewables. Another criticism of nuclear power is that it is less reliable than in the past thanks to the climate crisis An analysis by scientific journal Nature Energy found higher temperatures mean that natural cooling sources like rivers, oceans, and lakes are becoming less efficient heat sinks for nuclear power plants. Meanwhile, hurricanes and typhoons have become the leading causes of nuclear outages, at least in North America and South and East Asia. Overall, the analysis calculates that the frequency of climate-related nuclear plant outages is almost eight times higher than it was in the 1990s. British firefighters are to be deployed to Greece to join the ongoing battle against the devastating wildfires ripping through the country for the fifth day. Teams from Merseyside, Lancashire, south Wales, London and the west Midlands fire services are due to fly to Athens this weekend at the request of Priti Patel. The home secretary said she had asked the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) to send out a specialist team to help respond to the blazes, which have killed at least two people, including a firefighter. Ms Patel, who was in Greece on Tuesday and Wednesday, said: Ive seen first-hand this week the devastating wildfires ripping through Greece and the UK stands shoulder to shoulder with our Greek friends at this difficult time. Follow Greece fires live: Latest death toll as hundreds rescued by boat The NFCC said the team it would send to Greece would be entirely self-sufficient to ensure no additional burden is placed upon the country. Mark Hardingham, the chair of the NFCC, said: The UK Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) will be offering support to our colleagues in Greece, along with their communities who need assistance during these devastating wildfires. NFCCs national resilience function is in place to deploy both in the UK and overseas and the team is highly skilled at responding to extreme events such as these. We can offer professional and technical skills to our fire family in Greece at a time when help is needed; it is ingrained in the professional nature of FRS staff to assist. France also said it would deploy three aircraft and 80 firefighters to join the hundreds already battling the infernos that have resulted in the evacuation of thousands of tourists and residents. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said his country stands by Greece. Solidarity, as Europeans, always, he wrote on Twitter. The fires sweeping through Greek forests, triggering more evacuations a day after hundreds of people were plucked off beaches by ferries in an overnight rescue, were described as a biblical catastrophe by one official. One large fire that advanced up the slopes of Mount Parnitha on the outskirts of Athens has forced the evacuation of thousands of people since late Thursday, with emergency crews facing winds and high temperatures as they battled to contain it. The flames appeared to have died down by Saturday afternoon, but winds were forecast to strengthen, meaning there was still a high threat they would flare again. In apocalyptic scenes that went into Friday night, small ferries and other boats evacuated 1,400 people from a seaside village and beaches on Evia, an island of rugged, forested mountains popular with tourists and campers, after approaching flames cut off other escape routes. The scale of Greeces wildfires has been breathtaking, with more than 100 breaking out across the country over the past few days. Most were quickly tamed, but several rapidly burned out of control, consuming homes and causing untold ecological damage. A Chinook douses a wildfire in the Malakassa area (EPA) A local official in the Mani region of the Peloponnese estimated the wildfire there had destroyed around 70 per cent of the area. Its a biblical catastrophe. Were talking about three-quarters of the municipality, Eleni Drakoulakou, the deputy mayor of East Mani, told state broadcaster ERT, pleading for more water-dropping aircraft. Greeces prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described it as a nightmarish summer, adding the governments priority has been, first and foremost, to protect human lives. Greek and European officials blamed the climate crisis for the extreme weather and fires burning through southern Europe. The fires in Greece are largely due to the countrys most severe heatwave in 30 years, with temperatures soaring to more than 40C in some areas. We are witnessing a catastrophe of historic proportions and climate change is the basic cause, Alexis Tsipras, the leader of Greeces main political opposition, said on Friday. We must support our frontline fighters and all who lost the efforts of a lifetime in a few minutes. Thunderstorms in parts of the UK this weekend could bring lightning, hail and downpours, as the countrys damp start to August continues, according to forecasters. The Met Office has issued a yellow thunderstorm warning from 4am until midnight on Saturday, covering Northern Ireland, North Wales, northern England and up into central Scotland. Some areas could see 20 to 30mm of rain over the space of an hour, while temperatures are expected to be in the high teens to low 20s. Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst said: The reason for this is low pressure is in charge of the UKs weather at the moment - its a very slow-moving area of low pressure, so its not going anywhere quickly. Its leading to bands of heavy showers and thunderstorms which you have seen through the course of Friday, and we have seen flooding in places too. This is going to continue through the weekend, particularly across the northern half of the UK where the showers will be slow-moving compared to southern areas, where its a little bit windier. On Sunday, further downpours are expected in central and northern areas of the UK. Temperatures could peak at 21C to 22C. Southern parts of England and Wales will be drier until later in the day when heavy rain showers are expected to move in for the evening. Additional reporting by PA KFC is opening a pop-up hotel in London complete with a Press for Chicken button that will allow guests to order the fast food companys famous fried chicken in seconds. The hotel, named House of Harland after KFCs brand mascot, Colonel Harland David Sanders, will offer one-night stays when it opens on 18 August. The hotel will stay open for 11 days and all of the room will be themed around fried chicken - yes, really. According to statement from KFC, the rooms will be filled with delicious details, from a private cinema room, to a Finger Lickin Press For Chicken button and Hot Winger Arcade Machine. Indulge in the complimentary botanical infused self-care essentials and expect to see drumsticks in the detail, from bedding to wallpaper, it adds. The chicken-themed hospitality doesnt stop there, either. Guests who book into the hotel will be collected from Kings Crossing station in a black Cadillac car branded the Colonelmobile. They will then be greeted by a Chick-In clerk who will take them through the services available at the hotel. Rooms start from 111 per night and 100 per cent of the profits will go to the KFC Foundation, a non-profit that supports organisations that are empowering young people to unleash their potential and build a positive future. The hotel comes after KFC announced last year that it would be suspending its slogan finger lickin good due to the pandemic. The fried chicken chain said in a statement at the time that it would not be using the slogan for the first time in 64 years because it doesnt quite feel right. We find ourselves in a unique situation having an iconic slogan that doesnt quite fit in the current environment, Catherine Tan-Gillespie, global chief marketing officer at KFC told CNN. In the statement, the fast-food chain assured customers that the menu would not be changing and the recognisable slogan will return when the time is right. Firefighting planes resumed operation at first light in Greece on Wednesday to tackle a major forest fire on the northern outskirts of Athens that forced thousands to flee their homes the previous day amid the country's worst heat wave in decades. The fire in the Varibobi and Tatoi suburbs of the Greek capital was the worst of 81 wildfires that broke out around the country in 24 hours from late Monday to late Tuesday. Five water-dropping planes and nine helicopters were helping more than 500 firefighters, soldiers and numerous volunteer groups on the ground, the fire department said. It was another exceptionally difficult night, Civil Protection chief Nikos Hardalias said while visiting a fire department mobile coordination center in the area on Wednesday morning. He said fire fighters had succeeded in reducing four active fire fronts to one overnight. There is still a lot of work to be done, he said. The fire was fueled by tinder-dry conditions caused by a protracted heat wave that began last week and sent temperatures soaring to 45 degrees Celsius (113 F). There were no reports of deaths or serious injuries. The fire burned homes, businesses and vehicles, and sent a large cloud of smoke over Athens on Tuesday night. The government announced it would provide hotel rooms for local residents for as long as they are unable to return to their homes. On Tuesday, residents evacuated in cars and on foot, while riding schools in the area raced to evacuate horses from the path of the flames. Some horses, released from their stables, wandered down the streets. The leafy suburbs of Varibobi and Tatoi lie at the foot of Mount Parnitha, next to large forests of mainly pine trees. The fire, which began on Tuesday afternoon inside the forest, quickly raced through the flammable pine and reached the main square of Varibobi. Some nearby residents took to social media to offer shelter for animals affected by the fire. Apart from the fire north of Athens, two more major forest fires were still burning Wednesday morning, one on the island of Evia and one in the southwestern Peloponnese The fire department said 95 firefighters, two aircraft, four ground teams and 35 vehicles were battling the flames in Evia, while 74 firefighters, three ground teams, 22 vehicles and one helicopter were tackling the fire in the Messinia area of the Peloponnese. As the heat wave scorching the eastern Mediterranean intensified, temperatures reached 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 F) in parts of the Greek capital. The extreme weather has fueled deadly wildfires in Turkey and blazes in Italy, Greece, Albania and across the region. The heatwave is forecast to continue in Greece until the end of the week. The Archbishop of York has criticised metropolitan elites in London for treating people who are proud to be English as backwardly xenophobic. Stephen Cottrell, the Church of Englands most senior clergyman after the Archbishop of Canterbury, said national unity was fractured and that English people are patronised and left behind by London and the South East. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, the archbishop called for England to rediscover a national unity and urged for a strengthened regional government within the country to better serve local communities. He said: Many English people feel left behind by metropolitan elites in London and the South East, and by devolved governments and strengthened regional identities in Scotland and Wales. Their heartfelt cry to be heard is often disregarded, wilfully misunderstood or patronised as being backwardly xenophobic. The archbishop continued: What we need is an expansive vision of what it means to be English as part of the United Kingdom. It is this that will help us rediscover a national unity now more fractured than I have ever known it in my lifetime. A first foundation would be a more developed and strengthened regional government within England. Mr Cottrell, who recently stepped up to lead the church when Justin Welby took a three-month sabbatical, said this would enable Westminster to lead on issues for the UK but would empower the separate nations and regions. He also suggested that sports teams in England should sing their own anthem prior to a match if playing against other UK nations, before coming together to sing the national anthem, God Save The Queen. Then, when the different nations of the United Kingdom find themselves pitched against each other on the sports field, we could belt out our English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish anthems, he said. Then sing our national anthem together. And love our neighbour. Mike Hawkins still remembers the devastation in Whitehaven, Cumbria, when Haig Colliery was closed in 1986. His father John was one of almost 200,000 pit workers who were made redundant as mines across the country were mothballed during the 1980s. People here had to scratch a living for years, the 56-year-old councillor and mental health worker said. Dad was one of the lucky ones because he managed to get work [at Sellafield nuclear power plant] pretty soon after but there were other people who never worked again after that. Almost four decades on, the hurt in such mining communities spread across the North, the Midlands and Wales remains as raw as it ever was. Which is exactly why Boris Johnsons joke about the closures this week has caused such outrage. Ex-miners, their families and academics as well as a host of MPs, regional mayors and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer have all demanded the prime minister apologise after he made light of the misery. One claimed the former Eton pupil who joked that the action gave the UK an early start on tackling climate change was gaslighting an entire generation. Another said that Mr Johnson was displaying utter contempt for those still hurting. He talks about levelling up and understanding the north, and then he says something like this and its the mask slipping, said Hawkins, who still lives in Whitehaven today. It shows he has nothing but contempt for working people. He added: Hes laughing at lives being destroyed. Very funny, isnt it? Whether you think what happened was right or wrong, you still dont laugh about that. Professor Katy Shaw, author of the 2012 book Mining the Meaning: Cultural Representations of the 1984-5 UK Miners Strike, said the gag was an attempt to abscond responsibility and narcissistically distance the Tories from the devastation wrought across entire regions by the Margaret Thatcher-led policy of closures. Any attempt to reframe what Thatchers government did to mining communities and moreover how and why they did it is the ultimate example of gaslighting an entire generation, she said. The Northumbria University professor, who is herself the daughter of a miner, added: Joking about it speaks of a profound ignorance of the lived reality of the strike living on tins and hand-outs. The PM might forget but the north does not. In a statement, Alan Mardghum, secretary of the Durham Miners Association, said: Johnson has again shown utter contempt for the people of former mining communities. The wilful annihilation of the coal industry caused social and economic devastation in our communities that is still felt to this day. It was an ideological assault It is no joke. The wider backlash came after a host of MPs, including at least one Conservative, had already condemned the remarks. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, the unnamed Tory said Mr Johnson who was a member of Oxford Universitys elitist Bullingdon Club around the time of the closures had spat on red wall voters. Three northern Labour mayors also expressed their anger. Dan Jarvis in South Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin in West Yorkshire and Jamie Driscoll mayor of the North of Tyne all called on the prime minister to apologise. Yet as the fury grew into the weekend, the prime minister appeared in no mood to do so. A Downing Street spokesperson said on Friday: The prime minister recognises the huge impact and pain closing coal mines had in communities across the UK. This government has an ambitious plan to tackle the critical issue of climate change, which includes reducing reliance on coal and other non-renewable energy sources. The government has begun talks with the food industry over moves to ban foie gras in the UK. MPs told the government last month they were losing patience over its lack of action on outlawing imports of the controversial delicacy made from the fattened livers of geese and ducks that have been repeatedly force-fed. The cross-party group of MPs told environment secretary George Eustice and animal welfare minister Lord Goldsmith they were unhappy at not receiving a response after lobbying them earlier this year, warning: The UK public is growing impatient, as are we. The government has repeatedly hinted it will ban imports of foie gras, which is considered so cruel that it is illegal to produce in the UK, although an estimated 200 tonnes is imported from mainland Europe each year. In its animal-welfare action plan published in May, the government pledged to gather evidence to shape a decision on imports. It had long said that banning imports was impossible while Britain was in the EU. Recommended Foie gras producer uses engine oil to grease pipes forced down geese throats But now sources have confirmed to The Independent that the government is holding talks with interested parties, including leaders in the UK food industry and animal welfare organisations. In an open letter to the ministers, the MPs, including Conservative backbencher Henry Smith, called for an urgent meeting. Following our letter dated 26th March 2021, we continue to await receipt of a) a roadmap and b) a proposed timeline confirming when a ban on the importation of foie gras produced by force-feeding will be implemented (covering all sales of foie gras in the UK), the letter said. It noted that in June the European Parliament called on the European Commission to draw up plans to prohibit the cruel and unnecessary force-feeding of ducks and geese. The letter, seen by The Independent, added: We call on the UK to make the most of this unique opportunity to lead the way; we urge you to put in place this landmark legislation for animals and, in turn, encourage the rest of the world to follow suit. The signatories complained they had received little information on the governments next steps or when a ban was likely to be written into law. For the new Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill to hold significant meaning and weight in reality, the letter warned, the UK cannot continue to support torturous practices such as force-feeding ducks and geese to produce foie gras practices known to induce undeniable anguish and pain for the sentient animals involved. There is, and always has been, strong public momentum behind this issue, with over 200,000 people backing a petition led by animal-protection organisation Animal Equality UK to abolish this cruel product from our shores. As well as Mr Smith, Labours Hilary Benn, the Green Partys Caroline Lucas, SNP MP Lisa Cameron, Liberal Democrat Wera Hobhouse, Plaid Cymrus Ben Lake and the DUPs Jim Shannon all signed. Ms Lucas said: We have no right to call ourselves a nation of animal lovers until foie gras is banned, once and for all. The Animal Equality organisation, which has had several meetings with government officials to discuss issues including their call for a ban, says it is optimistic Mr Eustice and Lord Goldsmith will agree to discuss the next step. Executive director Abigail Penny said: The science is clear: force-feeding is without a doubt absolutely agonising for the animals involved. I invite cabinet ministers and government officials to a roundtable discussion with Animal Equality and the signatories of our open letter. Lord Goldsmith, who is thought to support a ban, said: There is no doubt that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese using force-feeding raises very serious welfare issues. The practice is rightly banned in the UK as it is incompatible with our own welfare standards. As an independent nation, we now have the opportunity to go further, and through our action plan for animal welfare we have committed to looking into a ban on the import or sale of foie gras and are building an evidence base to inform that decision. Three people, including two police officers, were attacked in a knife attack in north London that left a 61-year-old man with wounds. Officers were called to an address in Noel Park Road in Wood Green at about 7.20pm on Friday after concerns for the welfare of residents. As the police and a third party stood in a communal area, a man approached the officers before assaulting them and the 61-year-old who was with them, the Met Police said. The man suffered stab injuries, while one of the officers sustained slash injuries and another was assaulted. All three were taken to hospital for treatment. On Saturday, the Met said the two officers who were injured in the incident have been discharged from hospital and are recovering at home. The man, who suffered stab injuries, has been assessed by doctors and his injuries are non-life changing, the force added. The attack is not thought to be terrorism related and three people have been arrested, police said. In a statement, the Met said: A man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of assault; two other people were subsequently arrested as part of the investigation. All three remain in custody. A crime scene remains in place. Enquiries continue to establish a motive, although at this stage it is not thought to be terrorism-related. Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting reference Cad 2347/05Aug or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Campaigners fighting to save Londons only surviving Latin market have claimed a huge victory after the developer behind a multi-million-pound residential plan decided to pull out. On Thursday, Grainger PLC, which had planned to construct 190 build-to-rent flats, with no affordable housing provision, on the Wards Corner site in Tottenham, London announced it was abandoning its plans. The developer cited rising costs and the strength of local opposition as reasons behind the decision. Graingers decision to abandon its plans comes after 15-years of campaigning by the local community. Those opposed to the scheme said it would lead to to the gentrification of the area and the displacement of existing communities. (Natasha Quarmby/Shutterstock) The scheme, which was designed in 2008 and approved in 2012, would have involved the historic Wards building and Seven Sisters Indoor Market known locally as the Latin Village being knocked down to build the flats. Graingers decision to abandon the plans comes after 15-years of campaigning by the local community. Those opposed to the scheme said it would lead to to the gentrification of the area and the displacement of existing communities. In a statement, Grainger said its decision to pull out was due to the drawn-out nature of implementing the scheme owing to numerous legal challenges from a small but vocal minority, [as well as] the complexity of the site and the changing economic environment. Following the developers announcement, Haringey Council, the local authority in the area, has announced that it will now work alongside the community and Transport for London, which owns the site, to to explore the vision of delivering a new community-led development, with Seven Sisters Market and the wider local community at its heart. The community plan which has been devised by the West Green Road/Seven Sisters Development Trust proposes the sensitive restoration of the sites existing buildings and their administration by a democratically run community benefit society. We are excited to announce that following Grainger's withdrawal from the Wards Corner site, @haringeycouncil have committed to working with us to implement the community plan! This is a major victory for the community - read our joint statement here: https://t.co/3HpVor1xiw N15DevelopmentTrust (@n15devtrust) August 6, 2021 Peray Ahment, the leader of Haringey Council said: Having met with the West Green Road/Seven Sisters Development Trust, we are supportive of the Trusts Community Plan to bring the existing historic building back to life for the next generation, with Seven Sisters market, popularly known as the Latin Village, at its heart, and we are looking forward to seeing the next iteration of the plans. As TfL are the owners of the market, we urge them to work with the Trust to co-produce a solution for the long-term future of the market. Carlos Burgos, the chairman of the Trust said: Graingers withdrawal finally ends a terrible period of suffering and neglect, marking the beginning of a new chapter for Seven Sisters Market and Wards Corner. We welcome Haringey Councils support for the Plan and look forward to working with traders, the wider community, the council and TfL to deliver this urgent project as soon as possible. We also call for the mayor of Londons financial hardship scheme for traders to be extended until a temporary or permanent market is available. The mayor of Londons office has been contacted for comment. This article was amended on 12 August 2021 to remove a photograph which had been added in error and did not relate to this article. Afghan journalists who have worked for the British media will be considered for relocation to the UK if they come under imminent threat, Boris Johnsons government has announced. Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has said cases would be considered on an exceptional basis as fears grow over the rapid advances made by the Taliban in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of almost all Western troops. Dawa Khan Menapal, the director of Afghanistans media and information centre, was shot dead in his car in Kabul on Friday. The Taliban said the top media official had been punished for his deeds. The UKs most prominent media organisations has issued a plea to No 10 to help Afghan journalists, translators and support staff who have worked with them over the past 20 years. In a joint letter to the prime minister and foreign secretary, 23 media organisations including The Independent called on Mr Johnson to follow the example of president Joe Biden, who has given Afghan media staff with US links access to a refugee programme. In a reply letter to British media organisations, Mr Raab said the vibrant Afghan media was one of the countrys great success stories in the past two decades, and should be celebrated and protected. The foreign secretary added: Your letter highlighted the threat faced by Afghan staff who have worked for your media organisations in Afghanistan, in particular the risk of reprisals they face from the Taliban from their association with the UK. Under existing schemes, we are able to consider individual cases for relocation on an exceptional basis, where there is evidence they are under imminent threat due to the nature of their engagement with the UK. Mr Raab added: Journalists (and those supporting them) can be eligible for our support, depending on the individual circumstances that apply. The media organisations had appealed for the creation of a special visa programme for Afghan media workers with UK links who are at risk as the Taliban attempts to retake the country. The workers and their families amounting to a total of a few dozen people face an acute and worsening threat to their lives from the militant group, which has a track record of persecution and targeted killings of journalists. Taliban insurgents captured an Afghan provincial capital on Friday amid a deteriorating security situation as the final US, UK and other foreign troops withdraw from the country. A police spokesman in southern Nimruz province said the capital Zaranj had fallen to the hardline Islamists because of a lack of reinforcements from the Western-backed government. A Taliban spokesman said on Twitter that the insurgents had completely liberated the province and had taken control of the governors house, police headquarters and other official buildings. Boris Johnson will not be heading to Scotland for his summer holiday this year, after it emerged how close he came to catastrophe on last years staycation in the Highlands. The prime ministers visit to a cottage in remote Applecross on the north-west coast was cut short last August after the location was revealed. But the trip went badly wrong for another reason: Mr Johnson got swept out sea while attempting to paddle board, according to a report in The Times. He nearly drowned, a government source told the newspaper. He got swept away and found himself going further and further out. A separate source said the prime minister had been canoeing, rather than paddle-boarding, when he got in trouble in the water near his holiday cottage. The prime ministers security team was said to have been sufficiently worried that they considered calling out a rescue helicopter. But Mr Johnson managed to paddle or row towards his protection officers, who had swum out to sea to save him. It could have been a catastrophe, the source told the newspaper. Mr Johnson was supposed to take a two-week holiday with his partner Carrie, their son and their dog Dilyn. But the trip was cut short when the Daily Mail revealed photographs of the rental cottage and social media users quickly identified its location. Mr Johnson and his team feared he and the family could be mobbed by Scottish nationalists, officials told reporters at the time. Although the prime minister will remain in the UK for a staycation this summer, he is thought to have ruled out returned a return to Scotland after last years experiences. The prime minister is said to have told friends he would go back for a holiday over my dead body. International trade secretary Liz Truss has reportedly enjoying a summer holiday abroad in Barbados this summer, but fellow cabinet ministers have decided on a staycation instead. Despite the opening up for international holiday destinations, most ministers remain worried about the PR implications of jetting off abroad when so many Britons have struggled to make foreign holiday plans. Climate minister Alok Sharma has come in for heavy criticism after it emerged he flew to 30 countries this year including six on the governments Covid red list without isolating on his return. Sarah Olney, the Lib Dems transport spokesperson, said: While Alok Sharma flies to red list countries with abandon, hard-working families can hardly see loved ones or plan holidays as the government changes travel rules on the hoof. The Independent has approached No 10 for comment. A section of Lake Tahoe, in California, has been closed after chipmunks in the area tested positive for plague. Officials closed sections on the south shore of the lake including the Taylor Creek Visitor Center, Kiva Beach and their respective parking areas on Friday, August 2 following the discovery. While closed, the U.S. Forest Service conducted vector control treatments to try and eradicate the disease. El Dorado County spokeswoman Carla Hass said the chipmunks that were tested had no contact with any people. The Lake Tahoe closures include some of the Sierra Nevadas most scenic hiking routes which take walkers through stunning forest paths down to the shores of the lake. According to El Dorado County Public Health, plague is naturally present in many parts of California and visitors to the area are advised to be cautious around animals that can carry it. It can be carried and spread by squirrels, chipmunks, other wild rodents and their fleas. Humans can become infected through close contact with animals carrying the disease or being bitten by an infected flea. In humans, symptoms can show up within two weeks of exposure to an infected animal. Symptoms include fever, nausea, weakness and swollen lymph nodes. If caught early, it can be treated with antibiotics. Taylor Creek Visitor Center and Kiva Beach are closed today and tomorrow for vector control treatments to control fleas infected with plague. For public safety, please avoid the area. Follow plague warning sign tips and learn more about precautions at https://t.co/XZL3QH9FXX. pic.twitter.com/DsLQdtGetu Lake Tahoe USFS (@LakeTahoeUSFS) August 5, 2021 Lisa Herron, a public affairs specialist for the UIS Forest Services Lake Tahoe basin management unit which runs the affected facilities said plague was something visitors to the area should be aware of but that it was not something that they need to worry about. She said the agencys work in the area would not target the local chipmunk population but rather their fleas. She said the vector control team would dust burrows with a powder after which a round of trapping and testing would take place. Human cases of plague are rare. In 2020 a walker in the region tested positive becoming the first case in five years. The US Forest Service said it hoped to complete its eradication treatments on Thursday August 5, enabling the closed areas to reopen in time for the weekend. A House committee investigating the 6 January insurrection at the US Capitol has hired former Republican Rep Denver Riggleman as a senior staff member, bringing on the one-term Virginia lawmaker after GOP leaders criticised the panel as too partisan. The committees chairman, Mississippi Rep Bennie Thompson, announced Mr Rigglemans hiring on Friday evening, saying Mr Riggleman has a deep background in national security and intelligence matters. In a video posted to his Twitter account, Mr Riggleman said his background in military intelligence, national security and data analytics meant he was well suited to the role. Its time. Thank you to the committee for your confidence. Its an honor to serve alongside those who represent the best of America. We will see this mission through. #Jan6Committee pic.twitter.com/zPzXYNu2wS Denver Riggleman (@RepRiggleman) August 7, 2021 I have to say doing this might be one of the biggest things Ive done in my life, that includes deploying almost 20 years ago right after 9/11, he said. We cant worry about the colours on our jerseys any more, whether we have an R or a D next to our name. Its time for us to look in a fact-based way, what happened on January 6 to see if we can prevent this from ever happening again in the future. He promised to be professional, transparent and ethical. Mr Riggleman served in naval intelligence and worked at the National Security Agency before he was elected to the House in 2018. He was defeated by Republican Bob Good in 2020. The committee is investigating the insurrection by former President Donald Trumps supporters, who beat police, broke into the building and interrupted the certification of President Joe Bidens victory. The House voted to form the committee in June and has held one hearing with police officers who were injured and verbally attacked that day. Mr Rigglemans hiring comes after House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy decided not to appoint any members to the panel and called it a sham. He had originally tapped five Republicans to serve on the committee but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected two of them, prompting McCarthy to withdraw his members completely. Ms Pelosi later appointed two Republicans who have been critical of Trump, his role in the insurrection and his lies about widespread election fraud Illinois Rep Adam Kinzinger and Wyoming Rep Liz Cheney. Ms Cheney recommended Mr Riggleman, also a Trump critic, for the job on the panel. The committee also announced the appointment of Joe Maher, a principal deputy general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security. Mr Maher will also serve as a senior staff member on detail from the Homeland department, where he has served for more than a decade. In the statement, Mr Thompson said Mr Riggleman and Mr Maher understand how close our democracy was to catastrophe on January 6th and I commend their commitment to help ensure we never see a repeat of that day. The commission began hearing testimony earlier this month from Capitol police officers who were injured trying to keep the mob of thousands of supporters of former President Donald Trump from entering the House chamber. The Associated Press contributed to this report A Donald Trump-appointed lawyer at the Justice Department claimed to senior officials there that China may have used special thermostats to tamper with ballots in the US election, according to reports. As Congress gathers testimonies and evidence in its probe of the fatal insurrection at the Capitol, Jeffrey Clark an environmental lawyer described as unassuming and cerebral by colleagues and in reports is emerging as something of a figure of note in the saga of the 45th presidents attempts to subvert democracy. With acting deputy attorney general Richard Donoghue providing a closed-door testimony to the House Judiciary Committee this week, new information further illustrates the lengths to which Mr Trump and his supporters appear to have been willing to go to overturn the election result. Despite attorney general William Barr having defied Mr Trump to publicly declare on 1 December that his Justice Department had found no evidence of voter fraud on a scale which could have tipped the election result, efforts to bend the department to the former presidents will seem to have intensified in the weeks that followed, in the wake of Mr Barrs resignation on 15 December. According to an email obtained by the House Oversight Committee, published by ABC News and corroborated by CNN, Mr Clark wrote to his superiors Mr Donoghue and the newly acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen on 28 December. His email included a letter he had drafted, to be signed by Mr Donoghue, Mr Rosen and himself, urging Georgia's governor and other top officials to convene a special session of the state legislature to investigate claims of voter fraud, following an audit the previous month which reaffirmed Joe Bidens victory. According to the emails published this week, both recipients flatly refused to sign his draft letter, which also falsely claimed that Justice Department investigations had identified significant concerns that may have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple states. In his accompanying email, Mr Clark also appears to have claimed to know of evidence suggesting that a ballot counting machine made by Dominion Voting Systems which is currently suing former Trump ally Rudy Giuliani for defamation had been infiltrated by China, using a thermostat that connects to the internet. The email states: I would like to have your authorisation to get a classified briefing tomorrow from [the Office of the Director of National Intelligence] led by DNI [John] Radcliffe [sic] on foreign election interference issues ... hackers have evidence (in the public domain) that a Dominion machine accessed the Internet through a smart thermostat with a net connection trail leading back to China. ODNI may have additional classified evidence. CNN also cited people briefed on the matter as saying that Mr Clark told senior DOJ officials that he knew of sensitive information indicating Chinese intelligence used special kinds of thermometers to change results in machines counting votes. The news organisation reported that Mr Rosen in fact granted Mr Clark his request for a briefing led by the Director of National Intelligence, Mr Ratcliffe allegedly in the hope it would stem his baseless claims of voter fraud in which he was shown classified findings which showed there was no evidence that foreign interference had affected vote tallies. Mr Clarks email appears to have been sent a day after a call between Mr Trump, Mr Rosen and Mr Donoghue, according to the reports. According to Mr Donoghues handwritten notes of the call, provided to the House Oversight Committee, Mr Trump had urged them: Just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen. Furthermore, according to a New York Times report from January, Mr Clark then met with the outgoing president the following weekend days before Congress was set to formally certify Mr Bidens victory. The pair are alleged by The Times to have plotted to oust Mr Rosen, the acting attorney general. The Independent has approached Mr Clark for comment. He has previously categorically denied devising any plan to oust Mr Rosen, as well as making any recommendations based on false information from the internet. My practice is to rely on sworn testimony to assess disputed factual claims, he told The Times, adding of his meeting the weekend before the insurrection: There was a candid discussion of options and pros and cons with the president. It is unfortunate that those who were part of a privileged legal conversation would comment in public about such internal deliberations, while also distorting any discussions. A bitter feud over privacy between tech giants Facebook and Apple has ramped up over plans by the iPhone maker to launch a new photo identification programme to identify child abuse images. Will Cathcart, the head of Facebook-owned WhatsApp, said Apples proposal to introduce software that can scan private photos on its iOS system was a clear privacy violation. Declaring that WhatsApp would not allow Apple to run the tools on its platform, Mr Cathcart said their approach introduces something very concerning into the world. I think this is the wrong approach and a setback for peoples privacy all over the world. People have asked if well adopt this system for WhatsApp. The answer is no," Mr Cathcart posted in a lengthy Twitter thread on Friday. There are so many problems with this approach, and its troubling to see them act without engaging experts that have long documented their technical and broader concerns with this. Will Cathcart (@wcathcart) August 6, 2021 Instead of focusing on making it easy for people to report content thats shared with them, Apple has built software that can scan all the private photos on your phone - even photos you havent shared with anyone. Thats not privacy. Apple announced on Thursday it was launching new features that can detect signs of abuse in photos and messages. The company is introducing three new measures, which take in messages, photos, and additional features, that will be added to Siri. The additions are coming later this year, Apple said, in updates that will come to all of its platforms: iOS 15, iPadOS 15, WatchOS 8 and MacOS Monterey. The features will initially be limited to the US. If a child receives an image that appears sexually explicit, it will be blurred and the child will receive a warning. If the child decides to view a message, they will be told that their parents will be alerted, and an adult will then be notified. Mr Cathcart said the surveillance system could be used to scan private content for anything they or a government wanted to monitor. Countries where iPhones are sold will have different definitions on what is acceptable, he added. Apple has said that other child safety groups were likely to be added as sources as the programme expands. Will this system be used in China? What content will they consider illegal there and how will we ever know? How will they manage requests from governments all around the world to add other types of content to the list for scanning? asked Mr Cathcart. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg have previously clashed over privacy. In April, Apple announced it was releasing an update for its iPhones and iPads which required app developers to explicitly request permission to track users behaviour on the internet. Facebook, whose business model relies on it being able to sell users personal information to advertisers, hit out at the move , saying limiting personalised ads would take away a vital growth engine for businesses. In an interview with the New York Times that month, Mr Cook dismissed their concerns. I think that you can do digital advertising and make money from digital advertising without tracking people when they dont know theyre being tracked, he said. Three young children have been killed by lions near Tanzanias Ngorongoro wildlife reserve, local police have said. The attack took place on Monday when the children, aged between nine and 11, went into a forest to search for lost cattle, Arusha police chief Justine Masejo told AFP. That is when the lions attacked and killed three children while injuring one, he said. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a multiple land use area, where protected wildlife wanders freely among communities like the Maasai, who are permitted to live within national parks in order to feed their cattle. Lion attacks on people and cattle are not uncommon in Tanzania; last year, 36 Serengeti lions were relocated after a slew of attacks in the surrounding communities. Mr Masejo added: I would like to urge the nomadic communities around the reserved areas to take precautions against fierce animals especially when they task their children to take care of the livestock. That will help to protect the children and their families. The three victims have been named as Ndoskoy Sangau, Sangau Metui and Sangau Kadonyo, while a fourth child, Kiyambwa Namuyata, escaped the incident with multiple injuries, according to the Citizen. Lobulu Meeje, a head teacher from Ngoile primary school, told the newspaper the three children killed were from the same family. Information I have, after school session they were told that their cattle had got lost and they started to search before they were attacked by lion, they said. Disney +Hotstar has released the first trailer of Moghul era epic The Empire, and Kunal Kapoor and Dino Morea starrer is grand, thrilling and magnificent, just like Game of Thrones. So much so, that people are calling it "India Ka Game Of Thrones." YouTube The eight-episode series is based on Alex Rutherfords bestselling Empire of the Moghuls novels. In the web series, Kunal Kapoor essays the role of Mughal emperor Babur. The trailer shows Babur being ascended to the throne to become the king and take all responsibilities. YouTube "The story of a king battling against enemies, fate, family, death and even himself, in search of his kingdom. Hotstar Specials The Empire. All episodes streaming from August 27th. Trailer out now (sic)," wrote the OTT platform. The story of a king battling against enemies, fate, family, death and even himself, in search of his kingdom. Hotstar Specials The Empire. All episodes streaming from August 27th. Trailer out now. #HotstarSpecials #TheEmpire @kapoorkkunal @AzmiShabana #DinoMorea @drashti10 pic.twitter.com/WIpdWhR6tb Disney+ Hotstar (@DisneyPlusHS) August 7, 2021 Fans are calling The Empire as India Ka Game of Thrones. India Ka game of thrones hai ye hotstar pe jrur dekhnaaaaaaa THE EMPIRE TRAILER@disneyplusHS https://t.co/AVWvOlz7zg Stranger Things (@Eleven_11L) August 7, 2021 Talking about the show, Kapoor said, "We have heard many stories about Babur and the Mughals, but very little about who they were, where they came from and how they came into India. In this fictional take, this is a character with a lot of complexities, and that is what intrigued me as an actor. The trailer is just a small glimpse into the world of The Empire." Mitakshara Kumar has directed the series. The residents of Sangnara, a small village in f Kutch District of Gujarat have launched a protest against the installation of windmills in a nearby forest, for a renewable energy project. On Friday, a group of villagers occupied land allotted renewable energy firm Suzlon for the project near their village. Indiatimes What's happening? According to the residents, the company has been expanding its footprint over the years on the land which is part of the community grazing land belonging to the village panchayat. Kutch has been designated as an important wind energy exploitation zone, and in the past few years, thousands of windmills have been put up by energy companies. Indiatimes They alleged that since the first wind energy turbine was put up in the forest 5 years ago, by Suzlon destroying hundreds of trees, flattening hills to create access for the machinery, fans and transmission cables, birds and wildlife deserted the area afraid of the consistent noise of the fans and machinery. Fifty more windmills were approved by the administration in the forest. Why is Sangnara forest important? The Sangnara forest is part of the sacred groove where five villages have their places of worship. This is a 500 sqkm virgin Tropical Thorn Forest, perhaps the best in Gujarat with a huge diversity of threatened flora and fauna including Chinkara, Wolf, Caracal, Ratel, Hyena, Desert Cat, Indian Fox, Spiny Tailed Lizard, Desert Monitor, White Naped-Tit, Vultures, and many more. The communities have maintained and protected this forest for the past 500 years. Indiatimes But they now fear that the forest will be lost forever if the windmill project continues to expand. On Friday, hundreds of people from the village held a protest march against setting and vowed that they won't let the company destroy their forest. Indiatimes The village then went on to block the road leading upto the second windmill foundation with rocks and boulders. Sangnara village in Kutch, Gujarat, has been trying to save its forest from Suzlon, a wind energy companies for many years. Kutch has been designated as a wind energy exploitation zone, and in the past few years thousands of mills have been set up by energy companies. 2/n pic.twitter.com/kBmYDo8pKm Let India Breathe (@LetIndBreathe) August 7, 2021 They also alleged that Suzlon is trying to use force against them with the support of the police administration. Indiatimes "The government and companies are already telling us we are obstructing 'development'; soon they will say we are terrorists and anti-nationals! We are not afraid as we are not doing this for any selfish gains; it is for the voiceless wild animals and nature," Shankarbhai a village leader said. Johnson and Johnsons single-dose vaccine has become the fifth COVID-19 vaccine to be approved for emergency use in India. On Saturday, Union Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that the vaccine has been approved for use, adding that it will further boost the country's collective fight against the novel coronavirus infection. Reuters "India expands its vaccine basket! Johnson and Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is given approval for Emergency Use in India. Now India has five EUA vaccines. This will further boost our nation's collective fight against #COVID19," the minister tweeted. India expands its vaccine basket! Johnson and Johnsons single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is given approval for Emergency Use in India. Now India has 5 EUA vaccines. This will further boost our nation's collective fight against #COVID19 Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) August 7, 2021 The US-based pharmaceutical company had applied for Emergency Use Authorisation for its jab on Friday and was granted the approval the same day by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), a senior official said. The company had earlier sought approval to conduct phase-3 clinical trial of its vaccine on approximately 600 participants in two age groups---those aged 18 and below 60 years and those aged 60 years and above---to evaluate the safety, reactogenicity and immunogenicity of the jab in healthy Indian adults. However, on July 29, the firm withdrew its proposal. Reuters Earlier, in a bid to fast-track emergency approvals for all foreign produced coronavirus jabs, the central government had announced that COVID-19 vaccines which were approved for restricted use by regulators in the US, UK, Europe and Japan, or which were on the World Health Organisation's Emergency Use Listing, would not have to conduct bridging clinical trials in India. With the EUA, the number of COVID-19 vaccines available in India has risen to five - Serum Institute's Covishield, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, Russia's Sputnik V, and Moderna. More vaccines on the way Approvals for at least three more COVID-19 vaccines, including two by homegrown pharma companies and one by Novavax are in the pipeline. Zydus Cadila's Covid vaccine, which can even be administered to children is likely to be cleared in the coming days. Biological-E Hyderabad-based Biological-E's Covid-19 vaccine, Corbevax could also be granted approval soon. Met Ms Mahima Datla, MD of @Biological_E, who briefed me on the progress of their upcoming #COVID19 vaccine, Corbevax. I assured all the Government support for the vaccine. pic.twitter.com/QzRohNalhe Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) August 6, 2021 In June, the Union Health Ministry had finalised arrangements with Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer Biological-E to reserve 30 crore of Covid-19 vaccine doses. The Serum Institute which is already manufacturing Covishield and Sputnik V in India has sought EUA for Novavax's COVID vaccine which will be made in India as Covovax. Maharashtras Bhandara district was declared as coronavirus-free by local administration after the lone Covid-19 patient under treatment was discharged from hospital and no new case registered during the day. Tracing, testing and treatment None of the 578 people tested on Friday turned out to be positive for the infection. According to an official release from the district information officer, tracing, testing and treatment along with proper planning and collective efforts have helped make Bhandara free of coronavirus infection after 15 months. PTI District Collector Sandeep Kadam said the achievement was possible due to the combined effort by all staffers in the district administration, the Health Department, and also because of the successful implementation of the three-pronged strategy of tracing, testing and treatment. "Although, the number of coronavirus patients in the district is zero today, people need to be careful in the coming days and follow COVID-19 protocols," he said. Battle against COVID The district had reported its first Covid-19 patient on April 27 last year at Garada Budruk village, and had seen a peak of 1,596 positive cases in a single day on April 12 this year. Exactly 4 months back on April 6, the district had 6,004 active cases. BCCL The district had reported its highest number of active cases 12,847 on April 18. The district had reported its first death due to Covid-19 on July 12, 2020. The highest per-day toll, 35, was recorded on May 1 this year. The cumulative death toll of the district is 1,133. After witnessing the peak of 12,847 active patients on April 18 this year, the number of patients getting discharged started going up, with maximum 1,568 patients being discharged on April 22. Since then, the district has always seen more Covid-19 patients getting discharged than new patients, according to a press note issued by Kadam. Recovery rate The press note further says that the recovery rate was had come down to 62.58 per cent on April 19 this year, but it has now gone up to 98.11 per cent. The positivity rate was at a high of 55.73 per cent on April 12, which has now come down to 0. PTI The case fatality rate of the district is 1.89 per cent. Till date, the district has conducted 4,49,832 Covid-19 tests, of which 59,809 have turned out to be positive. Of these cases, 58,776 patients have recovered. In a tragic incident, a 28-year-old man died when his Bluetooth headphone device exploded. The incident occurred in Udaipuria village of Chomu town in Jaipur district on Friday. According to the police, the victim, identified as Rakesh Kumar Nagar was preparing for a competitive examination at his residence. He was using the Bluetooth headphone device while it was plugged into an electrical outlet, police said. Unsplash The device exploded all of a sudden leaving Nagar unconscious. He was rushed to a private hospital where he succumbed during treatment. Suffered injuries to ears, died of cardiac arrest Police said that both his ears had suffered injuries from the explosion. Dr LN Rundla of Siddhivinayak Hospital said the man was brought to the facility in an unconscious condition. He died during treatment at the hospital, Rundla said. The man probably died of cardiac arrest, he added. Not the first such incident In June in a similar incident, an Uttar Pradesh government official had lost his life after his earphone exploded. Unsplash The victim, 38-year-old Sanjay Sharma who was posted at Kumbh Mela as an assistant accountant, lost his life after his Bluetooth earphone device exploded on June 27. According to his family, Sharma was working on his phone at night using the Bluetooth earphone device when it exploded. Unsplash Though such accidents are not new, manufacturers have repeatedly warned customers not to use earphones or for that matter any kind of connected listening devices when they are connected to a charger. Apple will soon set up a way to scan photos of users on their iPhones in the US to look for images of child sexual abuse or child pornography. Reuters Also Read: Apple iOS 14.5 Update Declares War On Facebook, Google, Other Data Tracking Apps To implement this, Apple will be making use of a hash algorithm to check through the photos stored on a device and will use photo identification software in the background to see if the library has images that look like children or any other kind of abuse. The whole system works by comparing images to a database that consists of known child sexual abuse images that are compiled by the US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, along with other child safety organisations. These images are converted to hashes which are essentially numerical codes that can be matched to an image on any Apple device -- iPad, iPhone or Mac. The system is also capable of detecting edited variants of the original image. Apple explained the process in a press release, Before an image is stored in iCloud Photos, an on-device matching process is performed for that image against the known CSAM hashes. According to Apple, the system has an extremely high level of accuracy and ensures less than a one in one trillion chance per year of incorrectly flagging a given account. Apple states that it would review each report manually if they find a match. If the report is accurate, the account of the user would be blocked with the authorities getting informed about the perpetrator. Also Read: Apple Will Stop Apps Like Facebook From Tracking User Data For Ads On iPhone What about user privacy? This is surely alarming considering Apple has always had the reputation of giving user privacy the utmost emphasis. With Apple snooping into peoples private images, even though for a good cause, it is still an invasion of the privacy of the user. Matthew Green, a cryptography researcher at Johns Hopkins University, warns (highlighted by the Guardian) that the system could be fooled to frame an innocent individual by sending them non-offensive images that would get detected by the system to trigger matches for child abuse images. That could easily fool Apples algorithm and alert law enforcement. He also highlights that this could result in other abuses like government surveillance of protesters or activists. He says, What happens when the Chinese government says: Here is a list of files that we want you to scan for. Does Apple say no? I hope they say no, but their technology wont say no. Washington-based Center for Democracy and Technology also asked Apple to abandon the changes, claiming that it would destroy the companys guarantee of end-to-end encryption. By just scanning messages for sexually explicit content on devices would break the security. Apple Also Read: iOS 14.5 Effect: 96% iPhone Users Have Disabled Apps From Data Tracking The group also raised questions surrounding the technologys accuracy for differentiating between dangerous content and something as juvenile as perhaps a meme. They claim such technologies are known to be quite error-prone, it said. Apple however has denied that the changes to the backdoor degrade its encryption. It says that theyve carefully considered innovations that do not disturb user privacy but rather strongly protect it. Do you think a feature like this would dethrone Apple from being the most user-privacy-centric brand in the tech industry? Let us know in the comments below. And for more cool tech news, keep checking Indiatimes.com. The police department in the US state of Hawaiis Honolulu has now started the use of the popular robotic dog Spot to scan the homeless and make sure they dont have a fever, in an effort to curb COVID-19 cases in the state. AP Also Read: Boston Dynamics Robots Dance Some Really Cool Moves To Welcome 2021 Reported first by AP, Honolulu P.D. who are experimenting with the four-legged creature say that it's just an ordinary tool much like drones and wheeled robots to help keep emergency responders out of harm's way. However, privacy advocates warn that this is one of the many ways the police are getting these surveillance bots without proper safeguards against their aggressive, invasive and even dehumanising nature. In Honolulu, this is being used at a government-run tent city near the airport that has a massive population of homeless people. While the authorities with Honolulu PD, in a demo earlier this year revealed how capable Spot was in detecting COVID-19 cases and it had protected officers, shelter staff and residents by scanning body temperatures between mealtimes. The robot also helped in interviewing individuals who tested positive. Acting Lt. Joseph ONeal said in a statement, We have not had a single person out there that said, Thats scary, thats worrisome'. We dont just walk around and arbitrarily scan people. Also Read: This Ingenious Dog-Robot From Boston Dynamics Can Now Turn Knobs And Open The Door Like A Pro Jong Wook Kim, legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii said in a conversation with AP, Because these people are houseless its considered OK to do that. At some point, it will come out again for some different use after the pandemic is over. AP The robot was recently in the news when the New York Police Department started using a blue-trim version of Spot last year, naming it DigiDog where people saw the four-legged robot walk casually through New York streets and soon became a sensation resulting in a public outcry due to the already over-policing issues in public housing areas in the city. Also Read: Viral Video Shows Robot Dog Helping New York Police In City Patrol This blew up on social media forcing the department to shut down Digidog and return it back to Boston Dynamics. 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 with AP. Most people are applying notions from science fiction to what the robots doing. Do you think Spot is helpful or creepy, and using him to test the homeless people for Covid-19 extremely dehumanising? Tell us in the comments below, and keep visiting Indiatimes.com for technology news and trends from India and around the world. Climate scientists have spotted warning signs of the collapse of the Gulf Stream, also popularly known as our worlds crucial tipping point. Reuters Also Read: Arctic Ground Temperature Hit 48 Degrees Celsius, Breaking All Records Reported first by The Guardian, Potsdam Institute researchers have discovered a rather surprising loss of stability of the warm water currents over the previous century that they call Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation or AMOC. The currents have been spotted at their slowest point in nearly 1,600 years and the most recent analysis revealed that this could be coming to a complete halt. In case you were wondering if it's a big deal -- it is. It could severely disrupt the way rains function, especially in areas like India, South America and West Africa. It would also increase the frequency of storms while lowering temperatures in European nations while also resulting in the sea level off eastern North America to rise considerably. This would also affect the Amazonian rainforest as well as Antarctic ice sheets -- basically, were f**ked. Whats worse is that the AMOC system is fairly complex and with the rising temperatures of our world it is nearly impossible for figuring out when we would land in trouble. It could be as soon as a decade away or as far as a century away, but it is inevitable. And scientists warn that this must not happen at all costs. Niklas Boers, from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, explains, The signs of destabilisation being visible already is something that I wouldnt have expected and that I find scary. Its something you just cant [allow to] happen. Also Read: Arctic Ice Will Completely Melt Into Ocean In 15 Years, Claims Study He warned stating that you know the kind of CO2 levels that would trigger an AMOC collapse, So the only thing to do is keep emissions as low as possible. The likelihood of this extremely high-impact event happening increases with every gram of CO2 that we put into the atmosphere. Analysis of ice-core and other data from the last 100,000 years revealed that the AMOC has two states: a fast one thats also stronger, and a slow one thats not as strong. The data reveals that rising temperatures can make the AMOC switch abruptly between these states over a time period of one to five decades. AMOC gets intensified by dense, salty seawater that enters the Arctic ocean. However, the melting of freshwater from Greenlands ice sheet is slowing the process down much earlier than climate models suggest. MTU Also Read: Global Warming Destroys Canadas Last Fully Intact Arctic Ice Shelf Giving the example of a chair, researchers explain that pushing a chair alters its position but doesn't make it unstable. Tilting the chair, however, affects both stability and its position. After observing eight independently measured datasets of temperature and salinity going back as far as 150 years revealed that global heating is increasing at a rapid pace and it's not just a change in flow pattern. He concluded, stating, This decline [of the AMOC in recent decades] may be associated with an almost complete loss of stability over the course of the last century, and the AMOC could be close to a critical transition to its weak circulation mode. What to do you think about the rising threat of climate change and global warming impacting across the world and here in India? Let us know in the comments section below, and keep visiting Indiatimes.com for more news on global warming and climate change impact. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form U.S.-based Novavax partnered with the Serum Institute of India to apply for emergency use in the three countries, including India, and plans later this month to also seek the World Health Organization review needed to be part of the COVAX global vaccine program. Above: Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways Mansukh Mandaviya visits the Serum Institute of India, in Pune on June 2. (ANI photo) Basil is often people's favourite herb with many growing it in little pots on their windowsills. Indeed, it has long been considered the King of the Herbs not only because of its popularity but also because the name basileus literally means king in Greek. Basil is native to parts of Asia and Africa and is thought to have been brought to ancient Greece by Alexander the Great from India. Basil has a long history of cultivation around the world and has been used as a culinary herb, aromatic herb, and ornamental herb for centuries. There are many, vastly different, religious legends and symbols associated with basil. In India, Hindus once buried holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) leaves with their dead to help them get into heaven. It was once thought in Italy if a man accepted a sprig of sweet basil from a woman, he would fall in love with her. In the 1600s, the English hung basil in doorways to ward off unwanted insects and other pests like evil spirits. Although not native to the Mediterranean, basil is of course most associated with Italy and Italian cooking. The most common variety of basil we use and grow is Genovese or sweet basil. Italians say that Basil helps you have a restful abbiocco (after-lunch nap). We have now started making the excuse to eat basil for all our lunches just so we can avail of a delicious abbiocco afterwards. A summery lunch of ripe tomatoes with beautifully aromatic basil leaves followed by a restorative snooze - that has to be the definition of self-love. I love living in New York City because I can get a bowl of matzo ball soup at 1am after catching a jazz show on my way to a sleepover at the Natural History Museum. Please understand Im quite shy and lazy so Ive never done that, but in theory its all possible! This week made me love the city even more, when mayor Bill de Blasio announced the first government-issued mandate in the US requiring proof of Covid-19 vaccination for people taking part in indoor activities in the city. Workers and customers of indoor restaurants, gyms, and entertainment and performance venues will require patrons to show a vaccination card or a city or state vaccination pass or they will be denied entry. This is a relief to me, because I have been really worried about unvaccinated people passing along the plague in some terrible infinite loop. That is what is happening all across the US today, and politicians are struggling to tackle it. This is an American tragedy. People are dying and will die who dont have to die. If youre out there unvaccinated, you dont have to die. President Joe Biden uttered those exasperated words on July 29 after announcing new vaccine mandates for federal employees and contractors. As the Delta variant rips through the unvaccinated population of the US and coronavirus cases and deaths rocket back up, the Biden administration laid out some new rules. Any federal employee 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 testing once or twice each week; and have their official travel restricted. The federal government employs more than 4m people, including over 2m in the federal civilian workforce, throughout the country and across the world. The administration hopes to apply similar standards to all federal contractors and encouraged employers across the private sector to follow their model. The very next day, two of the countrys biggest employers, Disney and Walmart, introduced a requirement for their employees to get vaccinated. We can now feel a little safer around Snow White when we meet her in Disneyland, and breathe that bit easier amongst the ammunition-selling teenagers in any of the thousands of Walmarts throughout the (non-Disney) land. Near the end of President Bidens statement he said: Look, this is not about red states and blue states. Its literally about life and death. Its about life and death. Thats what its about. Laudable but unfortunately inaccurate; vaccine mandates are certainly about life and death but they are also about red states and blue states. It is about politics, red states meaning states with a majority of Republican voters, blue states meaning a majority of Democratic voters. Take Texas, an outsized example of a red state that could not give less of a rope toss what I or anybody else thinks and has flung off any suggestion of a vaccine mandate like so many Bachelorettes from a bucking bronco. Texans are famously resistant to any hint of being told what to do. As the countrys second largest state in both landmass and population, its a powerful part of the country and that power largely belongs to the Republicans. The last time a Democratic presidential nominee took Texas was in 1976 when Jimmy Carter was elected President. Its been 30 years since Texas elected a Democrat for a Governor, and their current governor Greg Abbott is deeply Republican, and was very pro-Trump during the latters presidency. The same day as President Bidens mandate announcement, Gov. Abbott 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. Read More Texas governor wants crowdsourcing to pay for border wall with Mexico Abbotts order applies to any government entities receiving state funds, including counties, cities, school districts, public health authorities and government officials. He announced no covid-19-related operating limits for any business or other establishment in the state so that he could ensure the ability of Texans to preserve livelihoods while protecting lives. Ive lived in the US for long enough to know that political leanings can easily make the citizens there act against their own best interests, but this one still stunned me. Gov. Abbott himself has been vaccinated, so I have to assume that unlike his views on climate change mitigation or same sex marriage, he must believe that the vaccine is both a good idea and a morally acceptable one. Yet he forbids any government entity from requiring that same protection he himself availed of. He banned regulations in a week that saw Covid-related hospitalizations in Texas rising nearly 40% according to The Washington Post. Meanwhile, the countrys leading immunologist, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr Anthony Fauci, told CNNs Jake Tapper: I have been of this opinion, and I remain of that opinion, that I do believe at the local level, Jake, there should be more mandates, there really should be. We're talking about a life-and-death situation. We have lost 600,000 Americans already. The moment my empathy started to fray with people who refused a coronavirus vaccine was back in March when Krispy Kreme announced a special promotion; one free doughnut when you show youve been vaccinated. What more could you want? Beyond the promise of seeing and touching my family and friends again, not forgetting the potential to save my actual life, I didnt need much of an incentive to get the vaccine. I was vaccinated in City Hall in Cork and happily made do with free parking and the intriguing prospect of spending 15 minutes of observation time with people the exact same age as I am. Now, 15 minutes is plenty of time to compare and despair, but I remained thrilled at the ache in my arm that signified liberation, a way out of this terrible and sad time. I mentally tot up all the fun extras you can pick up in the United States, depending on which state and location youre in - you can get a whole selection of cash bonuses, vouchers for flights, tickets for games and venues, and in case you forgot, free donuts. Anti-vaxxers The more I do this the less patience I have with anti-vaxxers and people who are, in that most cowardly of phrases, vaccine hesitant. By passing up this golden opportunity to save themselves, people who choose not to get the vaccine are endangering us all. Until were all safe, none of us are safe, and if a mandate is the only thing that can make that possible then that is what must happen. Im glad New York City is leading the way, and Im not surprised. Before that godforsaken bat passed the coronavirus along to humans sometime in 2019, the city was faced with a difficult decision about vaccine mandates to deal with another, older foe. Measles had come back, outbreaks returned to Brooklyn with a vengeance among unvaccinated Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn in late 2018 and early 2019. At first, public officials tried education and outreach, working with trusted religious and community leaders to encourage parents to vaccinate their children. As hundreds of people sickened and some ended up in intensive care in hospital, the city tried a ban on unvaccinated students from going to school. That didnt work either, and the measles continued to spread. Eventually Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a public health emergency requiring people in the Williamsburg neighborhood to be vaccinated. Mandates worked then, and if it comes down to it, mandates will work again. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. OREGON CITY, Ore. --On August 6, around 3:30 P.M., Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to the report of a single-vehicle crash on Highway 213 near Douglas Loop, Oregon City. A preliminary investigation revealed a Grand Marquis, operated by Kyle Hansen, (45) of Molalla, was traveling northbound when it left the roadway, and continued through a grassy shoulder, and crashed into a brick wall. As a result of the crash, Hansen suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. There was a minimal impact on the traffic on Highway 213. A member of Oregon State Polices Collision Reconstruction Unit responded and investigated the crash. OSP was assisted by Clackamas Fire, Clackamas MEs Office, Oregon City Police Department, and Oregon Department of Transportation. MEDFORD, Ore-- While students inside South Medford School moved about the building this summer, jumping from classroom to classroom, 24-year-old Kristopher Clay was contemplating on taking significant steps toward carrying out a mass shooting. Thankfully Clay decided to surrender to Medford Police. On July 20, 24-year-old Kristopher Clay came into the Medford Police Department lobby and requested to speak with an officer. MPD said that Clay told the officer he was having "homicidal thoughts" and had plans to follow through with them. Medford Police say that Clay had these 'thoughts' for quite some time but do not know when his exact plans began. On Friday, NewsWatch 12 reached out to several parents and families living near the high school on the significance of an event like a mass shooting even being contemplated by an individual. "It's unnerving to say the least," said Bryan Goodrich, a father who's step-daughter will be attending South Medford High School this fall. "It's already bad enough to hear this type of story on the news far away. It's tragic, but when its literally across the street from your house it hits a little bit closer to home." Other parents and community members surrounding the high school felt the same way. All of the individuals that NewsWatch 12 spoke to, saying that they never imagined an individual would consider going through with a mass shooting at South Medford High School and in their community. Kimberly Armstrong, a mother of two daughters who attend South Medford High School, lives just across the street from the high school. Like many others , Armstrong said she was shocked when she heard the news break, but was just thankful that Clay decided to not go through with his plan. "I'm grateful, so grateful," said Armstrong. "I have two precious lives over there." "I knew it was a possibility, but I never thought it would happen here," said June Woster, a junior at South Medford High School. Police have stated that Clay was not legally allowed to own guns because of a court order, citing mental illness. This is why Goodrich says this case is an example of why its so important to get people the mental health services they need. "I think being able to prevent something like this from happening with proper mental health care is going to be important," said Goodrich. "There have been countless school shootings and shootings at malls and movie theatres. How many of these events could have been prevented with proper mental health care." ETNA, Calif.According to the Klamath National Forest, fire behavior at the River Complex Fire has been mostly low to moderate as it backs off the ridges into the South, Middle and North Forks of the Salmon River. So far, the Haypress Fire has grown by approximately 1,009 acres for total acreage of 14,509. The Summer Fire grew approximately 882 acres from the previous day for total acreage of 7,493. The Cronan Fire is currently 1,082 acres. Total acreage for the complex is 23,085 acres with 3% containment. The complex consists of 10 active fires, 3 of which have been contained and are in patrol status. Most of the active fires are one half to 20 acres in size. Crews are working to construct direct and indirect lines. This in combination with firing operations to contain the larger fires. Warmer and drier conditions were developed over the River Complex on Friday and warmer and drier conditions will persist this weekend. Evacuation orders: Siskiyou County has issued evacuation orders for the communities of Cecilville, Summerville, Petersburg, and Sawyers Bar. An evacuation order means there is immediate threat to life and is a lawful order to leave now. The area is closed to public access. Road closures: The Callahan-Cecilville Road is closed from approximately 1 mile west of the community of Callahan to Cecilville. Priorities remain protection of identified values at risk within the complex and all fires are planned for full suppression. Resources: 335 personnel 6 hand crews 3 helicopters 20 engines 3 dozers 1 water tender Additional personnel and equipment have been requested . Numerous fires in the area and across the country are limiting available resources at this time. A virtual community meeting on Facebook Live is scheduled for tonight August 7, 2021 at 5:00 pm on the Klamath National Forests Facebook page. If the public has questions prior to the Virtual Meeting tonight feel free to ask them via Klamath National Forests Facebook page prior to the meeting. For additional information, call the River Complex Fire information line at (925) 588-6706 or go to the InciWeb page at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7760/ Kazumi Matsui, right, mayor of Hiroshima, and the family of the deceased bow before they place the victims list of the Atomic Bomb at Hiroshima Memorial Cenotaph during the ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the bombing at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020, in Hiroshima, western Japan. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) COQUILLE, Ore. -- Quadruple murder suspect Oen Nicholson pleaded not guilty to 16 different charges Friday afternoon. RELATED: NORTH BEND MURDER SUSPECT EXTRADITED TO COOS COUNTY The charges include 12 counts of first-degree murder, two counts of failure to perform the duties of a driver to injured persons and two counts of recklessly endangering another person. Despite how the 12 murder charges sound, he is believed to have killed four people. MORE: NORTH BEND MURDER SUSPECT OEN NICHOLSON BACK IN COURT Nicholson allegedly killed his father, Charles Nicholson, 83, at the RV campground near the Mill Casino in North Bend before he took his father's pickup truck, hit and killed Anthony Oyster, 74, and hit wife Linda Oyster, 73, who later died of her injuries. He then reportedly drove to a nearby marijuana dispensary where police say he shot and killed Jennifer Davidson, 47. Nicholson appeared in front of the Coos County Grand Jury. READ ON: NORTH BEND COMMUNITY MOURNS LOSS OF THREE MURDERED VICTIMS AFTER SUSPECT CAPTURED The case has been set for a status conference on Oct. 1. Security is set at $8 million. KEZI 9 News spoke with a friend of Davidson, who said he is still mourning the loss but is thankful the legal process is moving along. He said he goes by the name Cotton. "Praise the Lord," Cotton said. "I like the fact that he's coming back to Coos bay and that they've caught him. And that [Jennifer will] have some justice out of this whole thing. And everyone will get some closure because it has affected this whole community." Nicholson has also been accused of kidnapping a woman from the Cabela's parking lot in Springfield. Authorities said he forced her to drive more than 30 hours to Wisconsin, where he turned himself in. Charges connected to those crimes have not been filed as of yet. Springfield police released this statement: "Due to the seriousness of the crimes that occurred in Coos County, the Coos County District Attorneys Office has assumed the lead as the case moves forward." The Lane County Sheriff's Office expressed similar sentiments. SPRINGFIELD, Ore.- The Lane County Sheriff's Office has identified man who was arrested Friday after a chase ended on the Willamette River. According to law enforcement, Kyle Kalcich, 30, was driving a stolen vehicle in the Creswell area around 7:00 p.m. Friday. The deputies attempted to initiate a traffic stop however Kalcich sped away at a high rate of speed eastbound on Cloverdale Rd. Deputies pursued him as he eventually went eastbound on Hwy. 58 then northbound on Parkway Rd. towards Springfield, the Lane County Sheriff's Office said. Deputies lost sight of the vehicle as it approached Jasper Rd. Citizens in the area advised that the vehicle had continued northbound on Jasper Rd. Officials say people in the area advised that the vehicle had continued northbound on Jasper Rd. Deputies found the car a short time later crashed near the intersection of Jasper Rd. and Bob Straub Parkway Rd. They said Kalcich tried to get away on foot and swam across the Willamette River. With the assistance of a boat operated by the Eugene/Springfield Fire Department, deputies were able to cross the river and locate Kalcich hiding underneath some blackberry bushes. He was taken into custody with the assistance of an LCSO K9 unit, officials said. The Eugene-Springfield Fire Department was called out to assist police just before 8:00 p.m. near the Clearwater boat ramp. The Fire Chief, several engines, and medics responded to help. The fireboats launched and went to pick up the person. Kalcich was taken to the Lane County Jail where he was lodged on charges including unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, elude by vehicle, elude by foot, reckless driving and reckless endangering. LANE COUNTY, Ore. -- Here in Lane County, there are about 300 unvaccinated long-term care workers, and that's just in the 10 largest facilities. Lane County Public Health officials told KEZI 9 News there could be more. Last year, the Evergreen Memory Care Facility in Eugene saw 13 deaths, and this was before the COVID-19 vaccine was invented. And now that the shots are widely available, you would think the outbreaks would disappear. But that hasn't proven to be the case. According to a study done by the Oregon Health Authority, the health care workers with the highest vaccination percentage are dentists who are at 94%. The lowest are chiropractic assistants at 45%. Nurses are in the 70% range, and medical doctors are at an 87% vaccination rate. But the number -- 300 -- is worrying people. One Springfield woman, Judy, is anxious about these numbers. "I don't know, I just think it's really scary. I think people who work taking care of people in a compromised position, whether it be retirement center, care facility, rehabilitation, a hospital, doctor's office, they need to be required to be vaccinated," said Judy. Judy told KEZI 9 News she has a paralyzed cousin in the Avamere Rehabilitation Facility. This facility had a recent outbreak in July with a total of five cases. Judy said she wasn't able to see her cousin. "We grew up very close, you raise your own kids and families you kind of distance, and you know you get back in contact," said Judy. But that's not the only reason Judy said she hopes people will get vaccinated; she has a surgery in September. "If they choose not to, then maybe that's not the profession they should be in," said Judy. And there will most likely be another requirement put out by Gov. Kate Brown. She says Oregon health care workers will be required to get vaccinated or face weekly testing. By Sept. 30, we may see a drop in cases. But until then, it'll be up to people to make their own choice. FRANKLIN COUNTY, Iowa A Des Moines driver was killed in a collision with a semi on Interstate 35 Friday. The Iowa State Patrol says it happened around 3:15 pm near mile marker 165 in Franklin County. Deanna Allen, 48 of Des Moines, was driving a 2019 Chevy Trax north when it crossed the center median and struck a southbound semi driven by Kumar Sandeep, 26 of Cotati, California. The collision sent the Chevy Trax into the west ditch, where it caught on fire. The State Patrol says Allen was killed and the body was taken to the State Medical Examiner's Office. The Franklin County Sheriffs Office, Latimer Fire Department, and the Iowa Department of Transportation assisted at the scene. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Prosecutors say there will be no charges filed against three Minneapolis police officers who fatally shot a Somali American man after he fired at them during a sting. Dolal Idd was shot on December 30. Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena reviewed the case at the request of Hennepin County and decided that while Idd's death was tragic, the use of deadly force by Officers Paul Huyhn, Darcy Klund and Jason Schmitt was justified. Idd's death was the city's first police-involved death since George Floyd died while being restrained months earlier. The police chief released body camera video from Idd's shooting the day after it happened, saying he wanted the public to see it for themselves. DENVER (AP) When the delta variant started spreading, Gina Welch decided not to take any chances: She got a third, booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by going to a clinic and telling them it was her first shot. The U.S. government has not approved booster shots against the virus, saying it has yet to see evidence they are necessary. But Welch and an untold number of other Americans have managed to get them by taking advantage of the nations vaccine surplus and loose tracking of those who have been fully vaccinated. Welch, a graduate student from Maine who is studying chemical engineering, said she has kept tabs on scientific studies about COVID-19 and follows several virologists and epidemiologists on social media who have advocated for boosters. Im going to follow these experts and Im going to go protect myself, said Welch, a 26-year-old with asthma and a liver condition. Im not going to wait another six months to a year for them to recommend a third dose. While Pfizer has said it plans to seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for booster shots, health authorities say that for now, the fully vaccinated seem well protected. Yet health care providers in the U.S. have reported more than 900 instances of people getting a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines in a database run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an Associated Press review of the systems data found. Because reporting is voluntary, the full extent of people who have received third doses is unknown. Its also unknown if all of those people were actively trying to get a third dose as a booster. "I dont think that anyone really has the tracking in place to know how widespread it is, said Claire Hannan, executive director for the Association of Immunization Managers. One entry in the CDC database shows a 52-year-old man got a third dose from a California pharmacy on July 14 by saying he had never received one and by providing his passport, rather than a driver's license, as identification. But when the pharmacy contacted the patients insurance provider, it was told he had received two doses in March. In Virginia, a 39-year-old man got a third shot from a military provider on April 27 after he showed a vaccine card indicating he had received only one dose. A review of records turned up his previous vaccines. The patient then told the provider that the time between his first and second doses was more than 21 days, so they spoke to their provider, who authorized them to get a third shot, an entry states. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said at a recent news briefing that he knew of residents who had received third dose by using fake names, but neither his office nor the state health department could provide any evidence. Despite a lack of FDA approval, public health officials in San Francisco said Tuesday that they will provide an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for people who got the single-shot Johnson & Johnson variety referring to it as a supplement, rather than a booster. Several studies are looking at booster shots for certain at-risk groups people with weakened immune systems, adults over 60 years old and health care workers. But the verdict is still out on whether the general population might need them, said Dr. Michelle Barron, senior medical director for infection prevention at UCHealth, a not-for-profit health care system based in Aurora, Colorado. She said the best data in favor of possible boosters is for people whose immune systems are compromised. Israel is giving boosters to older adults and several countries, including Germany, Russia and the U.K. have approved them for some people. The head of the World Health Organization recently urged wealthier nations to stop administering boosters to ensure vaccine doses are available to other countries where few people have received their first shots. Will Clart, a 67-year-old patient services employee at a Missouri hospital, got a third dose in May by going to a local pharmacy. Clart said he gave the pharmacist all of his information, but that the pharmacist didn't realize until after administering the shot that Clarts name was in the vaccine system. It sounded like there was a benefit to it. And theres also been talk that eventually well need a booster mine was five or six months out and so I thought well Ill go ahead, thatll give me a booster, Clart said. Ted Rall, a political cartoonist, explained in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that he got a booster because of a history of lung problems, including asthma, swine flu, and repeated bouts of bronchitis and pneumonia. I made up my mind after reading a report that states were likely to toss 26.2 million unused doses due to low demand. My decision had no effect on policy, and I saved a vaccine dose from the garbage, Rall said. Welch, the graduate student from Maine, put the blame on people who have refused to get the vaccine for political reasons. About 60% of eligible people in the U.S. are fully vaccinated. Their absolute demand and screeches for freedom is trampling our public health and our communal health." Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Mostly clear. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Mostly clear. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable. The White House is in early talks about issuing a vaccine mandate among nursing-home workers and individuals who would engage in domestic air travel. The White House confirmed on Friday that officials were looking for other avenues to increase the vaccination rates among Americans amid the concern of the Delta COVID variant. As the Biden administration tackles requiring the vaccine among nursing home workers and individuals who would engage in domestic air travels, White House press secretary Jen Psaki noted that the talks are still in the early stage and "pre-decisional." It was not the first time that the Biden administration made a move regarding vaccine mandates. A White House official earlier said that the administration also plans to require full vaccine status among foreign air travelers when travel restrictions in the U.S. are lifted. On Friday, President Joe Biden said more mandates would come in the coming days. Last week, he noted it was "still a question" if the federal government could mandate that all citizens must be vaccinated. However, the White House later said that was not under consideration. Psaki also touted the growing momentum among vaccine requirements taken by several sectors, including state governments. Genesis Healthcare, the largest nursing home chain in the U.S., and United Airlines announced that they would require their workers to be vaccinated. "We support these vaccination requirements to protect workers, communities, and countries," Psaki noted. READ NEXT: Pres. Joe Biden Directs Defense Department to Plan Mandatory COVID Vaccine Among Military Members Fauci Says More Vaccine Mandates Will Roll The nation's infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said that more vaccine mandates would roll once the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fully authorized the COVID-19 vaccines. Fauci predicted that the vaccine mandates would not come from the federal officials, but the full authorization of the jab would "embolden" many groups to require them. Fauci further noted that the full authorization would make businesses, colleges, universities, and enterprises more confident about the jab, making the vaccine a requirement among the institutions they want to enter. More Than 100,000 New COVID Cases Recorded Talks on vaccine mandates and Fauci's prediction came as the U.S. recorded more than 100,000 new COVID cases in the previous week amid the continuous spread of the Delta variant across the U.S. On Thursday, officials recorded at least 109,824 new cases of the virus, as well as a seven-day average of 98,518 cases per day. The record-breaking number of COVID cases also marked a 277 percent increase from 26,079 recorded three weeks ago and the highest recorded since February 14, the Daily Mail reported, citing John Hopkins University's data. Apart from the new cases, officials also recorded at least 535 COVID-19 deaths on Thursday. The number of deaths showed a 58 percent increase from 268 recorded three weeks ago and the highest death rate since June 9. READ NEXT: How Dangerous the Delta Variant Really Is: Here's What the CDC, New Study Say This article is owned by Latin Post Written by: Joshua Summers WATCH: Corporate COVID Vaccine Mandates Grow - From CNBC Television Arizona state senator Tony Navarrete was arrested on suspicion of engaging in sexual conduct with an underage boy. He was ordered to be held in custody on a $50,000 bond. The Phoenix Police Department said it received a report on Wednesday about claims of the alleged conduct between Navarrete and the boy in 2019. The boy is now 16 years old. They arrested the Arizona state senator Thursday after investigators talked to the juvenile victim and witnesses, Washington Examiner reported. According to a police report, Tony Navarrete allegedly molested and have sexual contact with the boy, who was 12 or 13 years old at the time, for several years. The Arizona state senator is also accused of trying to have sexual contact with the victim's younger brother, who is now 13 years old. READ NEXT: Arizona Carnival Owner Arrested for Taking Mexican Workers' Passports to Prevent Them From Leaving Arizona State Senator Accused of Molesting a Minor The juvenile victim said Tony Navarrete first molested him by touching his penis while he was sleeping. He also told police that the 35-year-old Arizona state senator would lie down in bed next to him and touch his genitals under his clothes. The boy added that Navarrete also sometimes forced oral sex on him, Arizona Mirror reported. In one instance, the boy recalled that Navarrete told him that he should not be doing it since it was wrong before he allegedly continued to molest the child. A sex crime prosecutor in Maricopa County Attorney's Office, Jeanine Sorrentino, asked for a $50,000 bond and a mandatory 49 years in prison if the Arizona state senator is convicted on all charges. Navarrete is facing various charges, including three class two felonies for sexual conduct with a minor, two class six felonies for sexual conduct with a minor, and one class four felony for attempted sexual contact with a minor. Sorrentino noted that the "high prison sentence" makes the state senator a flight risk. However, the attorney representing Navarrete countered that his client was not a flight risk, saying he cooperated with police and was even willing to surrender his passport. But Superior Court Commissioner Steve McCarthy, who presided over the hearing with Navarrete on Friday, was not convinced and ordered the state senator to be held until a $50,000 secured bond was paid. Tony Navarrete is set to appear in court on August 12 for a status conference and scheduled on August 16 for a preliminary hearing. Calls for Tony Navarrete's Resignation Following the charges against Tony Navarrete, the Arizona governor and his fellow Democratic lawmakers called for his resignation. Republican Gov. Dough Ducey took to Twitter to express his statements. Ducey said the allegations are "abhorrent." The Republican governor also offered his prayers to the victims and their loved ones during the challenging time. Legislative Democrats had also asked for Navarrete's resignation after the allegations were made public. The statement from the lawmakers said that the felony charges against him provide an "untenable distraction" from his role as an elected official and public servant. Navarrete should do the right for all involved and immediately resign, according to the Democratic lawmakers. Senate President Karen Fann also said that she's waiting for Navarrete's immediate resignation. Fann noted that the charges are serious and alarming and require the senator to step down immediately, 12 News reported. READ MORE: Illegal Immigrants Broke Inside a Texas Ranch House, Stole Weapons and Food This article is owned by Latin Post Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Arizona Senator Tony Navarrete Arrested on Child Sex Crimes - From ABC15 Arizona After police discovered 24 suitcases filled with cocaine on a private jet, the Spanish citizen passenger of the aircraft was detained at an airport in Brazil on Wednesday. According to El Pais, the federal police in Brazil arrested the Spanish man, who was the only passenger onboard the private jet at the time of the bust. Brazilian authorities noted that when they searched the private aircraft heading to Brussels in Belgium, they found 24 suitcases filled with cocaine. The private jet started its journey to Europe from Sao Paulo in Brazil earlier in the day. However, the plane briefly stopped at the Pinto Martins International Airport in Fortaleza, also in Brazil, for its papers to be checked. When federal officers searched the aircraft while verifying the papers, they have found the more than a ton of cocaine. Brazilian authorities filmed the suspect while being asked to open one of the 24 suitcases. The Spanish man eventually cooperated, and it was then that the pile of large packets stacked inside the suitcases was revealed. The white powder was filmed coming out of a packet when slashed by an officer. The federal police in Brazil also revealed there were at least 50 packets of cocaine in each of the suitcases. When they accounted for all of the packets, they had a total of 1,304 kilograms, which was equivalent to more than one ton. The Spanish man was then detained and questioned at the airport. The other four crew members of the private jet, all Turkish nationals, were also investigated in the case. This was not the first time police identified private jets being utilized to transport illegal drugs from Brazil to Europe. A few months ago, several planes were seized in Brazil during a large operation against drug smuggling. READ NEXT: U.S. Coast Guard Offloads Historic $1.4B Worth of Cocaine, Marijuana at Florida Port Drug Trafficking: From Brazil to Spain In 2018, Barcelona in Spain was named Europe's cocaine capital following a scientific study that tested the water in some of the biggest cities at the European Union. The study found that Barcelona, the capital of the Catalonia region, consumed an average of 965.2 milligrams of the drug per 1000 residents daily. The numbers topped any other city that was part of the survey. To get past police investigations and raids, drug smugglers have been trying innovative methods in bringing drugs into Spain and the wider portion of Europe. Spanish authorities discovered close to 150 pounds of cocaine hidden inside carved out pineapples at Madrid's largest wholesale fruit and vegetable market in 2018. Authorities noted that the illegal drugs were transported in hollowed-out pineapples filled with cocaine compacted into cylinders. Last year, Spanish police intercepted a submarine carrying three tons of cocaine, and they believed it was built to smuggle illegal drugs. READ MORE: El Chapo's Sinaloa Cartel' Financial Officer' Extradited From Mexico to U.S. to Face Charges This article is owned by Latin Post Written by: Jess Smith WATCH: Brazil's Police Seized 1.3 tons of Cocaine Hidden in Suitcases on a Private Turkish Jet - From Citizen Free Press A Southwest Airlines passenger carrying a sign displaying President Joe Biden's name has been told by staff to cover it as many passengers found it offensive. The Independent reported that Jenny Grondahl was carrying the cardboard sign that read "Arizonenses Con Biden" during her flight from Phoenix to San Diego on Southwest Airlines last Friday. Grondahl said it was designed by an artist named Javier Torres and a remembrance of the volunteer work she had done in Arizona before the election. Last Friday I was told by Southwest Air staff many passengers complained and were offended by the @joebiden sign I was carrying under my arm. I was told to cover it up or not bring it aboard. I asked what if I was wearing a @potus tee told Id be asked to turn it inside out. pic.twitter.com/Mvm0mdz7u1 Jenny Grndahl (@JennyGrondahl) August 2, 2021 She told the Washington Post that the sign was important to her because she worked very hard to register Latino voters. Grondahl added that Latinos showed up, and "Arizona went blue." The Southwest Airlines passenger serves on the executive board of Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA), representing workers in Arizona and California. She reportedly volunteered for the Joe Biden campaign for president in 2020. READ NEXT: American Airlines Passengers' Disturbing Fight on a Flight Caught on Video Southwest Airlines Staff Says the Sign is Offensive Jenny Grondahl said when she got to the gate, a Southwest Airlines employee told her that "many customers are offended by your sign." The Southwest Airlines agent also told her to either cover it up or fold it and put it under her seat. She then asked the employee what would have happened if she was wearing a T-shirt supporting Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The employee told Grondahl that she would have had to turn the T-shirt inside out to board the flight. Grondahl then opted to fold the sign and placed it under her seat. The Southwest Airlines passenger said the language used on the sign was Spanish, and she was extremely upset by the confrontation and found herself shaking. Meanwhile, the airline company has yet to comment on the incident, but Southwest Airlines spokesman Dan Landson denied that the firm would censor political expression. Landson said in a statement that they pride themselves on providing a welcoming and safe environment for all customers and employees regardless of political beliefs, the U.S. Sun reported. Landson added that they are already in conversations with the "customer to address her concerns and we hope to welcome her back on a future Southwest flight." Meanwhile, legal experts said the incident was probably a one-off that happened due to decisions on what customers can bring or wear onboard are at the discretion of individual employees. Tom Demetrio, a Chicago-based lawyer, noted that Grondahl just probably run into a buzz saw with a flight attendant, who was just trying to appease some unhappy passengers. Demetrio was known for representing David Dao, who was a passenger dragged off a United Airlines flight in 2017. Demetrio said that if passengers have an issue with a flight attendant, play along as they win. He noted that there's no use in protesting as they were backed up by the pilot 100 percent. Gripes About Airline Dress Codes In 2020, a graduate student Arijit Guha was barred from a Delta flight as his shirt stated "Terrists gonna kill us all." Guha said the misspelled shirt was satirical and a mockery of federal screening policies that he said were racially profiled. In 2012, a woman was asked to cover her shirt as the airline's spokesperson said that her shirt contained an expletive. READ MORE: American Airlines Cancels Almost 400 Flights Over Staff, Maintenance Issues This article is owned by Latin Post Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Why There Are Suddenly so Many Canceled Flights - From CNBC Television Jordan Auctioneers recently achieved a superb price at auction for Castleroe House and farm, a property on 164 acres just outside the village of Kilkea in south Kildare. Before an attendance of 70 people, the property sold in five lots reaching a combined value of 3,235,000 (19,700 per acre). Renowned for high land prices this area in south Kildare has always been one of the strongest markets for land sales, which according to Clive Kavanagh of Jordans is due to a combination of factors including Ethe general quality of the land and the extensive farmer base. An executor sale, Castleroe House was offered in a total of five lots with active bidding for all from the outset. A summary of the prices achieved are as follows: Lot 1: House & Yard on c13 acres. sold 515,000. Lot 2: c 81 acres sold1,200,000. Lot 3: c 20 acres sold 510,000. Lot 4: c 39 acres sold 800,000. Lot 5: c 10.5 acres sold 210,000. Speaking after the auction, Mr Kavanagh of the selling agents said that interest levels from the outset were really strong and they knew that the farm would likely achieve a top price as it is not often land comes for sale in the immediate area. The property is located just outside the village of Kilkea, close to the border with Carlow and surrounded by some of the best arable and grass lands in the country. Local buyers The various lots were purchased by people within a 10-to-20-mile radius and are generally believed to be involved in various agricultural enterprises. GARDAI are appealing to Limerick people who have concerns about drug dealing or drug debts to contact them. As part of Operation Tara, divisional drugs units in Limerick and across the country have been provided with additional resources since July 1. The goal of the operation is to protect local communities from the scourge of illegal drugs in line with An Garda Siochanas mission of keeping people safe. "Its a nationwide operation launched to tackle any drug related matters that concern communities," said divisional crime prevention officer Sergeant Ber Leetch who is appealing for members of the public to come forward. "My job is to encourage members of the community to report any type of drug dealing to gardai. Also Gardai know that some families are concerned about family members and their drug debts. These families may have been contacted themselves by drug dealers and forced to pay off a drug debt," she said. "There is plenty of information available to help these families so dont feel like you are on your own, contact your local garda station and ask to speak to somebody in relation to drugs or Operation Tara," she added. A file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions following a significant cash and drugs seizure in County Limerick. The seizure was made when gardai attached to the Divisional Drugs unit executed a search warrant at a residential property in Newcastle West on Thursday evening. "During the course of the search operation cocaine was seized with an estimated street value of 5,000, along with cash of approximately 13,000. Drug paraphernalia was also seized," said a garda spokesperson. A man, in his 50s, was arrested at the scene and taken to Henry Street garda station in the city where he was detained under the provisions of Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996. The man has since been released without charge and a file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. The drugs will now be sent for forensic analysis. Investigations into the seizure are ongoing. 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. THE Newcastle West man who broke into a car behind a pub while a sporting event was being watched in the bar was given a two-month suspended sentence at the local court. Before the court was Jamie Darcy also known as Jamie Lynch Darcy, of The Archways, Newcastle West who pleaded guilty to two charges of theft. Inspector Andrew Lacey told the court that on July 27, 2019, Mr Darcy was at Whelans Bar, Maiden St, Newcastle West where a sporting event was taking place and was observed breaking into a vehicle at the rear of the premises, and stealing a handbag. The bag contained cash, cards, a driving licence to the value of 400. Compensation had not been paid, the inspector said. Mr Darcy also pleaded guilty to taking items worth 7.94 including deli food and leaving Dooleys Supermarket, Bishop St, Newcastle West without paying on November 30, 2019. Pleading for his client, solicitor John Lynch said he had a severe drug problem but had started a residential treatment course in Dublin at the start of the year and was now in a step-down facility and was making huge progress. All his tests for the past three months had been negative, Mr Lynch said Regarding the compensation, he added; He simply does not have any money. He doesnt have it and he wont have it. Mr Lynch pleaded with Judge Carol Anne Coolican not to send his client to prison which, he said, would undo six or seven months of very hard work. The judge imposed a two-month sentence for the handbag theft, suspended for 12 months and took the other charge into consideration. I wish you well in your recovery, and your family, she told Mr Darcy. CANCER doesnt stop and neither will Mike ODonoghue and a group of caring youngsters. They have had to cancel the longest coffee morning in Ireland at Mikes Pallasgreen home for the last two years due to Covid. Last August, they did a 24 hour fast and sleep-out on the grounds of Nicker church. They are going to repeat that this year, as well as a 12k walk around the parish. Every cent will go to the Irish Cancer Society. To date from the five coffee mornings which went from before 7am until well after midnight and last years sleep-out over 36,000 has been raised. It takes place from 5pm on Saturday, August 14, again on the church grounds. Every year they have new recruits to the group of Mike, Saoirse Corbett, Tara Campbell, Aine Looby, Sarah Dillon, Maurice Barrett, and Ellie Phelan. This year, Sarah Phelan, aged 16, younger sister of Ellie, has signed up. Like so many sadly, her life has been touched by cancer. My nana and grandad died of cancer. My mam was pregnant with me when my grandad died. I wanted to do this for them and for all the people who have been through the same experience as my mom and family. I've seen my sister and all the hard work she does and I wanted to do that too, said Ellie, at a socially distanced official launch in Pallasgreen. She could be wrapped up in her warm bed on August 14 but instead she is looking forward to sleeping outside. Hopefully it wont lash rain like last year. Its great to be part of it because it will support the work that the Irish Cancer Society do. What they do is incredible and it's so badly needed as well. I'm glad to help out in any way that I can, said Sarah. Mike had a surprise for three of the girls at the launch. He told them it was to have a chat with Mary Murray from the Irish Cancer Society but he marked Tara, Ellie and Aines birthdays with a cake and presents. Their families were also in on the ruse. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I cannot get over the girls and Maurice they are amazing. No matter what you put to them, its no trouble, said Mike. Locals are free to join the magnificent eight on their walks. At 7pm, on Thursday, August 12 they will set off on a 6km trip from the GAA field in Pallasgreen. On Friday at 7.30pm they will walk 3k from Templebraden church to Barna. Then on Saturday morning at 10.30am they will leave Mikes house and walk to St Anthonys Nursing Home to include residents. The fast will commence at 5pm that evening and people who have been touched by cancer who would like to donate can call to Nicker church to give money and support them in their charitable endeavours until 5pm on Sunday. Online donations can be made here and maybe next year the coffee morning will be back. White House COVID-19 Data Director Cyrus Shahpar on Friday informed that 50 per cent of Americans are now fully vaccinated. More than 8,21,000 doses have also been administered in the US including 5,65,000 newly vaccinated people, Shahpar said in a tweet. "Seven day average of newly vaccinated is up 11 per cent from last week and 44 per cent over past 2 weeks. 50 per cent of Americans (all ages) are now fully vaccinated. Keep going US," he tweeted. Friday just in: +821K doses reported administered, including 565K newly vaccinated. 7-day average of newly vaccinated is up 11% from last week and 44% over past 2 weeks. 50% of Americans (all ages) are now fully vaccinated. Keep going! Cyrus Shahpar (@cyrusshahpar46) August 6, 2021 Meanwhile, the Biden administration is yet to decide whether foreign visitors to the US with a Russian or Chinese COVID vaccine will be eligible for entry under a policy that would mandate vaccines for foreigners entering the country. A few days back, the White House had also informed that the country will maintain existing travel restrictions "at this point" due to concerns over the highly transmissible Covid-19 Delta variant and the rising number of US coronavirus cases. A spike in cases caused by the emergent Delta variant of the virus has caused lawmakers to begin reconsidering new public health policies as it relates to vaccines, masks, and social distancing. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. MILAN : As Covid-19 vaccine mandates proliferate in the U.S. and Europe, so are swindlers selling bogus vaccination certificates. The U.S. government has said federal workers must be vaccinated or submit to regular testing, mask requirements and social distancing. California requires state employees to be vaccinated or tested at least once a week. New York state will soon follow and New York City plans to require proof of vaccination for customers and staff at restaurants and gyms. Employers such as Walt Disney Co., Walmart Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Tyson Foods Inc. are requiring vaccination for at least some of their employees. Proof of vaccination is required in parts of the U.S. and Europe to dine indoors, go to museums and attend large sporting events. The spread of such rules has created a market for counterfeit certificates for the unvaccinated. In recent weeks, schemes to sell illegal proof of vaccination have multiplied on social-media sites, messaging apps such as Telegram and on the dark web, according to government investigators and cybersecurity experts. As a segment of the population tries to avoid the new measures, the dark net reacts to the real market and thus demand gives birth to offers," said Dmitry Galov, a researcher at cybersecurity firm Kaspersky who has been tracking the sale of fake certificates since March. In the U.S., fake vaccination cards purportedly issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have appeared for sale on sites such as Amazon, eBay and Etsy. In May, officers arrested a bar owner in California for allegedly selling fake vaccination cards costing $20 each. The alleged perpetrator was charged with identity theft, forging government documents and falsifying medical records. While we do not have definitive numbers, we are seeing more of these types of schemes recently," a Justice Department spokesman said. The trade isnt only online. Last month, the Justice Department arrested a licensed homeopathic doctor in California for allegedly selling patients what she called Covid immunization pellets. She then provided fake CDC vaccination cards that said the patients had received the Moderna vaccine. She also provided some patients with blank cards and instructions on how to complete them fraudulently by including a specific Moderna vaccine lot number. In the U.S., the lack of a single federal digital card has made the work of swindlers easier. The small white cards issued by the CDC are easy to forge and werent intended to be a main source of proof of vaccination, according to security experts. The European Union has a digital certificate with a dedicated QR code for each person. While the 27 member countries distribute their own vaccination cards, meaning there are variations in the format and where they are accepted, they use the same technology and there is a consensus on how they should be issued and used. Originally thought of as a means to facilitate travel between EU countries, the certificates are now being used to ensure relative safety in situations such as indoor dining. The genuine certificates attest that somebody has been vaccinated, has newly tested negative for Covid-19 or has recovered from the disease. Despite the more-secure format, fake versions of the EU digital certificate have multiplied. In Italy, there are about 30 social-media profiles purporting to sell fake certificates, about 500 of which have been sold in the past few months, according to Ivano Gabrielli, an Italian police commander who oversees online fraud investigations. Telegram is the main platform being used for the sale of the fake certificates, he said. The sellers try to get the word out by posting vague information on well-known social-media platforms, but their goal is to get you to migrate over to an encrypted messaging app," Mr. Gabrielli said. A spokesman for Telegram said the company has shut down channels selling fake certificates when requested to do so by the Italian government. When channels offering fake certificates do get shut down, new ones quickly appear with the same offers. At least by shutting down the accounts, we have momentarily stopped the phenomenon," said Eugenio Fusco, a Milan prosecutor who has investigated the fraudulent certificates. An Italian channel on Telegram is currently advertising a digital version of a vaccine certificate for 100, the equivalent of $118, and a printed copy for 120. Family packs" consisting of four passes can be had for 300 for digital versions and 350 for printed copies. Passes can be paid for in cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and in some cases through PayPal or with Amazon gift cards. The number of fraudulent sales increased significantly after Italy announced a digital certificate would be required for some events and travel, Mr. Gabrielli said. It is unlikely that the fake certificates would stand up to serious scrutiny unless hackers got into the national vaccination database and changed data there, a much more serious and technically challenging type of cybercrime, he said. In France, authorities recently filed preliminary charges against six people for fraud in connection with the creation and sale of fake Covid-19 vaccination cards, according to prosecutors. As of mid-July, French police had identified 400 buyers of fake vaccine cards and said the actual number could be three times higher, according to French press reports. Creating or buying a fraudulent document of any sort, such as a vaccination certificate, is already punishable in France by a fine of up to 45,000 and three years in prison. A new law set to go into effect in the coming days also includes penalties specifically for presenting or offering any document based on fraudulent tests or vaccination records. Fake certificates were first offered in Germany on the dark web, but there werent any buyers, said Miro Dittrich, a researcher at the Center for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy in Germany. Once Germany added restrictions for the unvaccinated and the sellers migrated to Telegram, both supply and demand exploded, he said. Sellers are nimble, ready to satisfy demand that has ebbed and flowed with restrictions," said Mr. Dittrich. One of the bitcoin wallets connected to a dealer of fake certificates had $20,000 in it. He could have been selling other stuff too like guns or drugs, we cant be sure, but likely at least some of that came from the certificates." Mr. Galov, of Kaspersky, warns that buyers of fake certificates might well obtain nothing useful. For years, people have sold counterfeit documents of all typesthings like diplomas or medical certificates," said Mr. Galov. Some of the scams were seeing offering codes or certificates are similar to old ones, in that they often dont deliver anythingthey just leave users without money or documents." Giovanni Legorano in Rome and Sam Schechner in Paris contributed to this article. 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. Click here to read the full article. HBO Europe and Berlin-based Dreamer Joint Venture Filmproduction have boarded Trust Me, Joanna Ratajczaks probing doc feature on a real life couples experimentation with an open relationship. Trust Me will be presented at Locarnos Match Me networking event by Stanislaw Zaborowski, at Warsaws Silver Frame, who lead produces the film with partner Daria Maslona. The HBO Europe co-production was put through by Hanka Kastelicova. Headed by Oliver Stoltz, Dreamer Joint Venture produced Marc Wieses 2020 doc feature We Hold the Line, about Filipino dictator Rodrigo Dutertes persecution of journalists, and Markus Imbodens On the Edge, an Arte France-backed relationship drama. It turns on Alicja and Sebastian, a couple who seem to have it all a happy relationship, two wonderful children, money, a large number of friends until Sebastian proposes that they should open up the relationship to other partners. Underscoring how difficult it is for people to talk about their own needs, even with their own partners, Trust Me starts with Alicja and Sebastian as a couple and then charts the huge challenges of their unconventional relationship and their increasingly lonely battle to make it work. Trust Me takes a close look at relationships and love today through the experience of one couple. It implicitly reflects on what chances more traditional notions have in todays fast-paced world of consumption and ever-widening choice, said Ratajczak. It examines the challenges that a long-term and stable relationship faces, when people also value individualism, and personal development, she added. Whats immediately striking about work-in-progress trailer excerpts from the film is the extraordinarily intimacy of access that Ratajczak achieves with Alicja and Sebastian. I have known both Alicja and Sebastian for several years and they both know and trust me. This project could not otherwise be filmed, Ratajczak told Variety. As a Polish woman who has lived in Germany for many years, I am also aware of Alicjas and Sebastians own individual, cultural backgrounds. I am very sensitive to their concerns and want to be fair and truthful to both of them, she added. Shooting began in 2018. The film is half way through production, Zaborowski said. A Polish TV film and doc shorts director based in Germany, Ratajczak worked previously in radio, winning two major awards for her work at the New York International Radio Festival. In September, Silver Frame will premiere its latest film, Escape to the Silver Globe. A doc feature, it tries to solve one of the biggest mysteries in Polish film history: The production halt on Polands first sci-fi super-production, On the Silver Globe, directed by Andrzej Zuawski. Silver Frame has a second film-related doc feature in development: Wajda, from Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz and Liliana Komorowska, about Polish director Andrzej Wajdas international career and artistic influence. The film will draw on Wajdas personal diary entries, archive materials, home videos, and never-seen-before fragments of his films, plus the recollections of his widow, Krystyna Zachwatowicz, said Zaborowski. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. We may receive payment from affiliate links included within this content. Our affiliate partners do not influence our editorial opinions or analysis. To learn more, see our Advertiser Disclosure. You may be ready to experience the nightlife in Las Vegas, lounge on the beaches in Fort Lauderdale or explore the famous San Antonio River Walk. You may even be booking a trip abroad to tour Italy or bask in the sun in Greece. A comprehensive travel insurance policy can package together a number of great coverage types for trip cancellation, medical expenses, baggage and more. But how do you know if your trip is worth insuring? Related: Compare Travel Insurance Quotes From Over 22 Providers Do You Need Travel Insurance for a U.S. Trip? If youre traveling within the U.S. or its territories, and you have pre-paid significant non-refundable deposits for the trip, you should consider purchasing at least trip cancellation insurance, says Don Van Scyoc, a spokesperson for GeoBlue, a travel insurance company. For example, if you have booked non-refundable plane tickets, an expensive resort and private excursions such as snorkeling, you may want insurance. Trip cancellation insurance will reimburse you 100% for what you lose in deposits if you have to cancel the trip for a reason listed in the policy. These reasons generally include: Sickness of you or a family member Injury or death A job lay-off Jury duty Military deployment Strikes by travel workers Severe weather Terrorist incident at your destination And other reasons There are some trips where travel insurance isnt worth the cost. For example, if youre driving to attend a college reunion in Philadelphia for a long weekend and have a refundable hotel room, you dont need travel insurance because you arent facing a financial loss if you dont go. Even if some parts of your trip are non-refundable, if the potential loss is low, like a one-night hotel penalty, youll likely decide to skip travel insurance. Do You Need Travel Insurance for an International Trip? Travel insurance deserves serious consideration for international travel, even if trip cancellation insurance isnt important to you. Travel medical insurance is important for medical coverage outside of the U.S. Your domestic medical insurance provider will likely not cover you for medical care outside the U.S., or provide only limited coverage and/or a high deductible. And because Medicare doesnt cover health care outside the U.S., travel medical insurance is crucial for senior travelers. International travel medical insurance covers unexpected medical expenses and emergencies abroad, says Jeremy Murchland, president of Seven Corners, a travel insurance company. If youre vacationing in France, for example, and twist your ankle in Paris on a cobblestone walkway, you will need medical attention. Your travel insurance plan can cover medical costs for doctor visits, medicine and transport to a local hospital. Emergency medical evacuation coverage is another important benefit available with travel insurance, particularly if you are outside the U.S. If you suffer a serious injury or illness and need to be transported by medevac to a better medical facility, your travel insurance plan can cover this cost. Without this coverage, you could be on the hook for thousands of dollars for medevac transportation. Related: Compare Travel Insurance Quotes From Over 22 Providers Top Coverage Types to Choose Trip cancellation and interruption coverage Murchland says coverage for trip cancellation and interruption is popular. There are many unknowns that come with traveling, especially in todays market, so having these options can grant peace of mind, he says. With trip cancellation and interruption coverage, you can cancel or cut short the trip for reasons covered by the plan. (Read the list of acceptable reasons before you buy the plan.) Fear of travel or changing your mind is not a valid covered reason under standard trip cancellation insurance. To provide the most cancellation flexibility for your trip, many insurers offer an add-on called cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage. This addition expands the reasons for canceling a trip and getting reimbursementyou could cancel simply because you dont feel like going anymore. Murchland says this popular upgrade allows changes in travel due to fear, personal emergencies and anything else that may be outside the list of covered reasons. This flexibility can cost 40% more than a standard policy. You generally must cancel at least 48 hours before your scheduled departure in order to make a CFAR claim, and you can usually recoup 50% or 75% of the trips cost. (Standard trip cancellation insurance in the base policy provides 100% reimbursement.) Other travel insurance coverage types can prove useful but likely arent the sole reason to insure a trip: Travel delay coverage pays extra costs when youre stuck somewhere because of a reason covered by the policy. For example, if youre stuck in an airport and have to pay for extra clothes, toiletries and food, travel delay insurance could reimburse you. Baggage loss and delay coverage reimburses you for damaged or lost luggage and also personal belongings. For instance, if you get to Turks and Caicos but your bags dont, you can get reimbursement for the swimsuits and sandals you need until your luggage shows up. Related: Compare Travel Insurance Quotes From Over 22 Providers Sign up for Rolling Stone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Vietnamese filmmaker Le Binh Giang once punched Joel Edgerton, and hes very proud of it. Giang played a gangster who brawled with Edgertons main character in 2012s Wish You Were Here. Its a claim to fame he drops into the conversation while discussing his versatility as an artist. Sat in a caffe at the Locarno Film Festival, Giang demonstrates the pretend right hook he delivered to the Australian actors jaw, laughing about the whole experience. A few years after that cameo, Giang released his debut feature KFC, a gore-fest about a cannibalistic, necrophiliac doctor. The film got him expelled from film school, but also propelled him to cult status in Vietnam. Giang (pictured below) is currently developing his second outing, Who Created Human Beings, and is presenting it alongside producer Le Quynh Anh at Locarnos Open Doors program. Still in the late script phase, Who Created Human Beings is the story of policeman Sinh and his Catholic girlfriend Linh. After Linh becomes pregnant, she pressures Sinh into marrying her, but he is faced with a cruel dilemma as police officers in Vietnam are not allowed to fraternize with Christians, let alone marry them. At the same time, he has to deal with a series of gruesome female decapitation cases. Le Quynh Anh, who also serves as Giangs English translator in Locarno, says the characters and the plot are based on people the director knows very well. He had a best friend a few years ago who had a long-term girlfriend for 10 years who was Catholic, and her family wanted her to marry a Catholic guy, so they were forced to break up, explains Anh. On her wedding night, his friend committed suicide. He rode his bike onto the highway and his body was crushed. That was so violent, and the way this guy had no choice but to choose death haunted Giang for years. He felt it was very compelling to tell a story about someone who has no choice left but to die. The project aims to spark an important inter-generational conversation about the expectations that older parents place on their millennial children. Le Quynh Anh says many young Vietnamese feel torn by the religious and social rules their parents try to enforce. Abortion and female empowerment are two more of the projects themes, which also happen to be major talking points in Vietnam. For Giang, the pregnancy in this film represents the responsibility of women in Vietnamese society, what is forced onto women. With modernization, women are liberated, but not in Vietnam, Anh says. Women are still not supposed to live the way they want, thats why they have their heads cut off in the film. Theyre not supposed to have an identity. Although Le Binh Giangs first film faced severe censorship in Vietnam due to its gory subject matter, the director says he is not worried about this new project facing similar issues. Who Created Human Beings is scheduled to shoot in a Vietnamese mountain village during the height of the rainy season in 2022. Although a potential festival run would be nice, Giang is already known as being outspoken on taboo topics in his home country, so his main hope is for the project to receive as wide a release as possible when it comes to fruition. Giang doesnt want to make an arthouse film for festivals only. In the end, the film is supposed to be with the audience, it belongs to the people, it doesnt belong to the committee of any film festival, explains Le Quynh Anh. Personally, I feel its important for the Vietnamese to have a conversation between generations, so I feel its an important film to release in Vietnam also. When KFC played in small screens across Vietnam, Le Binh Giang stood outside the theaters and sold tickets himself. Having earned himself a reputation for being the most independent filmmaker in the country (he wrote, shot, directed and edited his debut feature), it seems inevitable that Who Created Human Beings will get off the ground, censorship and industry approval or no. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. ROME (AP) A German charity boat carrying 257 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean docked Saturday in Sicily after Italian authorities granted permission, and hours later a French humanitarian vessel with 549 migrants aboard received a similar port assignment. After several days in limbo at sea, Sea-Watch 3 sailed into port at Trapani, western Sicily. Among the migrants aboard were 70 minors, some traveling without adults while trying to reach Europe. Health workers were administering COVID-19 tests to the migrants. TOKYO (AP) In some of their most emotional moments, Olympic athletes display their national pride. Medal winners are often handed the flags of their countries as they celebrate their wins. Some wrap themselves in them and weep. Others drape them over their heads or hold them behind their backs as they take victory laps. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) The COVID-19 outbreak in the United States crossed 100,000 new confirmed daily infections Saturday, a milestone last exceeded during the winter surge and driven by the highly transmissible delta variant and low vaccination rates in the South. Health officials fear that cases, hospitalizations and deaths will continue to soar if more Americans dont embrace the vaccine. Nationwide, 50% of residents are fully vaccinated and more than 70% of adults have received at least one dose. Our models show that if we dont (vaccinate people), we could be up to several hundred thousand cases a day, similar to our surge in early January, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky said on CNN this week. It took the U.S. about nine months to cross 100,000 average daily cases in November before peaking at about 250,000 in early January. Cases bottomed out in June, averaging about 11,000 per day, but six weeks later the number is 107,143. Hospitalizations and deaths are also increasing, though all are still below peaks seen early this year before vaccines became widely available. More than 44,000 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, according to the CDC, up 30% in a week and nearly four times the number in June. More than 120,000 were hospitalized in January. The seven-day average for deaths rose from about 270 deaths per day two weeks ago to nearly 500 a day as of Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University. Deaths peaked at 3,500 per day in January. Deaths usually lag behind hospitalizations as the disease normally takes a few weeks to kill. The situation is particularly dire in the South, which has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S. and has seen smaller hospitals overrun with patients. In the Southeast, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients jumped 50% to a daily average of 17,600 over the last week from 11,600 the previous week, the CDC says. Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky represent 41% of the nation's new hospitalizations, the CDC says, twice their overall share of the population. Alabama and Mississippi have the lowest vaccination rates in the country: less than 35% of residents are fully inoculated, according to the Mayo Clinic. Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas are all in the lowest 15 states. Alabama saw more than 65,000 doses wasted because health providers couldnt find people to take them before they expired, according to State Health Officer Scott Harris. That represents less than 1.5% of the more than 5 million coronavirus vaccines doses that Alabama has received. Sixty-five thousand doses have been wasted. Thats extremely unfortunate when we have such a low vaccination rate and of course, there are so many people in the world that still dont have access to vaccine, Harris said. Florida has been especially hard hit. It makes up more than 20% of the nation's new cases and hospitalizations, triple its share of the population. Many rural counties have vaccination rates below 40%, with the state at 49%. The state again set a record Saturday, reporting 23,903 new cases. Gov. Ron DeSantis, while encouraging vaccinations, has taken a hard line against mask rules and other restrictions. Running for reelection next year and eyeing a 2024 Republican presidential bid, he and President Joe Biden have verbally sparred in recent days. DeSantis has accused the Democratic president of overreach, while Biden has said DeSantis should get out of the way of local officials if he doesn't want to fight the outbreak. Some people have been scared off from the vaccine by bogus warnings on social media and from some non-medical media personalities. Miami-area real estate agent Yoiris Duran, 56, said her family was swayed by the misinformation, although doctors and public health officials have almost universally encouraged people to get vaccinated. After she, her husband and 25-year-old son got seriously ill with COVID-19 and were hospitalized, she's now encouraging friends and family to get vaccinated. I dont want people to go through what we have gone through, she said in a video interview with Baptist Health Systems. In some parts of the U.S., hospitals are scrambling to find beds for patients. Dr. Leonardo Alonso, who works in several emergency rooms in Jacksonville, one of Florida's hardest-hit areas, said some hospitals are sending some COVID-19 patients home with oxygen and a monitor to free beds for sicker people. The ICUs, the hospitals are all on a near what we call mass casualty incident. Theyre almost at protocols where theyre overflowing, Alonso said. In Texas, Houston officials said some patients were transferred out of the city one as far as North Dakota. Dr. David Persse, Houston's chief medical officer, said some ambulances were waiting hours to offload patients because no beds were available. Persse said he feared this would lead to prolonged response times to 911 medical calls. The health care system right now is nearly at a breaking point. ... For the next three weeks or so, I see no relief on whats happening in emergency departments, Persse said Thursday. Trocaire has thanked the people of County Longford for their essential support, which helped the charity assist 2.7 million people in 25 of the poorest countries across the world last year. The figures were released in Trocaires annual report, which showed that the aid agency raised 73 million in 2020/21 during one of the toughest years in living memory due to the global outbreak of Covid-19. The money came from both the public and from institutional donors including Irish Aid. The report details an increase of 15% on funds raised from the previous year, with the total being the highest income raised in three years. Of the 2.7 million people the organisation supported last year, 2.1 million people received humanitarian support, while over 600,000 people were supported through Trocaires long-term development work. This work includes agricultural support, womens empowerment projects and support for human rights defenders. In 2020, Irish Aid contributed 22 million to Trocaires work. As a result of this funding, Trocaire was able to reach 426,383 individuals with support to mitigate the risks of Covid-19, including secondary impacts such as food insecurity and violence against women. Among the charity's key advocacy priorities in 2020/21 were investment in Irelands overseas aid budget and the advancement of the campaign for Ireland to support a binding UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights. The solidarity shown to the worlds poorest by people in Ireland during the pandemic was humbling, according to Trocaires CEO, Caoimhe de Barra. I am immensely grateful for and humbled by the response of our staff, partners, supporters, governing body members and donors. All of these individuals and organisations worked extremely hard to help Trocaire respond in support of those most affected by this global pandemic. "In 2020/21, despite all of the challenges presented by the pandemic, we supported 2.7million people in 25 countries. This level of impact would not be possible without the commitment of our teams, partners and supporters. People here at home should be very proud of the positive and lasting change they have created. Even before the British government confirmed that Spain and the Balearics would remain on amber on the travel traffic light this week, holidays to Mallorca were in huge demand. But, now that the Balearics are going to remain on amber for at least the next three weeks, this weekend, travel agents, tour operators and airlines in the UK are apparently braced for a surge in last minute bookings and Mallorca is proving to be the top destination. Mallorca was the second most booked destinations in the week to August 1, new figures show, and demand has surged over the past few days. Late bookings for this summer is dominating the market because of the traffic light system and a lack of consumer confidence according to the latest activity report by price comparison site Icelolly.com. EasyJet said it had seen an increase in bookings to the Balearics and Canary Islands, Italy, Greece and Portugal since the governments announcement. Thomas Cook, an online-only brand since the pre-pandemic collapse of its namesake tour operator, predicted a weekend scramble for last-minute Mediterranean bookings. Our customers booked to go to Spain and Greece are breathing a huge sigh of relief that they can go on holiday as planned, said the chief executive, Alan French. We expect to see a bumper weekend as people take advantage. Hays Travel, which bought Thomas Cooks high-street shops, said the increase in bookings had been beyond expectations, with customers spending more than usual, mostly for later this year and 2022 rather than on last-minute holidays. We are still seeing an increase in bookings for both popular European countries and island destinations such as Spain, in particular the Balearics, and also for long haul, special holidays such as the Maldives, America, Bali and worldwide cruises, said the chief operating officer, Jonathon Woodall. Our customers are spending more than usual to upgrade their holidays many want something extra special to look forward to. And, new figures from Jet2.com and Jet2holidays revealed bookings to green and amber list destinations rocketed by more than 250 percent after the rules were relaxed. The firms chief Steve Heapy said: It is no surprise to see a sudden spike in bookings to destinations on the green and amber lists, as we know there is enormous demand out there from holiday makers. The extension to the Green and Amber Lists has increased customer confidence and given them the reassurance to book. With customers continuing to be able to plan and look forward to flights and holidays across more than 40 green and amber list destinations, this summer is a much brighter one for holiday makers. He added: We hope this is just the beginning of even sunnier times ahead, as the Government continues to recognise the protection our successful vaccination programme provides when it comes to opening-up international travel. Spain is a major vacation destination for British tourists, who accounted for over 20% of all arrivals in 2019. But tourism was reduced to near-zero last year due to coronavirus restrictions that included a three-month home confinement between May and June. And recent industry figures show that foreign tourist arrivals hit a new low in the first half of 2021. Algeria has requested the extradition of the man arrested on July 31 who is the suspected leader of a criminal human trafficking organisation that uses proceeds from this illegal trade for funding jihadist terrorism. He was detained at a hotel in Arenal (Llucmajor), where he was staying with his wife, his son, his sister-in-law and his father-in-law. The Audienca Nacional High Court in Madrid approved his being taken into custody. Evidence presented to the court pointed to the man - Algerian, aged 30 - being the head of this organisation. His family insist that they were on holiday in Mallorca and that the Algerian authorities "are lying and making everything up". His wife says that if he is returned to Algeria, he will be tortured. "I would like the European Court of Human Rights to intervene." The family explain that he was once a customs agent and taxi driver in Algeria. He went to Libya in order to travel by sea to Italy, where he married his wife. He now makes a living as an installer of air-conditioning systems in Switzerland. Since his arrest, police in Mallorca have suggested that his presence on the island was "totally circumstantial" and have rejected the possibility of there being an Islamic terrorist cell on the island. Reports did also say, however, that he has documentation for various countries and was travelling on a false passport. Aina Calvo, the national government's delegate in the Balearics, has said that his arrest has "nothing to do" with migrant boats coming to the islands. We enter August with some much cooler than normal temperatures. We painted sons Josephs and Kevins bedrooms last week. Our next project is to paint the bedroom daughters Loretta and Lovina share. Loretta has moved a lot of her things over to Dustins house, so now with the room emptier, we decided to paint it. It is time-consuming, but the room looks so freshened-up after a few coats of paint. As we move everything back in, we give it all a thorough cleaning. Those here on Sunday for the noon meal were Sister Verena, Sister Liz and Levi and their daughter Suzanne, Sister Emma and Jacob and their sons Jacob, Benjamin, and Steven, Crystal (nephew Benjamins special friend) and her son Isaiah, niece Elizabeth and Samuel and their three children, niece Emma and Menno and their two children, niece Susan and Joe and their nine children, Daughter Elizabeth and Jim and their three children, daughter Susan and her two children, daughter Verena, Dustin, Daniel and Grace (special friends to Lovina and Joseph) and also Rosina (a friend of our children). Sister Liz and Levi and family came out on Saturday to help Sister Verena with mowing, etc. They stayed the night, so I told them all to come here on Sunday. Saturday visitors here were Uncle Joe and Aunt Betty and brother Albert and Sarah Irene. We have three wedding invitations on our fridge right now. Nephew Micheal and Laura picked Sept. 2 for their wedding date. Micheal is a son of Joes sister Salome and Morris in Kentucky. Sept. 2 is also son Kevins 16th birthday. Niece Saloma and Jamin picked Sept. 3 for their wedding. Saloma is a daughter of Joes sister Carol and Pete from Tennessee. It will be a challenge for us to be in Kentucky one day for a wedding then the next day in Tennessee for another wedding. It is doable, so we will try our best. I am the cook at Micheal and Lauras wedding, and son Joseph and Grace were asked to be table waiters (servers). Grace and I both have to wear royal blue, so I need to squeeze in sewing another dress before then. The third invitation is for Mary and Danny. Mary lives in our church district. Dustin and Loretta were asked to be evening servers and dish washers at their wedding. Congratulations to all the young couples. May God bless each of their marriages. Now to tell you about our upcoming vacation. My husband, Joe, works at a metal shop, and the owner Daniel is taking all the employees, their wives, and children under 16 for a vacation to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. We will travel on two big charter buses. If I understood correctly, there will be 106 people going. This includes Joe and me and son Kevin. Brother Albert, Sarah Irene, and their daughter Sylvia are also going, and we get to travel on the same bus. It is a 14-hour trip to North Carolina. We leave Wednesday morning at 2:45 p.m. to meet up with the bus at the metal shop. Joe signed us up to take a two-hour tour on the Dolphin Cruise. He signed up him and Kevin for a half-day of fishing. There will be lots to do from the way it sounds. We have never been to North Carolina, so it will be exciting to see everything. It is kind of Daniel to take us all on this trip. We will return home late Saturday evening, Lord willing. The part I dont like is leaving the rest of the family at home, but God is in control. I am sure I will have plenty to write about next week. Until then, Gods blessings to you all! Lovinas Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Her newest cookbook, Amish Family Recipes, is available wherever books are sold. Readers can write to Eicher at PO Box 1689, South Holland, IL 60473 (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply); or email LovinasAmishKitchen@MennoMedia.org and your message will be passed on to her to read. She does not personally respond to emails. Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread 2 large eggs 1/3 cup honey 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/3 cup cocoa 1 2/3 cup flour 2 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini 1 1/4 cup chocolate chips Combine all ingredients. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 mins or until done. You can substitute 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce in place of oil. Nutrition Specialist, USAID Central Africa Regional Third-Party Monitoring (CART) Project, Democratic Republic of the Congo Project Summary: This three-year USAID Central Africa Regional Third-party Monitoring (CART) project will establish independent, impartial, timely, responsive, contextualized, and forward-looking third-party monitoring (TPM) and operational support services. CART will provide a comprehensive range of verification and outcome monitoring and learning services that will increase USAID BHAs and its implementing partners (IP) understanding of the outputs, outcomes, progress, challenges, successes, results, and lessons learned for both emergency and non-emergency activities within Central Africa Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Republic of Congo (ROC). This project seeks to improve BHAs capability to utilize humanitarian assistance resources to ameliorate the drivers of poverty and malnutrition characterized by complex emergencies within the region. ** Only citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are eligible to apply ** Position Summary: MSI is seeking a Nutrition Specialist based in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Specialist will be supporting the ongoing Nutrition-focused TPM activities. The Specialist will work as part of the TPM data collection team (also comprising of Field Monitors and Field Supervisors) and will generally be needed to play a lead role in collecting data, providing contextual and background knowledge during the assignment process, and help in the analysis and report writing, as necessary. Assignments may require the ability to travel to areas around Democratic Republic of the Congo (security permitting), and experience working as part of a multi-cultural, and multi-disciplinary team. This is a Short-Term Technical (STTA) position with a Level of Effort of approximately 20 days. Responsibilities: Review and ensure TPM instruments are tailored for monitoring the specific nutrition activities. Review relevant background information for nutrition and food security projects. Support data collection teams training to ensure familiarity with technical aspects of monitored activities. Lead the interviews with key stakeholders and subject matter experts. Lead the structured, direct observations conducted at the field level. Support the data collection at the field level including at health centers/facilities, OTPs (Outpatient Therapeutic Feeding Programs) and at the warehouse level. Support the analysis and reporting for nutrition data, including responding to CART, BHA IPs and BHA feedback. Qualifications: Bachelors degree in Public Health and Nutrition, or other relevant disciplines is required. At minimum five years of professional work experience in planning, programming, implementation of programs focused on Health and Nutrition. Demonstrated experience in public health nutrition research and/or implementation. Demonstrated experience in nutrition programming including in humanitarian and emergency contexts. Demonstrated experience in prevention and management of all forms of malnutrition. Demonstrated experience in service delivery of essential maternal and child nutrition interventions. Nutrition activities focused on SAM (Severe Acute Malnutrition)-CMAM (Community based Management of Acute Malnutrition), MAM (Management of Acute Malnutrition) and IYCF-E (Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies). Demonstrated experience in Government or Non-Government Organization (NGO) in planning, implementing, and monitoring of Nutrition essential interventions. Demonstrated understanding of local context, provinces/prefectures/departments where TPM activities are being conducted. Ability to deliver high quality reports to USAID and or other donors. Experience working with USAID and/or other international donors. Demonstrated oral and written communication, analytical, interpersonal, and team management skills. Strong attention to detail and organizational skills required. Fluency in written and oral French required. Fluency in written and oral English preferred . MSI is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity and inclusion. We strive to develop and maintain a culture that honors the perspectives and identities of our employees, our communities and those impacted by our work. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute, including race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital or veteran status, pregnancy or disability, or any other basis protected under applicable law. In accordance with applicable law, we make reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees religious practices and beliefs, as well as any mental health or physical disability needs. MSI is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action/Americans with Disabilities/Veterans Employer. Reasonable Accommodations: MSI is dedicated to hiring an inclusive workforce. If you would like to request reasonable accommodations during the application process, please email MSI.Dept.HRRecruiting@tetratechinc.onmicrosoft.com with Reasonable Accommodations in the title. Our recruitment team looks forward to engaging in an interactive process to provide reasonable accommodations for candidates. https://phh.tbe.taleo.net/phh04/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=MSI&cws=51&rid=7896 Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Specialiste de Nutrition, USAID Central Africa Regional Third-Party Monitoring (CART) Project, Republique democratique du Congo Profil de lorganisation : MSI, une compagnie Tetra Tech, est une societe de conseil en gestion dans la region metropolitaine de Washington, DC, avec une histoire de 40 ans dans la fourniture de resultats a nos clients. Notre expertise principale se situe dans les domaines du suivi et de l'evaluation (S&E), democratie et gouvernance ; paix et stabilite ; etat de droit et responsabilite ; education ; genre et inclusion ; communication strategique ; et le leadership et le developpement organisationnel. MSI a mis en uvre les projets dans 90 pays a travers le monde, dont l'Afghanistan, la Colombie, lIndonesie, la Jordanie, le Kenya, le Mexique, le Nigeria, le Pakistan, la Syrie et lUkraine, et travaille au niveau national. Nous soutenons des clients allant du gouvernement americain (par exemple, USAID, Department of Defense, les departements d'Etat et du travail americains et la Millennium Challenge Corporation) aux grands donateurs bilateraux et multilateraux (par exemple, la Banque mondiale et le Programme des Nations Unies pour le developpement). Nous travaillons egalement avec des gouvernements nationaux et locaux, des organisations non gouvernementales (ONG), des groupes de reflexion, des fondations et des universites. Pour plus d'informations, veuillez visiter notre site web a l'adresse www.msiworldwide.com Resume du Projet : Lobjectif du programme Central Africa Regional Third-Party Monitoring est detablir et de mettre en place un mecanisme de suivi par tier qui est independant, impartial, reactif, contextualise et prospective avec des services de soutien operationnel. CART fournira une gamme complete de services de verification et de suivi des resultats, et d'apprentissage qui permettront le programme de USAID/ Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance et partenaires de mise en uvre de mieux comprendre les realisations, les resultats, les progres, les defis, les succes, les resultats et les lecons apprises pour les situations d'urgence et non-urgence en RCA, RDC et ROC. Ce programme vise a ameliorer la capacite de USAID/BHA a utiliser les ressources destinees a l'aide humanitaire pour attenuer les facteurs de pauvrete et de malnutrition caracterises par des situations durgence complexes dans la region. ** Attention : Seuls les citoyens de la Republique democratique du Congo sont eligibles a ce poste ** Resume du Poste : MSI recherche de recruter des specialistes en matiere de la nutrition bases en Republique democratique du Congo. Le Specialiste de la Nutrition appuiera les activites continues de TPM axees sur la nutrition. Le specialiste de la nutrition travaillera au sein de lequipe de collecte de donnees TPM (Composant des moniteurs de terrain et des superviseurs sur le terrain) et, ils joueront un role important de diriger le processus de la collecte de donnees, fournier des connaissances contextuelles pendant le processus daffectation, et aider a lanalyse et a la redaction de rapports, au besoin. Les affectations peuvent necessiter la capacite de voyager dans des regions autour de la Republique democratique du Congo (si la securite le permet) et une experience de travail au sein d'une equipe multiculturelle et multidisciplinaire. Il sagit dun poste technique a court terme (STTA) avec un niveau deffort de 20 jours. Responsabilites : Examen des instruments de TPM pour sassurer quils sont adaptes au suivi des activites nutritionnelles specifiques. Examiner les informations de base pertinentes pour les projets de nutrition et de securite alimentaire de la mission afin de comprendre le contexte. Soutenir la formation des equipes de collecte de donnees pour sassurer quelles sont familiarisees avec les aspects techniques des activites surveillees. Diriger les efforts de collecte de donnees sur le terrain, notamment en menant des entretiens avec les principales parties prenantes et les experts en la matiere. Diriger les observations directes structurees menees au niveau du terrain. Superviser la collecte de donnees au niveau du terrain, y compris dans les centres/etablissements de sante, les bureaux du Procureur et au niveau des entrepots. Soutenir lanalyse et la communication des donnees nutritionnelles, y compris la reponse au CART, aux BHA IPs et commentaires du BHA. Qualifications : Baccalaureat universitaire en sante publique et nutrition, ou dans dautres disciplines pertinentes est requis. Cinq ans dexperience professionnelle dans la planification, la programmation, la mise en uvre de programmes axes sur la sante et la nutrition. Lexperience de travail technique pertinente comprend : Recherche et/ou mise en uvre de la nutrition en sante publique. Programmation nutritionnelle, y compris dans les contextes humanitaires et durgence. Prevention et prise en charge de toutes les formes de malnutrition. Prestation des services dinterventions essentielles en matiere de nutrition maternelle et infantile. Activites de nutrition axees sur SAM (Severe Acute Malnutrition)-CMAM (Community based Management of Acute Malnutrition), MAM (Management of Acute Malnutrition) et IYCF-E (Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies). Experience dun gouvernement ou dune organisation non gouvernementale (ONG) dans la planification, la mise en uvre et le suivi dinterventions essentielles en nutrition. Connaissance du contexte local, des provinces/prefectures/departements ou les activites de TPM sont menees. Avoir un record de travail sur des missions qui ont fourni des rapports de haute qualite a USAID et/ou a dautres donateurs. Experience de travail avec USAID et/ou dautres donateurs internationaux. Excellentes competences en communication orale et ecrite, en analyse, en relations interpersonnelles et en gestion dequipe. Excellentes competences en communication orale et ecrite, en analyse, en relations interpersonnelles et en gestion dequipe. Excellent sens du detail et de lorganisation requis. Maitrise du francais requise. Anglais de niveau avance prefere. MSI est un employeur garantissant legalite des chances qui valorise la diversite et linclusion. Nous nous efforcons de developper et de maintenir une culture qui honore les perspectives et les identites de nos employes, de nos communautes et de ceux qui sont touches par notre travail. Nous ne faisons aucune discrimination sur la base dattributs proteges, y compris la race, la religion, la couleur, lorigine nationale, le sexe, lorientation sexuelle, lidentite de genre, lexpression de genre, lage, letat matrimonial ou de veteran, la grossesse ou le handicap, ou toute autre base loi applicable. Conformement a la loi en vigueur, nous faisons des amenagements raisonnables pour les pratiques et croyances religieuses des candidats et des employes, ainsi que pour tout besoin en matiere de sante mentale ou de handicap physique. MSI est un employeur offrant legalite des changes/ Action positive / Employeur dAmericains handicapes / Anciens combattants. Amenagements Raisonnables : MSI est dedie a lembauche dune main-duvre inclusive. Si vous souhaitez demander des accommodements raisonnables pendant le processus de demande, veuillez envoyer un courriel a MSI.Dept.HRRecruiting@tetratechinc.onmicrosoft.com Raisonnable Accommodations dans le titre. Notre equipe de recrutement se rejouit a lidee de sengager dans un processus interactif afin doffrir des mesures dadaptation raisonnables aux candidats. https://phh.tbe.taleo.net/phh04/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=MSI&cws=51&rid=7896 ** Seuls les candidats selectionnes pour un entretien seront contactes. ** Nous vous remercions de ne pas nous contacter par telephone. White House Chief Medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci has urged people to get vaccinated to protect themselves and the entire country from the deadly virus. The reason, Fauci stated, is that "we have about 93 million people in this country who are eligible to get vaccinated who don't get vaccinated".Despite the Delta variant having a viral load "about 1,000 times higher in quantity" than the Alpha variant, "it can still get worse", as it is given "ample opportunity to evolve further into a deadlier strain"."If we don't crush the outbreak to the point of getting the overwhelming proportion of the population vaccinated, then what will happen is the virus will continue to smolder through the fall into the winter, giving it ample chance to get a variant," said the US top infectious disease expert."There could be a variant that's lingering out there that can push aside Delta."If another one comes along that has an equally high capability of transmitting but also is much more severe, then we could really be in trouble," he said.Urging people to get vaccinated, he said "people who are not getting vaccinated mistakenly think it's only about them. But it isn't. It's about everybody else, also".Covid cases in the US surged by 43 per cent over last week, 94,000 a day on average, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).The number of people in the hospital in the US has more than tripled over the past month, from an average of roughly 12,000 to almost 43,000, the CDC said.Beside soaring infections, deaths per day have also shot up by 75 per cent in the past two weeks, climbing from an average of 244 to 426. The overall confirmed death toll stands at more than 614,000, the agency reported."Remember, just a couple of months ago, we were having about 10,000 cases a day," he said. "I think you're likely going to wind up somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 cases."Last month, Fauci stated that the US is "going in the wrong direction", Covid-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations continue to increase among the unvaccinated. The country has "a significant pool of vulnerable people", he said.Source: IANS Abhay Deol is one of the most talented actors out there in Bollywood as we speak. It really is the gospel truth! Unfortunately, however, he doesn't often feature in as many movies as we'd like to see him. Why? Well, there are a number of reasons for it actually. First, because as talented as he is, he really likes to be choosy about the projects that he does. That's the reason we don't see him star in a lot of commercial projects. Twitter/Abhay Deol Secondly, because he's known to really not abide by the same rule book that most actors follow in the industry: Not Speaking Their Minds! Yep! The 45-year-old Dev.D actor is one who really doesn't mince words. Be it speaking on social issues or openly talking about nepotism, Abhay Deol really isn't afraid of taking on the biggest names or institutions in the industry. Netflix Well, here are the instances where Abhay Deol proved that he's a true Badass of the industry. 1. When He Slammed Sonam Kapoor And Anil Kapoor For Aisha Disney Plus Hotstar Aisha, the 2010 film starring Sonam Kapoor and Abhay Deol, was a fairly entertaining movie that was based on Jane Austen's critically acclaimed classic novel 'Emma'. Or was it? Well, according to lead actor Abhay Deol, it really wasn't. While Abhay's character was shown to fall in love with Sonam's character in the movie as part of the plot, Abhay literally despises the movie, and his famous interview post the release of the film shows exactly why. The actor slammed the father-daughter duo of Anil Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor for making the film more about fashion than the actual book. "The movie had nothing to do with Jane Austens Emma as it was reported. When I was shooting, I realized that the film was more about clothes than actual acting. I even read reviews of the movie that praised the clothes." said Abhay. He also went on to say that he'd never star in a film like that ever again! "I would like to say today that I will never ever be part of a film like Aisha in my lifetime. Its not the kind of film Id like to do, he added. Apparently, both Sonam and Abhay did end up having a reported Twitter spat after it. Gee! Sh** really did get serious. 2. He Called Out Bollywood Celebrities For Hypocrisy Over BLM Movement Garnier Everyone knows of the horrible incident that occurred in the US last year, where American citizen George Floyd was brutally killed by racist police officers. Well, all around the world, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement kicked off in full swing, and well, it reached Bollywood as well. A lot of actors including Bollywood and now Hollywood star Priyanka Chopra Jonas went on to share messages of solidarity with the movement on social media. However, all was well, until Abhay Deol noticed the hypocrisy behind standing with the anti-racism movement along with the promotion of fairness creams that have in the past been endorsed by Priyanka, Shahid Kapoor, and Shah Rukh Khan. Maybe its time for these now? Now that woke Indian celebrities and the middle class stand in solidarity with fighting systemic racism in America, perhaps theyd see how it manifests in their own backyard? America has exported violence to the world, they have made it a more dangerous place, it was but inevitable that it would come back karmically. Im not saying they deserve it, Im saying look at the picture in its totality, Abhay wrote on social media. "Do you think Indian celebrities will stop endorsing fairness creams now, he added. Facts? Well, Abhay sure thinks so! 3. He Took On T-Series YouTube What happened was that Abhay Deol's 2014 film 'One By Two' was set to be launched and well, T-Series refused to let the film's songs be released while all the promotions were happening. Abhay obviously refuses to back down and instead at an awards function, chose to sport a black eye to raise the matter and bring the information to the public eye, leaving T-Series red-faced. This is what he said at the awards function, There was an issue between the music company and musicians and I was caught in the middle. I thought of defending my movie and rights. I found myself in the middle of January and the music was not out and my film is releasing on the 31st. The films music was not in the market and I made a noise about it." "Any producer who wants to defend their movie would want to do it. I felt helpless, had no right to go to anybody else and it put me in an awkward position. I did what I had to. This is a larger issue, larger than One By Two. We have the rights back and now we can explore them. We knew he could take on Bollywood, but didn't imagine that he would even tackle the music industry. Well, that's what you get from Abhay Deol! Sheer determination and no cowardice. 4. He Called Out The Ridiculous Awards Category Of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara YouTube Let's admit it! We loved Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Every time it comes on the TV and we try lazying about and watch it because it has such an insane comfort level. This is all thanks to the star cast trio of Abhay Deol, Hrithik Roshan, and Farhan Akhtar. However, as things go in the industry, unfortunately, the credit usually doesn't go exactly as it should. Well, that's what happened at an award show. During a function, in one of the categories for the movie, the show instead of admiring the work of the trio ended up presenting Hrithik and Katrina Kaif as lead actors of the film while relegating Abhay and Farhan in supporting actors categories. Shameful! Well, while Farhan swallowed a humble pie, our hero Abhay didn't take this absolute s***. Taking the Instagram, the actor said, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, released in 2011. Need to chant this title to myself every day nowadays! Also, a great watch when anxious or stressed. I would like to mention that almost all the award functions demoted me and Farhan from main leads, and nominated us as supporting actors. Hrithik and Katrina were nominated as actors in a leading role. So by the industrys own logic, this was a film about a man and a woman falling in love, with the man supported by his friends for whatever decisions he takes, he wrote. This really was very unfair. I doubt the movie would have been the same without Abhay in it. I mean, it was his F****** bachelor's! Anyway, glad to see he took a stand! Never Change Abhay! Never Change! 5. He Fought Almost Everyone In Bollywood By Admitting That Nepotism Existed! Netflix I know it exists. You know it exists! But the people actually in it say it's really not that big a deal! Yeah, Nepotism is really the big bad elephant in the room that is Bollywood. And it really refuses to go away! We know actor's kids and families get preference for roles in movies, most of the time at the cost of a thousand other aspiring actors in the country. However, it's the truth that most in the industry choose to die. But luckily, Abhay Deol is not most people. He admits it with a straight face. The actor spoke at length on how his uncle, veteran actor Dharmendra provided him with the privilege of kickstarting his career in acting. "My uncle (Dharmendra), whom I affectionately call dad, was an outsider who made it big in the film industry. Im glad there is an active debate on the practices behind the scenes. Nepotism is just the tip of the iceberg. Ive only ever made one film with my family, my 1st, and Im grateful to be blessed and have that privilege. Ive gone that extra mile in my career to make my own path, something that dad always encouraged. For me he was the inspiration. said Abhay in an Instagram post. However, he also goes on to say the while the first push was from his family, he did everything else on his own. Nepotism is prevalent everywhere in our culture, be it in politics, business, or film. I was well aware of it and it pushed me to take chances with new directors and producers throughout my career. That is how I was able to make movies that were considered out of the box. Im glad some of those artists and films went on to have tremendous success. said Abhay. We really agree with him. We can't really blame him for getting the chances due to nepotism, but he's really turned out to be a very fine actor. Glad he admitted all of this though! I mean, how many people can you point out who'd do the same? 6. He Admitted That Raanjhanaa Was F***** Up! Prime Video Yeah! Dhanush, Sonam, Abhay! Great casting! The movie was fairly entertaining, the songs were too. However, what did we actually learn from it? We learned that in these times when most women in our country are victims of sexual harassment, it is very important for a film to show something in the right light. Which by the way, Raanjhanaa absolutely failed at doing. The 2013 film had a very regressive message and blatantly went on to glorify sexual harassment. And well, if you don't agree with me, Abhay Deol thinks too. Sharing a note by a viewer who bashed the film after watching it, Abhay said, Such clear and valid insight from @oldschoolrebel9 regarding the film Raanjhana. History will not look kindly at this film for its regressive message. Its been a theme in Bollywood for decades, where a boy can (and should), pursue a girl until she relents. Only in cinema does she do that willfully. In reality, we have seen time and again that it leads to sexual violence of some sort. Glorifying it on-screen only leads to blaming the victim, as @oldschoolrebel9 explains it so brilliantly." He's right! The movie won't age well. Thankfully Abhay had the guts to admit all of it. Not so long ago, the F&B industry had seemed stagnant, dominated by existing restaurant brands and their monopoly over customers. Then came Zomato. An app that revolutionized the way Indians (and now the rest of the world too) related to their food. Deepinder Goyal, the founder of Zomato knew what he was doing when he came up with FoodieBay, the company that would later be rechristened to Zomato. Buoyed by Zomatos promising ecosystem, several new restaurants and service providers entered the market, changing the entire landscape of the Food and Beverage industry in India. Deepinder Goyal was a man on a mission, and that is evident with Zomato finally earning the billion-dollar company status. But how did he get here? Was he born a visionary or did circumstances mould him to be so? Quiet Beginnings Deepinder Goyal Deepinder Goyal comes from humble beginnings, born in Muktsar in 1983, a small town in Punjab. His father taught at a government school. Real Fear Deepinder Goyal Deepinder isn't a name that commonly precedes the Goyal surname. Its a traditionally Sikh name that stuck with him as his family used to live in fear of terrorists. His parents taught him to claim to be a Sikh as it would have been safer for a young Deepinder, even if his parents would have been killed. Such times can gravely impact an impressionable child. 3. Schooling Years Deepinder Goyal He moved to Chandigarh at the age of 15 to study for the final two years of school. Since he was living away from his parents, he ended up living in a hostel. Getting ragged became a part of his life, even though it was tough, he found a way to survive and not give up hope. 4. Slow And Steady Deepinder Goyal He was out of his depth, academically. His move to the new school had been difficult due to a higher standard of studying than he was used to. However, he stiffened up his upper lip, focused his best and managed to clear the IIT entrance examination. 5. Entrepreneur Extraordinaire Deepinder Goyal After graduating from IIT with a Mathematics and Computing Degree, he ended up joining Bani & Company. At Bain, he came up with the idea of an online restaurant information system after observing his colleagues food habits. There would be menu cards flying around everywhere. 6. FoodieBay to Zomato In 2008, he left Bain to start Foodiebay. At that time, he used to work out of his apartment, focusing especially on strategy and product development. FoodieBay would later be renamed, Zomato. Deepinder Goyals story is one of pure inspiration and hard work. Its a tale where an ordinary Indian, the son of a school teacher goes on to forge an unimaginable legacy. The Zomato founder reminds us that success isnt an overnight journey, but often a far-sighted vision. Its on us to keep our eyes on the prize. BEAR LAKE The Manistee Conservation District is looking for volunteers for its annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection event. The event is set to go from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Aug. 21 at the Manistee County Road Commission, 8946 Chippewa Highway in Bear Lake. Volunteers are asked to arrive 30 minutes early for check-in and station assignment. Lunch and a t-shirt will be provided. Volunteer stations will include the following: Directing traffic; Holding signs; and Sorting household batteries. Volunteers will not be in contact with any hazardous chemicals. Contact the Manistee Conservation District via email at manisteecd@macd.org or by dialing 231-889-9666 and specify shirt size. ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo could face misdemeanor charges if investigators substantiate a criminal complaint accusing the governor of groping an aide last year, the Albany County sheriff said Saturday. Sheriff Craig Apple promised a very comprehensive investigation in partnership the Albany County district attorney's office but said it would be premature to commit to a timeline or say whether Cuomo himself will be questioned. We have a lot of fact-finding to do. We have a lot of interviews to do," Apple told reporters. "I'm not going to rush it because of who he is. And I'm not going to delay it because of who he is. The complaint, filed this week, is the first known instance where a woman has made an official report with a law enforcement agency over alleged misconduct by the Democratic governor. The executive assistant has sat down for an interview set to be televised Monday. The aide says Cuomo reached under her shirt and fondled her when they were alone in a room at the Executive Mansion last year. The woman also told investigators with the attorney generals office that Cuomo once rubbed her rear end while they were posing together for a photo. Cuomos lawyer, Rita Glavin, has said the allegation was fabricated. He is 63 years old. He has spent 40 years in public life, and for him to all of the sudden be accused of a sexual assault of an executive assistant that he really doesnt know doesnt pass muster, Glavin said. Apple declined to release the complaint Saturday but described the allegation as sexual in nature. He said his office has a proven record of helping victims, adding that he does not fear retaliation for moving forward with such a high-profile investigation. I'm the county sheriff. I'm not going to be intimidated. I'm not going to be coerced, he said. That would not play out well for anybody. Cuomo has faced renewed calls to step down after an independent investigation overseen by the state attorney generals office concluded he sexually harassed 11 women and worked to retaliate against one of his accusers. The attorney generals report describes a series of times Cuomo allegedly acted inappropriately with the aide described as Executive Assistant #1, culminating with the groping encounter at the mansion in November 2020. According to the woman, Cuomo pulled her in for a hug as she prepared to leave the governors office at the mansion. Told that youre going to get us in trouble, Cuomo replied, I dont care, and slammed the door shut. He slid his hand up her blouse, and grabbed her breast over her bra, according to her account. I have to tell you, it was at the moment, I was in such shock that I could just tell you that I just remember looking down seeing his hand, seeing the top of my bra, she told investigators. She said she pulled away from Cuomo, telling him, Youre crazy. Investigators said the aide didnt remember the exact date, but provided a photograph dated Nov. 16, 2020, that she said was close to the day of the incident. The woman's lawyer, Brian Premo, told The Associated Press that she testified she wasn't groped the same day she took the photo. Apple said he's requested investigative materials from the attorney general's office and spoken with Albany County District Attorney David Soares and his office. He said he hopes to meet with Soares in coming days and receive the materials in the upcoming week. The sheriff said he will likely have the aide come in for a series of interviews at some point but also stressed he did not want to revictimize these victims and have them tell their story over and over again." I think we've all read the attorney general's report, he said. At this point, I'm very comfortable and safe saying she is, in fact, a victim. Cuomo has adamantly denied touching the woman's breasts, saying, I would have to lose my mind to do such a thing. Rita Glavin, Cuomo's lawyer, said on CNN Saturday evening that she would like to see the criminal complaint and said of the sheriff: He hasn't done any investigation and he's drawn a conclusion. It was not clear Saturday why the county sheriffs office was leading the investigation and not Albany city police. But Apple said the complaint occurred in the city of Albany, and that the city and state Capitol buildings are both in Albany County. Im the sheriff of this county and I have jurisdiction, he said. The sheriff said his office will decide whether to file criminal charges against Cuomo but said he hopes to reach agreement on that decision with the district attorney first. The state Assemblys judiciary committee plans to meet Monday to discuss the possibility of impeachment proceedings against Cuomo. Nearly two-thirds of the legislative body's members have already said they favor an impeachment trial if he wont resign. District attorneys in Oswego, Manhattan, suburban Westchester and Nassau counties, and the state capital of Albany have said they asked for investigative materials from the attorney generals inquiry to see if any of the allegations could result in criminal charges. Oswego County DA Gregory Oakes said he spoke Friday with a lawyer for Virginia Limmiatis, a woman who told the attorney generals investigators that Cuomo touched her inappropriately during an event in the county in 2017. Oakes said by phone Saturday that his investigation is in very preliminary stages, and he hopes to speak with Limmiatis, if shes willing. I want to proceed in a way thats respectful of her and her wishes, he said. An attorney for Limmiatis didn't immediately respond to request for comment. ___ AP writer Jennifer Peltz contributed reporting from New York. Breaking the ice is never an easy undertaking, especially with a shrinking and outdated fleet of icebreakers. Thats why approximately 90 Midwestern shipping organizations, suppliers and ports are supporting the Great Lakes Winter Commerce Act, which would put aside funding for a second Great Lakes icebreaker, on par with the Mackinaw Icebreaker. Eric Peace is with the Lake Carriers Association, which is at the forefront of the movement. He said a new icebreaker is critical to meet commerce needs and support the Michigan economy. This is infrastructure, Peace said. This is like a plow for the roads, so it's critical to maintain our national economic security here in the Great Lakes. In a report commissioned by the Lake Carriers Association, inadequate icebreaking resulted in a loss of approximately 5,000 jobs and a revenue loss of $1 billion in 2019. The report found this loss in the Great Lakes Region was due to ice-caused shipping delays. Peace said facilities were built around the lakes to receive goods by ship, and many facilities dont have alternative means to receive raw materials. Shipping is critical to be able to supply the facilities in Michigan, so people can keep their jobs, and we can continue to have a strong economy in the Great Lakes, Peace said. In addition to funding a new ice breaker, the act would also require the U.S. Coast Guard to conduct ice breaking operations in the Great Lakes to specific standards. One standard includes requiring the USCG to keep channels and harbors open to navigation at least 90% of the time when ships are transiting ice-covered waterways. The bill has 16 cosponsors in the House and four in the Senate. Peace said advocates have received promising congressional support so far, but its still difficult to predict whether the bill will pass. Despite the support, the U.S. Coast Guard did not include funding for the icebreaker in its 2022 fiscal budget. Peace said the struggle for updated infrastructure has been a 40-year battle. For the Coast Guard, it's a competing demand, because theyre trying to recapitalize their other fleets, so (a Great Lakes icebreaker) falls to the bottom of their list, Peace said. The Coast Guard prioritizes off-shore fleets more, he said, and wants to wait 12 years to fund a new icebreaker for the Great Lakes. The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The government estimates a new icebreaker will cost $350 million. The funding bill is in committees in the U.S. House and Senate. Huntingtons Circle Branch at 2910 Jefferson Avenue in Midland's Center City will become a Horizon Bank in September. As a part of the Huntington Bank merger with TCF Bank, Huntington Bank is divesting a total of 14 branches to Horizon Bank. Both banking companies are asking locals to remain customers at the Circle branch location. Russ Mathews, Horizon Banks market president for the Great Lakes Bay Region, said his priority is ensuring a smooth transition. We are communicating directly with the customers that are part of this branch divestiture, he said. If customers have any questions, we welcome them to stop by their local branch for assistance. The official transition date is Sept. 18, Mathews said because its a branch acquisition, Horizon will turn over new customers onto Horizons system over the weekend. RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) The Jordanian military on Saturday said it thwarted an attempt to smuggle drugs and weapons into the country from neighboring Syria, killing one smuggler and wounding several others. The military said in a statement it seized a large quantity of narcotics as well as ammunition and a communications device, and that the smugglers fled back to Syria. It said the incident occurred at dawn in Eastern Jordan and gave no further details. KENT When Camp Shane opened this summer, it did so without a license and with a history of violations and problems with documentation of policies and medical oversight throughout 2019. Documents and inspection records from the states Office of Early Childhood, obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media through a Freedom of Information Act request, show that a preliminary surprise inspection on July 2 found the camp was an unlicensed program operated with campers present from June 24, 2021 until date of [the inspectors] visit. After a visit from state officials that day, the camp was found in compliance and given a license to continue operation. The investigators report to the OEC states that the inspector was sent to the camp on July 2 because OEC officials realized at a meeting the day prior that the childrens weight-loss camp located at South Kent School had been set to start on June 24, but had not yet received licensure. On 7/2/2021, this investigator was instructed to go to Camp Shane to see if it was operating and to find out if the corrections for the change of location inspection were in place, the beginning of the report says. The camp was held at The Rectory School in Pomfret in 2019, did not operate in 2020 according to a post on its Facebook page and reopened in Kent in 2021. During her time there, the investigator noted several concerns which she described in her report, including some concerns about medical oversight the camp was unable to provide CPR or nursing license documentation and had one counselor working as both the first aid director and lifeguard. Yet the investigator wrote that she left camp knowing that the director, first aid director and a camp physician agreement were in place, and that there was an employee available to act as first aid director as a fill in and potentially a nurse. Although documents show the camp was approved for a license on July 2 following the inspection, the camp owner shut the camp down July 13, telling Hearst Connecticut Media it was due to a staffing shortage. A statement released by the state Office of Early Childhood and the Department of Children and Families issued the same day the camp closed said they were opening a joint investigation due to concerns about the health, safety and well-being of children enrolled at the summer youth camp. A spokesperson for the Office of Early Childhood did not have any updates on the status or findings of the investigation Friday. Just before the camp shut down, an 8-year-old girl suffered a severe head injury, according to medical records. It is unclear whether the injury is tied to the decision to investigate the camp. David Ettenberg, who owns the camp, said in a July interview that he closed the camp strictly because he didnt have enough staff. After some counselors left, he said he was unable to find replacements because of widespread personnel shortages. He did not return a request for comment on this story. Previous violations at another Connecticut location This was not Camp Shanes first time running into problems with the state over proper documentation and oversight. Two summers before, state authorities visited the camp three separate times during July and again in November, finding many violations including problems with documentation of staff training on medication administration and with documentation of policies while located in Pomfret. The Rectory School has not responded for comment, and the South Kent School has since severed contractual ties with the camp. A total of 34 violations were outlined during an initial July 2, 2019 unnanounced inspection. During the visit, a representative from the Office of Early Childhood Youth Licensing Program found the camp lacked many key medical oversight measures, according to state records. This included not having documented medical training for staff administering medication, proof of current lifeguard certifications, current physicals for campers, staff health forms, prescriber/parent authorization for self-administration of medication, or parent permissions for all medications at the camp, the inspection log states. The OEC asked for a corrective action plan, and Ettenberg complied. At a partial follow-up visit on July 31, 2019 the OEC found 14 violations still outstanding. Although a plan of correction had been submitted after the July 2, 2019 visit, many of the same violations remained at the time of the July 31, 2019 visit, a September letter from the OEC to Ettenberg said. Another corrective action plan was completed on Nov. 9 for the July 31 follow-up visit, documents show. In addition to the two inspections, the OEC also visited the camp on July 25, 2019, to perform a separate investigation after a complaint was made. During that July 25 investigation, the inspector also found problems with the camps medical oversight, including not having a first aid director on site at the time or immediately available emergency plans. The camp also did not have an approved director on site. In total, the inspector recorded five violations, documents show. While visiting the site, the inspector was informed that staff had taken campers off the Rectory School campus for a field trip to a Six Flags in Agawam, Mass., the inspection report said. The staff said they thought there were two people [who were first aid] certified but they were on the trip to Six Flags with 32 campers, the report reads. But no one seemed to know for sure how many campers were still on campus. Because staff acted like they were not familiar with the campers nor sure about who was present that day on campus, I asked all the campers to sign a sheet with their name and either personal contact information if over age 18 or parent name and contact number if under age 18, the report continued. A Nov. 29 letter from the OEC to Ettenberg shows that a corrective action plan had been put on file for the July 25 visit. The initial deadline for the plan was August, documents show. Ettenberg told Hearst Connecticut Media in a July interview that upon moving the camp to Connecticut after 52 years in New York, Camp Shane ran into issues with state regulation differences. Basically we had to start from the beginning with all the regulations, he said. We didnt know anything, so they told us, You need this, you need that. We worked on that. Then in the fall of 2019, another complaint was called in. A complaint filed with OEC Oct. 15, 2019 resulted in a separate investigation that was conducted on Nov. 6. Nine violations were found, documents show. Since the camp was closed, the investigation was conducted during an office meeting. At this meeting, the OEC found violations related to written authorized prescriber permission and written parent permission for all medication, policies and procedures for administration of medication by unlicensed staff, and over-the-counter medication available at camp that lacks registered nurse, an inspection report read. The office meeting notes also state that OEC representatives discussed the serious nature of operating a camp with Ettenberg, and outlined the need for proper certifications, medication administration and special health care needs of campers. The notes said that Mr. Ettenberg will be taking the information that he learned back to his office and will develop all required written policies and procedures. Ettenberg subsequently submitted a corrective action plan addressing each violation, according to a Nov. 13 letter sent from the state to Ettenberg detailing the investigations completion. WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) Two Myanmar citizens were arrested on charges alleging that they conspired to oust Myanmars ambassador to the United Nations, who opposes the military junta that seized power earlier this year, by injuring or even killing him. Phyo Hein Htut and Ye Hein Zaw plotted to seriously injure or kill Myanmars ambassador in an attack that was to take place on American soil, U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a release Friday. According to court documents in White Plains federal court, a Thailand arms dealer who sells weapons to the Myanmar military hired the pair to hurt the ambassador to try to force him to step down. If that didn't work, the ambassador was to be killed, authorities said. Myanmar's military overthrew the country's civilian government in February. Myanmar's currently recognized U.N. ambassador, Kyaw Moe Tun, staunchly opposed the ouster of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. In a speech to the General Assembly in late February, Tun called for the strongest possible action from the international community to restore democracy. Myanmar's military has tried to remove Tun from his post, but the 193-member General Assembly is responsible for accrediting diplomats and has not taken action at the military's urging. There was no immediate response to a phone call and email to Myanmars U.N. Mission seeking comment. The plot to maim or kill Tun was to be carried out in Westchester County, where the ambassador lives, according to two criminal complaints. Htut last month was contacted by the arms dealer, who wanted to pay several thousand dollars for Htut to carry out the attack, the complaints said. Htut received a $2,000 advance on July 23, it added. After the FBI learned of the plot on Tuesday, it arranged to interview Htut on Wednesday, when Htut described the plan, which included initially tampering with the ambassador's tires to cause an accident, the complaint said. It said Htut received $4,000 in payments to carry out the attack and was to be paid another $1,000 once it was finished. In a complaint against Zaw, authorities said Zaw admitted after his arrest that he sent the $4,000 to Htut. Htut, 28, and Zaw, 20, are each charged with conspiracy to assault and make a violent attack upon a foreign official, which carries a maximum sentence upon conviction of five years in prison. At an initial appearance in White Plains federal court Friday, Htut consented to detention. Zaw awaited an initial appearance. Messages seeking comment from their lawyers were not immediately returned. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Human rights activists describe the political repression taking place in Belarus as its worst since Soviet dictator Josef Stalins purges during the 1930s. Authorities have waged a multi-pronged crackdown on dissent in the year since President Alexander Lukashenko won a sixth term in an election that the opposition and the West saw as a sham. In response to mass protests, police arrested more than 35,000 people and beat thousands of demonstrators. Belarusians from across society in the ex-Soviet nation that Lukashenko has ruled with an iron fist since 1994 have faced detention for voicing their discontent with the authoritarian leader's long rule. The 608 people that human rights groups name as political prisoners include students, doctors, journalists, industrial workers, retirees and others from all walks of life. MIKITA ZALATAROU The 17-year-old from the city of Gomel was sentenced in February to 4 1/2 years in a juvenile prison colony for taking part in protests. Zalatarou and two of his friends were arrested a day after the presidential election on charges of throwing Molotov cocktails at police during a protest in the city. He denied the charges. During the trial, Zalatarou, who has epilepsy, said he was denied medication and beaten in prison. The nations top state investigative agency, the Investigative Committee of Belarus, which has law enforcement authority for pre-trial criminal proceedings., rejected the demand by Zalatarous father for a probe into the beating. They are killing him by denying him medicines, the father, Mikhail Lapunou, said. They give them to him on one out of two days, and he needs them every morning and every evening. If he doesnt receive them, his condition worsens, his brain cells die. VOLHA ZALATAR The 38-year-old mother of five children between the ages of 4 and 17 has been in custody since March awaiting trial on charges of creating an extremist organization. She was arrested on the streets when she was taking her 10-year-old daughter to music school. She could face seven years in prison, if convicted. After the August 2020 presidential election in Belarus, Zalatar moderated a local group on a messaging app in the town of Zhdanovichy and organized concerts, parties and walks. Investigators said the activities were unsanctioned mass gatherings. Zalatars husband spent 10 days in jail for displaying the Belarusian oppositions red and white flag in the window of their apartment. Despite the high walls and barred windows I feel free, Zalatar wrote in a letter from prison. I believe that everything will be fine with our family and with our country. I have got a unique experience and met some extraordinary people. YAUHEN HOVAR The 42-year-old Hovar was sentenced in February to 2 1/2 years in prison for organizing a strike at the metal plant where he worked and a street protest in the eastern city of Zhlobin A week after the election, he and other workers from the BMZ steel plant blocked a road to protest vote-rigging and violence against protesters. Hovar helped stage an industrial action at the plant and was among the workers who called for a nationwide strike. ANDREI LIUBETSKI The 47-year-old plastic surgeon has been in custody since May on accusations of insulting the president. Liubetski has worked in a childrens hospital in the capital, Minsk, for 18 years. If convicted, he could receive a five-year sentence. During the mass demonstrations triggered by Lukashenko's reelection, Liubetski volunteered to provide medical attention for protesters who were beaten by police. He also criticized authorities on Facebook, calling for corruption, abuse of power and political repression to end. This government is already dead, Liubetski he wrote on Facebook. All those who were involved in falsifications, abuses and other crimes should better prepare their guilty plea. The doctor's wife fled Belarus with the couple's four children. ALANA GEBREMARIAM The 24-year-old student activist was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison last month for organizing a student strike. Gebremariam, who led the Association of Belarusian Students, was arrested in October along with dozens of others following a wave of student strikes across the country. She was accused of organizing actions that rudely violate public order. A great force is hidden inside each of us, and it will eventually knock down all obstacles in the way of changes, Gebremariam said in a Facebook post shortly before her arrest. A desire for freedom and justice cant be locked or taken away. That force is always inside us - in every word, every step and every thought. DZIANIS MARUSEVICH The 26-year-old former member of Belarus national karate team is serving a four-year prison sentence for taking part in protests. Marusevich was one of thousands of Belarusian athletes who supported the post-election protests. He was arrested in September and accused of throwing pieces of asphalt at police officers and kicking a police vehicle during a protest in Brest, a city on Belarus border with Poland. I couldnt stand aside when I saw girls and elderly people kneeling before police and pleading not to beat them because they arent enemies, Marusevich wrote in a letter to his mother. His mother, Liudmila Marusevich, said she saw police in Brest use stun grenades to disperse demonstrators who came out to protest the disputed election results that showed Lukasenko with 80% of the vote. MARYNA ZOLATAVA The 43-year-old chief editor of Belarus' most popular media outlet, Tut.by, is one of 29 journalists currently serving prison sentences or in custody awaiting trial. Before authorities shut down Tut.by and arrested Zolatava in May, she had turned the online portal into the most widely read news source in Belarus, reaching an estimated 62% of the countrys population. Zolatava, a married mother of two teenagers who is widely recognized as one of the nation's most talented journalists, was arrested along with 14 other Tut.by journalists. They are accused of tax evasion and face up to 12 years in prison, if convicted. We were deeply impacted by what we learned about torture, Zolatava said about police abuses of the protest detainees in an interview published shortly after last year's election. Law enforcement officers were treating people in a cruel and humanless way. We saw violence causing shock and fear, but we also saw masses of people coming together and helping each other, and that gives energy. YUZEF NIAMERA The 63-year-old retiree from the city of Grodno was sentenced to 1 1/2 years in prison after he stepped in to protect a woman from being beaten by police. He took part in a September protest in the city near Poland's border which police dispersed with stun grenades and clubs. During the crackdown, he pushed police officers beating a woman with truncheons. Niamera, who cared for his 91-year-old mother before his arrest and imprisonment, was convicted of violence against police and rude violation of public order. HARTFORD The debate over youth crime and stolen cars reached the front steps of the state Capitol on Friday morning, when childrens advocates and lawmakers offered social-service alternatives to what has become a national phenomenon during the coronavirus pandemic. While Republicans in the General Assembly have been calling for a special session to possibly tighten penalties for young car thieves, Democrats and youth advocates note that car thefts have declined sharply in recent years until the pandemic but acknowledge a pressing need for better outreach programs. State Rep. Toni Walker, D-New Haven, the powerful co-chairwoman of the budget-writing Appropriations Committee, charged that while the state budget that took effect July 1 includes funding for youth programs including summer employment, the money has not yet been released. During a late morning news conference on the steps of the Capitol, Walker joined other lawmakers and childrens advocates, including the Connecticut Juvenile Alliance and the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, in calling for the expansion of prevention and diversionary services to help children before crimes are committed. Walker said a false narrative has emerged on the issue of youth crime that portrays prosecutors and police as without tools to detain children with records of multiple crimes. In fact, she said a 2011 law, unanimously approved in the House and Senate, aimed at addressing urban delinquency has worked effectively, most notably a recent case in West Hartford in which a car with a toddler was alledgely stolen by a 16-year-old. She said the entire United States and countries across the world have noticed spikes in crime over the last year and a half that coincided with the coronavirus. The pandemic had laid bare the magnitude of need in all of our communities, all ages, Walker said. And I dont mean adults. I mean children. Emergency placement, our hospitals, our health centers are bubbling at the seams with children, children with mental health issues. Acknowledging that crimes have been committed and offenders must be held accountable, Walker warned that Black and Hispanic kids are essentially forgotten and the root causes are lost. We must shine a light on the issues but not mar the light with untruths, lies and innuendos, she said. State Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, co-chairman of the legislative Judiciary Committee, agreed with Walker that the nature of the statewide conversation was based on inaccurate claims that car thefts are soaring. The public has come to believe that if you are a juvenile, 16, 17, 18 years old and you go out, and weve moved from cars theft to anything, Winfield said. You commit any crime. You shoot someone, there is no accountability. That is absolutely incorrect. In reaction to the news conference, House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, said a variety of reforms are needed to prevent crimes from occurring and make sure the most dangerous youths are prevented from continuing to run amok. The fact that there are children who have been arrested 40 times and have still not been adjudicated needs to be addressed, Candelora said in a phone interview. He warned that making the argument a matter of race does not help create an atmosphere for a bipartisan attempt to address the problem. If our cities fail, our suburbs fail, too, Candelora said, warning that people throughout the state are feeling threatened. A lot of these juveniles are becoming victims of organized crime and this could continue into adulthood and we will see a rise in the incarceration rate. He said that under the terms of a working group of lawmakers, including Winfield and Walker, there was an agreement to hold off on new legislation until further agreements on possible solutions are reached. Two people taking the opportunity to spin their own narrative indicates they might not want to work with us, Candelora said. During the legislative session, which ended in early June, Democrats rejected bills proposed by Republican lawmakers that would have enhanced penalties for young car thieves. But the hit-and-run death of a jogger in New Britain by an alleged car thief, and the West Hartford case, prompted meetings of Republican and Democratic leaders who have been discussing a possible special session this summer of fall. Michael P. Lawlor, a former state lawmaker and justice policy adviser under former Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, said state prosecutors have had the tools to detain, and even treat the most dangerous youths as adults in the courts. But many police officers and prosecutors seemed not to push the issues by going to judges for detention orders, and instead return children who have been arrested to their parents custody. Judges always have the ability to decide who gets locked up and who doesnt, as well as how long a kid stays locked up, he said, citing a change in attitudes this summer. Its clear that in recent weeks police and prosecutors have discovered how to work with the existing law to deal with juveniles they have reason to believe pose a danger to public safety, said Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice in the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences at the University of New Haven. Thats good news. Just as important, we have an obligation to make sure there are adequate options and resources in the juvenile justice system and in the community to address the risks and needs of at-risk adolescents on the front end. The rate of auto thefts in Connecticut remains among the lowest in the nation, Lawlor said in an interview earlier this week. So far in 2021 there have been fewer juveniles arrested for auto theft compared to the same period last year, as well as 2019, when the states number of stolen-car cases was the lowest in half a century. We should also remember that two-thirds of those who steal cars are adults and one third are juveniles. Lawlor said police around the country acknowledge that a big problem with the issue of stolen cars is that owners leave their vehicles unlocked with the keys in them. This is not blaming the victim, he said. This is just good advice. Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, said Friday that he agrees that a broad discussion on crime should occur. There are victims that have been ignored for far too long that live in our cities, areas controlled by Democrats for decades, Kelly said in a statement. Its wrong that only now that violence has moved beyond our cities are Democrats in charge confronted with their failures. Locking your car is good advice, but it won't stop the violence and it won't give kids opportunity. To suggest police are not using tools available to them is not accurate, and shows why we need broad conversations with all stakeholders together. State Rep. Craig Fishbein, R-Wallingford, the top Republican on the law-writing Judiciary Committee and one of the leaders negotiating with Democrats, said in a statement after the news conference that the COVID pandemic lockdowns are not to blame. The fact is, no one has a right to enter someone elses property without permission, and they certainly dont have the right to ransack their vehicle or steal their car, Fishbein said. kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT Gov. Ned Lamont on Friday issued an executive order requiring Connecticut nursing home workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The order takes effect immediately and will require staff at all long term care facilities to receive their first dose by Sept. 7. Facilities that dont comply risk fines of up to $20,000 per day. Now that vaccines are widely available and scientifically proven to be safe and the most effective method for preventing hospitalization and death, it would be absolutely irresponsible for anyone working in a long-term care facility to not receive this protection that could prevent widespread infection among those who are most vulnerable from dying of this communicable disease, some of whom for medical reasons cannot be vaccinated themselves, Lamont said in a statement I applaud the staff of our long-term care facilities for everything they do to protect our older populations. The order applies to staff at nursing homes, residential care homes, agencies that provide staff to long-term care facilites, intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, managed residential communities and chronic disease hospitals. It also applies to outside contractors and volunteers that have physical access to residents. The order, signed by Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz as acting governor while Lamont is on vacation, only allows medical or religious exemptions to the vaccine mandate. It came one day after Lamont signed an executive order, allowing local municipal leaders to issue their own mask rules, and requiring weekly testing of unvaccinated staff at nursing homes. The governors office believes state statutes and the order give the nursing homes authority to terminate employees who refuses a vaccination and who do not have either a medical or religious exemption. A little more than half of all nursing homes in the state have less than 75 percent of staff vaccinated, according to figures released by the governors office Friday. Less than a quarter have more than 85 percent of staff vaccinated. The move comes as nursing homes have seen an uptick of COVID-19 infections and deaths among residents after weeks of low cases. Out of nearly 19,000 residents in the state, there were 50 infections and three deaths reported in the two weeks between July 21 and Aug. 3. That included an outbreak of 17 cases in Wallingford. In the two weeks before, six cases and no new deaths were reported across the state. The governor has resisted issuing renewed restrictions in response to the pandemic, even as cases and the number of people hospitalized for the disease have grown, driven by the highly infectious delta variant. I think weve learned going back 16 months that nursing homes can be an area of great risk, and there were a lot of fatalities, Lamont said. The move comes as several surrounding states have already issued similar mandates. Massachusetts will require all nursing home workers to be vaccinated by Oct. 10, unless they have medical or religious exemptions. Massachusetts officials said facilities will be fined $50 a day for each worker who is not vaccinated by the deadline. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has issued mandates requiring hospital and transit workers to be vaccinated by Labor Day. And in New York City, proof of vaccination will be required for indoor dining, gyms and other events beginning later this month. Connecticuts nursing homes and other long-term care facilities were hit early during the pandemic, often accounting for a majority of the states deaths from the virus. The states data shows nearly 3,900 of the states nearly 8,300 COVID-related deaths involved residents of nursing homes. Connecticut nursing homes were some of the first prioritized for vaccines when shots became available late last year, with staff and residents vaccinated through a federal partnership with CVS and Walgreens. But state leaders said soon afterward that vaccinations were lagging among some nursing home staff. Industry leaders appeared to support mandated vaccines. Connecticut nursing homes support the governors staff vaccination mandate policy, said Matthew Barrett, president and CEO of the Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities. When implemented on a wide scale, the staff vaccine mandate will provide maximum protection for all residents, staff and others in our communities from the known and substantial risks of COVID-19. He said the order should apply beyond nursing homes to other health care providers as well. The organization has called for long-term care facilities to issue their own vaccine mandates, but said doing so could exacerbate existing staffing issues in the industry. We renew our call for state and federal governments to enact solutions to help address these long-standing workforce challenges, the organization said in a statement. Genesis HealthCare, one of the largest nursing home operators in the state, said Monday it will require staff, vendors and outside care providers to start vaccination by Aug. 23. Despite vaccination rates above the national average, the growing spread of the delta variant makes clear that we need to increase our vaccination rates substantially to better protect our patients, residents and employees, the company said in a statement. While we would have greatly preferred a strictly voluntary process, our commitment to health and safety outweighs concerns about imposing a requirement. Lori Mayer, a spokeswoman for the company, said ahead of the announcement Genesis would be very supportive if the order required all nursing home staff to be vaccinated. A spokesman for SEIU 1199 New England, the states largest union of health care workers, declined to comment ahead of the announcement, saying the details of the mandate were not yet known. The union is continuing to strongly encourage workers to get vaccinated as soon as possible, union spokesperson Pedro Zayas said. We have done a lot of outreach to our members and employers since December 2020 to educate and facilitate vaccination in this workforce. TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Topeka man who was jailed for attacking employees of a Topeka television station in 2012 was convicted Friday of assaulting a corrections officer. Ray Miles, 57, was convicted of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery and battery against a corrections officer, WIBW reported. SOMERS, Conn. (AP) Connecticut state police have labeled as suspicious the death of a man whose body was found inside a car discovered in the woods of Somers. Police said Jason Comes, 38, was found Thursday morning, just before 10:30 a.m. in the car off Durkee Road. Police did not say where Comes lived. 3 1 of 3 Waterbury Police Department / Contributed Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Waterbury Police Department / Contributed Show More Show Less 3 of 3 WATERBURY A 45-year-old city resident and convicted felon was arrested Thursday afternoon after police say he was found with a loaded gun and drugs. The arrest was part of an ongoing narcotics investigation the Waterbury Police Department has been conducting to combat illegal drug sales in the city, the department said in a press release. GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP) Shelton Douthit and his team at the Feather River Land Trust in Northern California have been working to restore the lush natural habitat and protect Indigenous artifacts around Lake Almanor. Now, after a ferocious wildfire tore through the area, he knows nothing's safe." Driven by fierce winds and bone-dry vegetation, the Dixie Fire destroyed most of downtown and dozens of homes in the gold rush-era community of Greenville, growing to become the third-largest in California history. The museum, medical offices, fire equipment and structures significant to a Native American tribe were lost in the town of about 1,000. This fire is so intense that I think were learning as a community, as a region, that this is not a normal fire. Its a beast, said Douthit, who is the trust's executive director. The Dixie Fire, named for the road where it started, was still raging Friday and now spans an area of 676 square miles (1,751 square kilometers), greater than the size of New York City. No injuries or deaths have been reported, but the fire continued to threaten more than 10,000 homes Friday. It is just 35% contained. Fire officials said the gusts were so strong on Thursday they uprooted a tree and knocked it over a garage. This is going to be a long firefight, said Capt. Mitch Matlow, spokesperson of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. About a two-hour drive south, firefighters are gaining the upper hand on the fast-moving River Fire that broke out Wednesday near the town of Colfax and destroyed nearly 90 homes and other buildings. More than 5,000 people were ordered to evacuate in Placer and Nevada counties, state fire officials said. Dale Huber walked into the fire zone Friday to check on his brothers home, which was reduced to rubble. It used to be a bunch of cool stuff, and now its just trash, Huber said. You cant fix it. We can tear it out and start over again or run away. I think hes decided he wants to rebuild here. The three-week-old Dixie Fire was one of 100 active, large fires burning in 14 states, most in the West where historic drought has left lands parched and ripe for ignition. The fires cause was under investigation. But Pacific Gas & Electric utility has said it may have been sparked when a tree fell on one of the utilitys power lines. Heavy smoke produced by the fires intense, erratic winds was impeding firefighters efforts Friday to look for hot spots from the air, forcing them to instead rely on infrared technology. The smoke also blanketed central California and western Nevada, causing air quality to deteriorate to very unhealthy levels. By midday, the air quality index in Chester, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Greenville, shot up to 998, more than triple the amount where hazardous levels begin, according to the U.S. Air Quality Index. In Susanville, Randy Robbins watched quarter-sized pieces of ash fall as the fire crept 6 miles (10 kilometers) from his home. Its crazy to think this fire started 50 miles (80 kilometers) from our house, easily, he said. You cant imagine how big it is. You look at a map, and youre like, How is that possible? Heat waves and historic drought 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. The flames heavily damaged Canyondam, a hamlet with a population of about three dozen people, and also reached Chester, but crews managed to protect homes and businesses there, officials said. The fire was not far from the town of Paradise, which was largely destroyed in a 2018 wildfire sparked by PG&E equipment that killed 85 people, making it the nations deadliest U.S. wildfire in at least a century. Eva Gorman said she managed to grab photos off the wall, her favorite jewelry and important documents before fleeing. She was told that her home burned down but is waiting until she can see it with her own eyes to believe its gone. How could another California town could be reduced to ashes, she asked herself. Thats what I keep thinking. Its happening, again, she said. Its unfathomable. ___ Nguyen reported from Oakland, California. Associated Press writers Terry Chea in Colfax, California, Christopher Weber and Stefanie Dazio in Los Angeles and Jocelyn Gecker in San Francisco contributed to this report. An 82nd Airborne Division soldier whose patrol came under fire in Syria last August will face court-martial for a series of charges that include violating orders and reckless endangerment, the military said last week. Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue referred the case against Sgt. 1st Class Robert Nicoson to trial, division spokesman Lt. Col. Brett Lea said in an email Thursday. Nicosons case underwent an Article 32 preliminary hearing in May, similar to a civilian grand jury proceeding, to review evidence against him on charges related to several incidents, including a patrol that got caught up in a deadly firefight near the northeastern Syrian town of Qamishli on Aug. 17, 2020. It is alleged that Sgt. 1st Class Nicoson was involved in incidents of violating orders, reckless endangerment, making unlawful threats and obstruction of justice after the fact, Lea said. The charge sheet will not be available until Nicoson is arraigned, which could be in the next couple of weeks, Lea said. Nicosons attorney, Phillip Stackhouse, did not immediately return a request for comment on the case. Stackhouse told Stars and Stripes after the May 20 hearing at Fort Bragg, N.C., that prosecutors did not call a single witness and instead relied on a very thin Army CID (Criminal Investigation Command) investigation and a low burden of proof to push for court-martial. Prosecutors also provided the defense with two classified investigation reports just prior to the hearing" that they had not previously made available, Stackhouse said. Both investigations, conducted before any Army CID involvement, contained very favorable evidence for SFC Nicoson, he said. While I cant go into the facts contained within those investigations yet, I think its fair to say that SFC Nicoson was not even in the country at the time two of the charges are alleged to have occurred, he said. Some of the charges stem from a patrol in June, and from events after the August firefight, Stackhouse said in an earlier phone interview. The defense entered both records into evidence and sought to have them declassified, Stackhouse said. The May proceedings were recessed to allow the preliminary hearing officer to review and consider evidence before issuing a report to the commander, said Lt. Col. Mike Burns, division spokesman at the time. Long story short new information was made available and is being considered, Burns said. Military officials have declined to discuss specifics of the charges against Nicoson. Nicoson was a platoon sergeant with the 82nd Airborne Divisions Blackhorse Troop, 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment on what Operation Inherent Resolve has described as a routine anti-Islamic State patrol last August when a firefight broke out at a Syrian checkpoint. A Syrian fighter was killed and two others were wounded in the firefight, but there were no coalition casualties. It was one of several high-profile altercations last year between U.S. military patrols and pro-regime Syrian forces or their Russian backers in the civil war that began in 2011. Nicoson had been under consideration for a Bronze Star with valor device for his actions during the battle, at least until September, Stackhouse said earlier this year. Nicoson's wife, Beverly, told Stars and Stripes via email earlier this year it wasn't clear why the Army went from considering an award to seeking punishment. Prosecutors claim he put the platoon at risk by going where they shouldn't have been, then threatened Syrian forces before the fighting broke out, Stackhouse said. Prosecutors do not allege misconduct during the actual gun battle or say that Nicoson started the firefight, he said. The charges are merely accusations, said Lea, the division spokesman. The accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty, he said. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) Since the pandemic began, just 26 of the 11,600 people in Alabama who have died of COVID-19 were fully vaccinated, State Health Officer Scott Harris said Friday. And most of the nearly 2,000 COVID-19 patients currently in state hospitals are also unvaccinated, he said. Harris released the numbers as the state tries to boost lagging vaccination rates. Health officials say recent cases resulting in severe illness and death could have largely been prevented if people had gotten inoculated. The state has seen a sharp uptick in cases and hospitalizations, prompting renewed warnings from health officials for precautions such as wearing masks, in addition to the continued call for vaccinations. I think its correct to say that we wouldnt see these kinds of numbers if we had more people vaccinated, Harris said. Again, the case numbers are being driven by people that arent vaccinated, which is unfortunate. The number of people hospitalized stood at 1,923 on Friday, the highest the state has seen since late January. There were about 3,000 COVID-19 patients in state hospitals at the peak of the pandemic, and health officials have expressed concern that the state could be quickly headed back to that number. Harris said 93% of the state's intensive care beds are full. It's been reported to us from hospitals that virtually all of those patients are unvaccinated patients, Harris said. He said the state is working with the Alabama Hospital Association to get definitive numbers. Alabama has seen the seven-day rolling average of daily new cases nearly triple over the past two weeks, rising from 1,133 on July 21 to 3,167 on Aug. 4. Alabama is one of the least vaccinated states in the country. The state ranks last for the percentage of people fully vaccinated with 34%. In Alabama, 44% of people have received at least one dose of vaccine, a figure that ranks the state fifth from last. Harris said health officials have identified 6,427 people who contracted COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated, but the vaccine remains effective in preventing infections and serious illness. While there has been a steep increase in cases and hospitalizations, deaths have not yet followed or at least not yet. Most of Alabamas COVID-19 deaths were reported before the widespread availability of the vaccine. Nearly 11,000 of the deaths occurred before April 1. The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Alabama has risen over the past two weeks from four on July 21 to nine on Aug. 4., according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Deaths are usually a lagging indicator of the pandemic's severity and reported deaths typically increase several weeks after a jump in cases and hospitalizations when some of those hospitalized patients do not recover. The pandemic's shift to younger patients and away from older age groups which have higher vaccination rates could mean better survival rates. Harris said it's still unclear if deaths are going to rise in the same way that they did earlier in the pandemic. BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) North Dakota agriculture officials are warning producers to monitor their livestock after the first case of anthrax was confirmed earlier this week. The disease was reported in cattle in a Kidder County beef herd. Officials say producers in the county and surrounding areas should check with their veterinarians to see if they should start vaccinating their cattle for anthrax. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) may soon approve Interim Storage Partners (ISP) license application to store 40,000 tons of high-level radioactive waste above ground in Andrews County at Waste Control Specialists low-level radioactive waste dump site, located near the Ogallala Aquifer. The NRC has published the Final Environmental Impact Statement and Safety Evaluation Report. NRC commissioners will then vote on ISPs license application, and they are clearly in favor. In legal proceedings, NRC staff and judges have ignored numerous safety and health-related concerns that were backed up by expert witnesses. The NRC has behaved similarly in the Holtec International proceeding, which is just a few months behind ISPs. Holtec is targeting a site between Hobbs, New Mexico, and Carlsbad, New Mexico. Its plan is to store up to 173,600 tons of high-level radioactive waste about 40 miles from the WCS location. The Permian Basin could become a very high-risk radioactive waste sacrifice zone, threatening all other businesses, industries and agriculture in the region. Nuclear waste from both U.S. coasts would be dumped on the southwest. Ninety percent of reactors are in the eastern half of the U.S., but California Democrats, including Congressman Mike Levin, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein are leading efforts to dump on Texas and New Mexico. They want the waste out of Southern California and dont care how it leaves or where it goes as long as it is out of their backyard. Opposition to high-level radioactive plans is growing. The legal efforts of anti-nuclear and environmental groups and oil and ranch interests are almost done with the rigged NRC kangaroo court. Well soon get our day in real court, namely, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the second highest court in the land. The NM Attorney General has even filed a lawsuit in federal district court there, opposing both high-level radioactive waste facilities. Federal law currently prohibits the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) from taking ownership and liability for commercial nuclear reactor fuel at an interim facility until a permanent geologic repository is operating, which will take at least until mid-century. Yet ISP and Holtec are looking to DOE that is, federal taxpayers to pay all the costs of interim storage, including a handsome profit margin to themselves. This effectively illegally transfers title of the waste. This wise prohibition was put in place to keep temporary storage sites from becoming de facto permanent storage, what we call parking lot dumps. Waste containers are sure to fail, whether due to natural disaster, terrorist attack or just plain old corrosion. Once they do, catastrophic releases of deadly radioactivity could occur. We anticipate an eventual legal victory but will also need to defend against Congressional changes to the law. Holtec, ISP and nuclear industry lobbyists have been working for years on amendments that would weaken existing law. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has said that the Biden administration plans to move forward with consent-based consolidated interim storage. If thats the case, Texas and New Mexico should be immediately removed from consideration. Both governors have expressed strong opposition to both proposed dumps which straddle the shared border. Bipartisan opposition to dangerous nuclear waste plans is expanding, not just throughout the Permian, but across the nation since thousands of high-risk radioactive waste shipments would travel through major cities on trains, barges and trucks, if either proposed site opens. Hardened On-Site Storage (HOSS) is a long overdue alternative to the proposed storage facilities. Whether in wet indoor storage pools, or shoddy outdoor dry casks, existing on-site storage of spent nuclear fuel at reactors remains vulnerable to catastrophic radioactivity releases. HOSS is a 20-year old recommendation by hundreds of nuclear watchdog groups in all 50 states, but Congress hasnt listened. Under this plan, vulnerable spent fuel pools would be emptied, and dry casks would be significantly improved. Safety, security, health and environmental protection would be maximized, and NRC rubber-stamping shortcuts would be halted. The waste at existing reactor sites should be safeguarded using HOSS. At some sites, waste may need to be moved a short distance, for example to get it off coastlines, but transport should be minimized in order to reduce risks. Readers can ask elected officials to take action to stop consolidated interim storage facilities in the Permian Basin dead in their tracks. The southwest should not be turned into the nations radioactive wasteland. -- Lon Burnam is from Fort Worth and with Public Citizen; Karen Hadden is from Austin and with Sustainable Energy & Economic Development (SEED) Coalition, and Kevin Kamps is from Takoma Park, Maryland, and with Beyond Nuclear. The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge is expressing its opposition to Gov. J.B. Pritzkers order that certain law enforcement officers must receive a COVID-19 vaccine. While not opposed to the vaccine, the FOP is opposed to being forced to take it, said Scot Ward, president of FOP Corrections Lodge 263, whose members work for the Departments of Corrections and Juvenile Justice. It is always dangerous when the state unilaterally decides to deny the constitutional rights of targeted groups of citizens, such as our members who work in prisons and juvenile facilities. Even the detainees we supervise are not being forced to take these vaccinations. This weeks wanted The following are being sought on arrest warrants, according to various sheriffs departments. The addresses listed are the last known addresses provided by the warrants and may be outdated. Christopher D. Shoemaker, 28, of Havana is being sought on a warrant accusing him of burglary. He is a white male standing 6 feet tall and weighing 210 pounds. He has blue eyes and brown hair. Nicholas R. Davenport, 43, of 111 Meadowridge Lane is being sought on a warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court on a burglary charge. He is a white male standing 5 foot 10 and weighing 220 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel eyes. . Submit tips anonymously at tipsubmit.com, by calling 217-243-7300 or by text messaging CRIMES (274637) with payout as the first word of the tip. Jacksonville Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS Jimmy A. Cook III, 26, homeless, was arrested at 6:15 a.m. Friday on a theft charge after being accused of taking someones cellphone. ACCIDENTS Claudia N. Nicholson, 22, of Jacksonville was cited on a charge of improper lane use after the car she was driving and one being driven by Michelle M. Stanberry, 53, of Jacksonville collided at 1:29 p.m. Friday at West Morton and Lincoln avenues. Lisa A. Clark, 59, of Beardstown was cited on a charge of failing to yield after the car she was driving and one being driven by James L. Carter, 83, of Jacksonville collided at 11:18 a.m. Friday in the 800 block of West Morton Avenue. THEFTS, BURGLARIES A baby stroller was stolen from outside a residence in 300 block of South Church Street, according to a report filed at 12:39 p.m. Friday. About 20 prescription pills were stolen between 8 p.m. Thursday and 2 a.m. Friday from a residence in the 500 block of Northwood Lane. Compiled by David C.L. Bauer Pakistan police arrest 50 suspected of Hindu temple attack View Photo MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) Police arrested 50 people suspected of ransacking a Hindu temple in a remote town in eastern Pakistan and were searching for another 100 suspects, police said Saturday. The attack on a temple in the town of Bhong in Punjab province Wednesday followed the alleged desecration of a religious school by a young Hindu boy earlier in the week. The unruly mob burned down the temples main door and damaged statues. Muslims and Hindus generally live peacefully in predominantly Muslim Pakistan, but there have been attacks on Hindu temples in recent years. Most of Pakistans minority Hindus migrated to India in 1947 when India was divided by Britains government. Jam Ghaffar, the area police chief, said order was restored after the deployment of extra police and a paramilitary force and police were looking for the remaining suspects. Ramesh Kumar, a Hindu community leader said after the attack that the initially slow response from the police had made the situation and the damages to the temple worse. The trouble in Bhong started after a court ruling that granted bail to an 8-year-old Hindu boy who was arrested for intentionally urinating on a carpet in a school library housing religious texts. The mob alleges the boy committed blasphemy, an act punishable by the death sentence in Pakistan. Sonora, CA A new report by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reports that two-state wolf packs produced a dozen pups this year. The Lassen pack in western Lassen and northern Plumas counties has produced litters since 2017, including six pups in 2021, according to wildlife officials. Additionally, this year, the Whaleback pack in eastern Siskiyou County that consists of a male wolf OR-85 and an uncollared female produced at least six pups as well. There is a third wolf pack that was confirmed in May, but it is not currently known if they have bred. Were over the moon knowing that for the first time in more than 100 years, California has at least two wolf packs with pups, said Amaroq Weiss, senior West Coast wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. Although federal protections were stripped from wolves across nearly the entire lower 48 states in January, center officials add that wolves are protected in California under the states endangered species act. In opposition to that act are many ranchers who are opposed to wolf protections, saying the animals prey on and stress out their livestock. Of note, earlier this year a rare gray wolf named OR-93 left Oregon and was being tracked with a radio collar throughout the state, including visits to Tuolumne and Calaveras counties. At the end of May pings from the collar ended and his whereabouts are unknown, as reported here. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Twenty-six days into refusing to come home, Texas Democrats who have twice now blocked a GOP voting bill face a choice: whether to go for Round 3. It is a decision that partly depends on if the group of more than 50 Democratic state legislators still in Washington can claim victories up through now and the right answer is not as easy as they would like as Republican Gov. Greg Abbott begins a third attempt to overhaul Texas' voting laws in another special session starting Saturday. The cross-country protest no doubt won national attention and piled scrutiny on the GOP's push to rewrite voting laws following the 2020 election. Setting up camp in a Washington hotel, Texas Democrats spent nearly a month meeting with congressional leaders, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and torpedoed new voting laws back home for a second time. But an outbreak of COVID-19 in their ranks shortly after their dramatic arrival in Washington slowed their momentum. President Joe Biden never met with them, and reports that some Democrats snuck away to vacation in Europe drew bad headlines and mockery from Republicans back home. In the end, the Democrats are in much the same position they were in a month ago: without the votes to permanently block the bill in the Texas Capitol, and without the votes to pass federal legislation in Congress. This is not the end, said state Rep. Celia Israel, who was among the Democrats who tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Washington. For us, it could be a new awakening to activism when it comes to voting rights. Whether or not Democrats this weekend return to Texas, they have achieved becoming the face of a national battle over voting rights, set off by former President Donald Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. But many of the same obstacles to victory remain. In Texas, Republicans have publicly offered no concessions to significantly alter the voting measures that Democrats have now twice stopped from passing, starting with a late-night walkout in May. And in Washington, which Democrats picked as their destination in order to pressure Biden and Congress on voting rights, the biggest hurdle to new federal legislation hasn't changed: a filibuster by Senate Republicans. It is a reminder of how breaking quorum a last-ditch and dramatic ploy to grind the business of lawmaking to a halt rarely succeeds in the end. If anything, Republicans have only hardened their resolve, with some now itching to further strip Democrats of what little power they have in the Texas Capitol. Of the 17 issues Abbott has ordered the GOP-controlled statehouse to take up over the next 30 days, a new one stands out: a measure relating to legislative quorum" requirements. The Texas House remains committed to fulfilling its responsibilities as soon our Democratic colleagues return from Washington or from their vacations abroad, Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan said Friday. Less than 24 hours before the new session was to begin, Texas Democrats were still in Washington, celebrating their defeat of the first special session. As a caucus, Democrats have not revealed when or whether they will return to Texas. But state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez has said a vast majority is committed to not showing up at the start and keep preventing a quorum in the state House of Representatives. That would raise the prospect of Democrats facing arrest in an effort to compel their attendance in the House chamber, a threat they have mostly shrugged off. They also insist they wouldn't be coming home empty-handed. Aside from stopping the GOP voting bill for a second time, Democrats say they succeeded in pushing voting rights legislation back near the top of Congress' agenda and turning a national spotlight on the issue. They have also taken credit for at least one potential change under the most recent bill that Republican Rep. Pat Fallon of Texas said would be coming: removing some voter ID requirements for mail-in ballots. They also rallied supporters and voters back home, including more than $700,000 that former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who has not ruled out challenging Abbott in 2022, said he raised through his political action committee. The holdout was not without its stumbles. Shortly after they arrived, several Democrats tested positive for COVID-19, limiting their in-person meetings. And although Democrats met twice with Vice President Kamala Harris, they never met with Biden. On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaski said if the legislative calendar required Democrats to be in Texas, we would support that. Democratic state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, one of the organizers of the walkouts, said it was significant to see lawmakers from other states join them in Washington in support. Some people have said we have moved the needle when it comes to voting rights, and I believe we have been moving the mountain, he said. HONOLULU (AP) Four Native Hawaiians arrested in 2019 while protesting against construction of a giant telescope on Hawaii's highest peak were not guilty of obstructing the mountain's access road, a judge ruled Friday. Judge M. Kanani Laubach issued her verdict after a trial that began in January 2020 and saw significant delays because of the coronavirus pandemic. Kelii Ioane, Marie Alohalani Brown, Maxine Kahaulelio and Ranette Robinson were the first to go to trial out of 38 mostly Native Hawaiian kupuna, or elders, who were arrested during a swelling effort to stop construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope. The other cases are pending. Those who oppose the $1.4-billion project say it will desecrate land on Mauna Kea held sacred to Native Hawaiians. Hundreds of protesters gathered at the base of the mountain in July 2019 to block construction of the telescope. The kupuna allowed themselves to be arrested and some used canes, while others were taken in wheelchairs to police vans. Those who could walk on their own were led away with their hands in zip ties. An international consortium has a state permit to build the embattled telescope. However, in announcing her verdict, the judge noted that during the trial, officials testified that the access road was closed and there were no permits issued for oversized vehicles. Evidence that Mauna Kea access road was closed or restricted to the public, coupled with no permits, equals no obstruction, Laubach said. There would be no unreasonable inconvenience or hazard. The state failed to meet its burden beyond a reasonable doubt, she said. The state respects the verdict, which can't be appealed, said Gary Yamashiroya, special assistant to the state attorney general. The ruling is based solely on evidence presented at the trial of the four defendants, he said. During the trials of related defendants, the State presented evidence that TMT obtained all necessary permits to move equipment up the mountain," he said in an email. It remains a crime to block a public highway, and the State will vigorously pursue the pending cases against the remaining defendants. Thirty Meter Telescope representatives didn't immediately comment on the verdict. Those arrested for nonviolent civil disobedience while protecting Mauna Kea have been vindicated, Richard Sing, attorney for Ioane, said after the hearing. This was a petty misdemeanor trial, and it took more than a year and a half to complete, Sing said. It was a difficult and lengthy situation for someone to be under threat of criminal prosecution. WAD EL-HILU, Sudan (AP) Six more bodies have been found floating down the river separating Ethiopias troubled Tigray region from Sudan, refugees and a physician said on Saturday. They urged Sudanese authorities and the U.N. to help in search efforts. Around 50 bodies have been discovered over the last two weeks in the Setit River, which flows through some of the most troubled areas of the nine-month conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region, according to Tigray refugees. Physician Tewodros Tefera said Friday he personally witnessed refugees pull several bodies from the river over the past week. Tefera is a surgeon from the nearby Tigray town of Humera who fled to Sudan at the start of the war. Ethnic Tigrayans have accused Ethiopian and allied forces of atrocities while battling Tigray forces. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken asserted in March that ethnic cleansing has happened in parts of Tigray. The latest discovery raised fears that even more bodies could be dumped into the Setit, known in Ethiopia as the Tekeze. The refugees say the corpses found in recent days have been bloated and drained of color. Some had been mutilated, they say, including with severed genitals, gouged eyes and a missing limb. Others were found with their hands bound or had gunshot wounds. Two bodies were pulled out on Friday and four more on Saturday, according to the Tigray League, a newly created group of Tigrayan refugees in Sudans Kassala and al-Qadarif provinces. It helps other refugees who fled the conflict to Sudan, and has also helped search for and bury the bodies. The six bodies, like the previous ones, were buried in graves dug by refugees in the border village of Wad el-Hilu on the Sudanese side of the river. Since the Tigray war began in November, more than 60,000 Tigrayans have fled to Sudan, where thousands remain in makeshift camps a short walk from the river in the hope of hearing news from new arrivals. Tefera said the group has contacted Sudanese authorities in the area and other aid groups, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, to help with search efforts along the river, identifications of the bodies and the causes of their deaths. A senior Sudanese official said the military, in cooperation with the local community, would start search missions, possibly next week. The official said he believes more bodies could be found in the river. He didn't provide additional details and spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic and frayed ties between Sudan and Ethiopia. Erika Tovar, the ICRC's spokeswoman in Sudan's capital of Khartoum, said forensic examinations are the work of Sudanese authorities, but the ICRC "is ready to support with materials for the proper handling of the bodies. Forensic procedures for investigations and other related activities are the work on Sudanese authorities however, she added. The U.N. refugee agency visited the village earlier this week and confirmed seeing one of the bodies pulled from the river along with what appear to be several fresh graves. It said it was unable to confirm the identifies of the dead or how they died. Refugees believe the bodies were Tigrayans who were dumped into the river at Humera, which has seen some of the worst violence since the war began in November. Doctors who saw the bodies pulled out from the river said some had tattoos or facial markings common among Tigrayans, raising fresh alarm about atrocities in the least-known area of the Tigray war. Ethiopias government has accused rival Tigray forces of dumping the bodies themselves for propaganda purposes. A fake massacre, the spokeswoman for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Billene Seyoum, told reporters Thursday. The bodies discovery has added international pressure on the government of Ahmed, a Nobel Peace Prize winner. It faces accusations by the U.N., the United States and the European Union of besieging Tigray and blocking food and other aid to millions of people. Hundreds of thousands face famine conditions in one of the worlds worst hunger crises in a decade, as the war expands to other regions in Ethiopia, Africas second-most populous country and the anchor of the often-volatile Horn of Africa. ___ Magdy reported from Cairo. MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) The United States has slapped visa restrictions on 50 immediate family members of Nicaraguan officials who have been involved in or benefited from President Daniel Ortegas growing repression, the U.S. State Department said Friday. The officials include lawmakers, prosecutors and judges. Over the past two months, Ortegas government has arrested nearly three dozen opposition figures, including seven potential challengers for the presidency. Nicaragua is scheduled to hold national elections Nov. 7. Ortega is seeking a fourth consecutive term and this week the government placed an opposition vice presidential candidate under house arrest. Ortega and (Vice President and first lady Rosario) Murillo once again demonstrated that they are afraid of running against anyone who they feel might win the support of the Nicaraguan people, the U.S. State Department said in a statement. On Friday, Nicaragua's electoral council, which is packed with Ortega's allies, barred an antigovernment conservative coalition from running in the Nov. 7 elections. The conservative Citizens for Liberty coalition on Monday registered as its presidential candidate Oscar Sobalvarro, a rancher and former commander in the U.S.-backed Contra rebellion against Ortegas government during the 1980s. Its vice presidential candidate, Berenice Quezada, has been charged with inciting terrorism, but was released pending trial. Among those arrested in recent weeks was former Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Francisco Aguirre Sacasa. The 76-year-old was arrested after border police stopped him from leaving Nicaragua to enter Costa Rica. He had planned to fly to Houston for back surgery, two of his children said Friday. Since his July 27 arrest, the family has received no information about his whereabout or condition. There are no details, there is no information, we know absolutely nothing, said Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, one of the former diplomats sons. The lawyer says he cant do anything because the case doesnt exist, said Georgie Aguirre Sacasa, the ex-diplomats daughter. They said their mother visits the Managua prison known as El Chipote every day, because they suspect he is there, but his name does not appear on the list of prisoners. She takes food, water and medicine, but the guards only sometimes take the water without ever confirming if he is there. Aguirre Sacasa was arrested by police on the highway back to Managua from the Costa Rican border where guards had confiscated his passport. When his wife arrived at their home she found police searching it. They seized computers and documents from Aguirre Sacasas home office. Nicaraguan authorities released a statement after the arrest saying he would be held for 90 days as an investigation proceeded into allegations that he had committed crimes against Nicaraguan society. They say they are following the law, but if that were true he would be on the list of prisoners, he could talk to us, they could visit him, Georgie Aguirre Sacasa said. But none of those human rights is being respected in Nicaragua. The State Department announcement of visa sanctions against 50 Nicaraguans Friday follows similar actions taken against 100 others on July 12. The U.S. said they were believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy, including those with responsibility for, or complicity in, the suppression of peaceful protests or abuse of human rights, and the immediate family members of such persons. The Nicaraguan government did not immediately comment on the new restrictions. In the past, Ortega and Murillo have maintained that widespread protests that began in April 2018 were an attempted coup with foreign backing. Also Friday, Marcos Carmona, a lawyer and executive secretary of the nongovernmental Permanent Commission on Human Rights, said in a news conference that police had stopped him from boarding a flight to Miami and taken his passport. This is another abuse by this government that is violating my constitutional rights and protections, Carmona said. He said he was trying to travel for medical attention and to visit relatives. On July 29, police arrested Maria Oviedo, a lawyer with the commission. She remains jailed and is being investigated for alleged crimes against the state. Carmona did not rule out that he too could be at risk of arrest. We are all exposed here, he said. __ AP writer Gisela Salomon in Miami contributed to this report. You know the work of the Houston tiger... Now meet the Grand Prairie cobra. Officials are warning residents of the Dallas suburb about a pet venomous West African Banded Cobra that has gotten loose from its home. FOX 4's Macy Jenkins reports that the cobra's owner called animal services on Tuesday to report that his cobra had escaped while building an in-home enclosure for the snake. The cobra has been missing since 5 p.m. on Tuesday. "If we would have just had a lock on the cage There wasn't a lock," the unnamed owner told FOX 4. "And it could have simply been handled." Grand Prairie Animal Services, the owner and a venomous snake apprehension professional could not locate the snake that night after searching in and around the house. Grand Prairie police are asking residents to call and report any snakes they see believed to be the missing cobra without approaching or attempting to capture the snake. Luckily, the snake is unlikely to bother anyone that doesn't bother it and is probably just out chilling in the shade somewhere. "Dont get overhyped. Its not going to chase you down, anything like that," Randall Kennedy with Dallas Fort Worth Wildlife told FOX 4. "If you step on it, its going to bite you. If you grab it, its going to bite you. Other than that, youre pretty safe." But if it does get you... the bite is possibly fatal depending on your body type, and there is no antivenom available for the cobra's poison. This isn't the first time a cobra has gotten loose in Texas. Back in 2015, a cobra bit and killed its owner before getting loose in Lowe's parking lot in Austin. The cobra was found after several days and the owner's death was eventually ruled a suicide. Avoid running into any snakes if you're headed to Grand Prairie anytime soona good rule for anywhere in Texas, in fact. ATHENS, Greece (AP) Three large wildfires churned across Greece on Saturday, with one threatening whole towns and cutting a line across Evia, the country's second-largest island, isolating its northern part. Others engulfed forested mountainsides and skirted ancient sites, leaving behind a trail of destruction that one official described as a biblical catastrophe. A flotilla of 10 ships two Coast Guard patrols, two ferries, two passenger ships and four fishing boats waited at the seaside resort of Pefki, near the northern tip of Evia, ready to evacuate more residents and tourists if needed, a Coast Guard spokeswoman told The Associated Press, on customary condition of anonymity. Firefighters were fighting through the night to save Istiaia, a town of 7,000 in northern Evia, as well as several villages, using bulldozers to open up clear paths in the thick forest. The fire on Evia forced the hasty Friday night evacuation of about 1,400 people from a seaside village and island beaches by a motley assortment of boats after the approaching flames cut off other means of escape. The other dangerous fires were one in Greece's southern Peloponnese peninsula, near Ancient Olympia and one in Fokida, in the Central Greece Region, north of Athens. The fire in Ancient Olympia moved east, away from the ancient site, threatening villages in a sudden flare-up Saturday afternoon. North of Athens, the fire on Mount Parnitha, a national park with substantial forests, was still burning with occasional flare-ups, but a Fire Service spokesman told the AP late Saturday that containment efforts were going well. Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias told reporters Saturday night that firefighters hoped to contain the fire Sunday. Smoke from that fire was still spreading across the Athens basin. Earlier, the blaze had sent choking smoke across the Greek capital, where authorities set up a hotline for residents with breathing problems. One volunteer firefighter died Friday and at least 20 people have been treated in hospitals over the last week during Greeces most intense heat wave in three decades. Temperatures soared up to 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Saturday visited the fire departments headquarters in Athens and expressed his deep sadness" for the firefighter's death. He later visited the airport, west of Athens, from which firefighting planes take off and thanked the pilots, Greek as well as French, who arrived to support the firefighting effort. Securing aid for everyone affected by the wildfires will be my first political priority, he said, promising that all burnt areas would be reforested. When this nightmarish summer has passed, we will turn all our attention to repairing the damage as fast as possible, and in restoring our natural environment again, Mitsotakis said. A local official in the Mani area of southern Peloponnese, south of Sparta, estimated the wildfire there had destroyed around 70% of her area. Its a biblical catastrophe. Were talking about three-quarters of the municipality, East Mani Deputy Mayor Eleni Drakoulakou told state broadcaster ERT, pleading for more water-dropping aircraft. Other officials and residents in southern Greece phoned in to TV programs, appealing live on air for more firefighting help. Greece requested help through the European Unions emergency support system. Firefighters and aircraft were sent from France, Spain, Ukraine, Cyprus, Croatia, Sweden, Israel, Poland, Romania, Switzerland and the United States. On Saturday alone, Germanys Disaster Assistance agency tweeted that 52 firefighters and 17 vehicles from Bonn and 164 firemen and 27 vehicles from Hessen were heading to Athens to help. Egypt said it was sending two helicopters, while 36 Czech firefighters with 15 vehicles left for Greece. The causes of the fires are under investigation. Three people were arrested Friday in the greater Athens area, central and southern Greece on suspicion of starting blazes, in two cases intentionally. Another person, a 47-year-old Greek, was arrested Saturday afternoon in the Athens suburb of Petroupoli for lighting two fires in a grove and setting four dumpsters on fire, police said. Greek and European officials also have blamed climate change for the large number of fires burning through southern Europe, from southern Italy to the Balkans, Greece and Turkey. Fires described as the worst in decades have swept through stretches of Turkeys southern coast for the past 10 days, killing eight people. The top Turkish forestry official said 217 fires had been brought under control since July 28 in over half of the countrys provinces, but firefighters still worked Saturday to tame six fires in two provinces. In Turkeys seaside province of Mugla, a popular region for tourists, some fires appeared to be under control Saturday but the forestry minister said blazes were still burning in the Milas area. Environmental groups urged authorities to protect the forests of Sandras Mountain from nearby fires. Further north, at least six neighborhoods were evacuated due to a wildfire in western Aydin province, where shifting winds were making containment efforts difficult, Turkish media reported. Municipal officials in Antalya, on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, said a wildfire was still burning around the Eynif plain, where wild horses live. Massive fires also have been burning across Siberia in northern Russia for weeks, forcing the evacuation Saturday of a dozen villages. In all, wildfires have burned nearly 15 million acres this year in Russia. In the U.S., hot, bone-dry, gusty weather has also fueled devastating wildfires in California. ____ Becatoros reported from Argostoli, Greece and Varaklas from Thrakomacedones, Greece. Zeynep Bilginsoy contributed from Istanbul and Petros Karadjias from Arkitsa, Greece. ___ Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate. VANDERWAGEN, N.M. (AP) After more than a year of pandemic-imposed isolation, quarantines, and remote learning, Broken Arrow Bible Ranch has been one place for area kids and teens to reconnect this summer. The Christian camp, located about 20 miles south of Gallup, reopened its cabin doors in June after being shut down last summer because of COVID-19. For staff members, volunteers, and campers, the reopening was a much-needed relief. COVID has had a ravaging impact, Ty Platero, the Broken Arrow program director, told the Gallup Independent in an interview at the camp. He said a number of campers this summer have lost family members to COVID-19, and some have experienced trauma, depression, and suicidal ideation during the isolation of the pandemic. Theres kids that come from deep in the heart of the rez they know something about isolation, Platero said. By experiencing the pandemic, he added, other kids and teens have now felt a similar kind of physical isolation. ___ Process of healing Platero, 27, said he began attending summer camp at Broken Arrow when he was 8 and began working at the camp at age 16. He said he and other staff members are full-time missionaries at Broken Arrow, which was founded more than 50 years ago. Platero said his own life was transformed by the Christian faith lived out at Broken Arrow. He said the camps common purpose for kids is to get to know God better and have fun. As Platero spoke, the teen campers fanned out across the camp, participating in a variety of activities, from archery to go-cart racing. Nearby, a large group of teens engaged in a team building exercise of trying to balance on top of a small wooden platform without falling off. Each summer, Broken Arrow holds weekly overnight camps for kids 8 and older, with a focus on outdoor activities, along with a Christian perspective offered through daily chapel services. Platero said Broken Arrow staff members believe the summer camp experience gives kids a break from school and allows them to spend time outdoors and interact with peers in fun activities, which help kids grow and mature. Staffers also believe, he said, that as kids lives are impacted by their own growing Christian faith, they will positively impact their families and home communities. Platero said Broken Arrows supportive environment helps campers deal with the difficulties they may face at school or at home. This summer, in the wake of the trauma many campers have experienced during the pandemic, Platero said staff and volunteers have helped students explore the question of how to begin the healing process. __ Safe place Camp counselors Aidan Pete and Kai Lucio, both 18, also talked about the impact COVID-19 has had on campers this summer. Everybody has been affected, Pete said, especially on the Navajo Nation side. Pete, a recent graduate of Rehoboth Christian High School, said he first came to Broken Arrow as an 8-year-old camper. Lucio, a graduate of Wingate High School, said he started attending camp when he was 10. Lucio said campers who have lost family members to COVID-19 have felt safe enough at camp to shed tears of grief and rebuild themselves with the support of others at Broken Arrow. Camp is definitely a safe place to open up about anything, Lucio said, adding kids need to not be scared to ask for help when they need it. Lucio said that despite the pandemic, hes come to realize over the last year just how real God is and theres hope in the midst of trouble. God is sovereign, Lucio said. God is still in control. Looking back over the summer, Pete said its been great to see campers stay strong in their faith and take God with them when they leave camp. ___ A sense of belonging Camper Nalyn Goodluck, 16, of Sanders, Arizona, said she believes last years shutdown of the camp will help everyone not take Broken Arrow for granted in the future. Theres a higher energy in the camp this year as a result, she said. Goodluck, who will be a junior at St. Johns High School in the fall, said shes been coming to Broken Arrow since she was 11. Her mother was also once a camper, she said, as were other family members. Now this summer some of Goodlucks cousins are working at the camp. I like how everyone is mainly friendly and welcoming here, Goodluck said. While talking about faith is a touchy subject in school, Goodluck said, people at camp are open to sharing their Christian faith and talking about more sensitive subjects. Its like a home away from home, Goodluck said. This is a really good spot to learn about God. Its like a second home, adult volunteer Autumn Peralto said. Its like family. Peralto, originally from Fort Defiance, Arizona, said she came to Broken Arrow as a young camper and then started volunteering as a teen. Now a mother of three sons and living in Gallup, Peralto said she continues to volunteer each summer. Her oldest son is working at Broken Arrow this summer, and her two younger sons are helping around the camp. Peralto said kids who come to the ranch receive the same gift that she and her family have received. A sense of belonging, Peralto said. Theyre loved. The US is operating with appallingly poor Covid data thanks in no small measure to officials at every level of government acting as if managing PR in a pandemic is more important than managing public health. We have the CDC in an act of what ought to be criminal negligence refusing to track breakthrough cases among the vaccinated. That means that clinicians and scientists are now playing blind man and the elephant, groping with their information and trying to guess how representative it is. GM, by e-mail, points out we are in a similar spot with Covid death reporting, albeit for different reasons: During the winter wave, some states failed to even keep track of the death count. For example, Ohio had a very suspiciously low deaths for several months, then just dumped 6-7K deaths and got in line with the average. But it was far from alone, there were big data dumps in February and March from several other states (e.g. VA and NM), and to this day the death counts are highly suspicious in UT, KY, OK, and a few others. Florida at some point last year was often reporting deaths months after they happened, and I dont imagine that having improved much, etc. But right now, with states scaling back reporting, it is a total mess. With todays 130K cases, we should see 2K deaths a day at some point, and there is a delay of 3-4 weeks between cases and deaths, and deaths are going up, but not as fast as perhaps expected, and one cant figure out at all how much of that is the vaccine effect and how much it is just the lack of reporting. I was reading about morgue capacity in some SW MO hospitals being exceeded, but meanwhile MO seems to have just stopped reporting deaths altogether they post single-digit numbers retoractively, but its been more than a month of rising cases now, and it is not reflected in the death count, which certainly does not match the reports from the hospitals either. Meanwhile in neighboring AR they seem to be reporting more accurately and deaths are up massively. And that sort of thing is happening in lots of places. Complete mess and very hard to figure out what the real situation is exactly. P.S. Today Psaki has said that there is no going back, i.e. everything will remain fully open and kids will be herded into schools. And there was this video from Miguel Cardona that just makes you want to throw stuff at the wall in rage: Across the country theres an excitement for the first day or school and those of you that have children know what Im talking about. Theres a vibe about going back to school and this year is no exception. @SecCardona Thirty seconds into this and I am seething. pic.twitter.com/k80A6JEbCZ Joe Friday (@justthefacts85) August 6, 2021 At this point it is a serious question which administration did worse with its COVID response. Some of the things that are being said and done now in terms of denial of what is happening I have hard time imagining last year, as there would have been serious backlash, but now there is none When the journalist Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated by agents of the Saudi government in 2018, it caused an international scandal. Now, it turns out that his killers were trained in the US. In June, The New York Times reported that four Saudis involved in the killing had received paramilitary training from Tier 1 Group, a private security company based in Arkansas. This was no renegade operation, however. Tier 1 Group, whose training had approval from the US State Department, is part of a burgeoning global industry. Corporate mercenaries or, more properly, private security and military companies are increasingly taking over functions that were once carried out by states, with grave implications for human rights and democracy worldwide. Its big business, too: Cerberus Capital Management, the private equity fund that owns Tier 1 Group, also owns a string of arms manufacturers. In April 2010, Cerberus merged with DynCorp International, one of the worlds largest corporate mercenary companies. Mercenaries soldiers for hire have existed for centuries, but this new breed is different. The Observatory Shock Monitor, which tracks the impact of privatised war, argues that the corporate mercenaries stand out because of the internationalised, business-like services they provide. These companies are registered in one state but often work in another, offering their services via slick websites and a network of offices and facilities around the world. In the countries where they operate, they employ both foreign and local personnel. And the services they offer go far beyond the traditional role of mercenaries: from acting as security guards and patrolling public spaces, to military combat and operational support, to humanitarian work, clearing landmines or rescuing hostages. In short, theyre a replacement for a whole set of functions traditionally carried out by states, with access to the kind of military equipment that modern armies have at their disposal. As state security functions have gradually been privatised under neoliberalism, corporate mercenaries have reshaped the way that power is exercised, as well as tapping into a new source of profit. States have increased their reliance on private security contractors not only for international conflicts, but to strengthen their coercive power domestically. Corporate mercenaries have begun to focus on emerging sectors in the field of national security, such as protecting critical infrastructure from terrorism and cyber attacks, managing migration flows, running prisons and detention centres, and policing-like tasks including the neutralisation of activists opposing the interests of states and multinationals. During the recent widespread protests in France, for instance, companies such as Groupe DCI provided training and advisory services for the governments security forces. Groupe DCI is one of several companies that offers support to riot police in locations as diverse as the US and Bahrain, despite the heightened sensitivity that its deployment may arouse in public opinion. Corporate mercenaries have also been instrumental in the US-funded international War on Drugs, in countries such as Colombia and Mexico. They have provided training, maintenance and logistical support to state forces that are directly and indirectly responsible for human rights violations. They are also increasingly responsible for maintaining public order, performing roles that could typically be those of public security forces. In Cape Town, South Africa, corporate mercenaries such as Professional Protection Alternatives take on the role of police forces, patrolling wealthy neighbourhoods and carrying out operations to evict people from public spaces. The privatisation of prisons and detention centres has sparked the greatest opposition, because of its impact on human rights. In the US, for instance, the three corporate mercenary companies that dominate the market CoreCivic, Geo Group and Management and Training Corporation (MTC) have a long history of complaints about alleged degrading treatment, forced labour, abuse, violence and sexual assault in prisons, correctional facilities, and detention centres holding children and migrants. Threats from Cyberspace When activists stand in the way of corporate mercenaries, they can find themselves targeted. There are numerous reports of human rights defenders being spied on or even killed by private security companies, with one of the most notorious cases being the plot to murder Berta Caceres in Honduras, and more examples in Colombia and Brazil. In the US, The Intercept revealed that the security company TigerSwan, on behalf of the firm Energy Transfer Partners, was conducting fraudulent intelligence activities by infiltrating the Standing Rock indigenous and environmental protest movement that opposed the oil pipeline project in North Dakota. Reports produced by TigerSwan were used by the local police, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. Indeed, the privatisation of intelligence has increased since the attacks of 9/11. Tim Shorrock, the author of Spies for Hire: The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing, states that 70% of the US intelligence budget in 2007 was outsourced to security contractors. A year later, an investigation by The Washington Post found that 1,931 private companies were collaborating on national security, counter-terrorism and intelligence tasks from 10,000 US locations. These services have evolved with the use of new technologies and now also include deployment against threats from cyberspace. Corporate mercenaries supply and maintain software technology and hardware systems; gather data related to national security by intercepting calls, hack mobile phones and IT systems; analyse and systematise data related to national security; produce risk-assessment reports for the military high command; operate reconnaissance drones during protests or in armed conflicts beyond borders; and conduct secret operations that involve illegal activities such as infiltrating social movements or interrogating suspects. Cyber espionage has thus become a key service offered by corporate mercenaries, who subcontract large armies of hackers and run IT departments within their companies. Hamilton Booz, RSB Group, G4S and Control Risks have all emerged as major corporate players in this field. Government intelligence agencies contracting from corporations producing surveillance technologies is nothing new. What is unusual is the contracting of specialised staff for intelligence and national security work. In 2019, a former NSA agent uncovered the Raven project, an intelligence unit set up by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and staffed by cyber-mercenaries, including some previously hired by US intelligence agencies. The Raven project spent years monitoring dissidents and others critical of the Abu Dhabi government, such as British journalist Rori Donaghy, Emirati activist Ahmed Mansoor, and Tawakkol Karman, leader of the Arab Spring protests in Yemen. The Need for International Regulation The corporate mercenary industry is strikingly opaque, a fact that has helped its growth worldwide. It limits public scrutiny of both domestic and overseas operations, and reduces the political impact of casualties in conflict zones, since states know that their citizens do not react in the same way to the death of a contractor as to the death of a soldier. One such example is the US air strike of February 2015 in the Deir Ezzor region of Syria. The strike killed hundreds of employees of the Russian corporate mercenary company, Wagner Group, making it the most lethal (if indirect) clash between the US and Russia since the end of the Cold War. Yet Russia, following its usual policy, denied any connection with Wagner and the incident has since been largely forgotten. Given their size and scope, corporate mercenaries must now be reined in by politicians, and held accountable for their actions by the media, social movements and the wider public. One significant step would be effective international regulation of privatised war and security. Its absence gives corporate mercenaries and, by extension, the states and multinational companies that hire them impunity for human rights violations. Even when mercenaries have been convicted of crimes, politicians sometimes step in to exonerate them, as Donald Trump did in December 2020 when he pardoned the former employees of Blackwater, a corporate mercenary company now known as Academi, who were serving prison sentences for the massacre of civilians in Baghdads Nisour Square in 2007. The current regulation relies on weak and non-binding standards, such as the International Code of Conduct for Security Providers and the 2008 Montreux Document, which Russia has not even signed up to. This legal vacuum is a particular threat to human rights defenders in fragile countries where civil and political rights are already restricted. The neoliberal logic of profit over public interest that gave birth to the industry will only make the situation worse, since it leaves states unable to provide economic and social protection to their citizens thus creating the conditions in which security and military solutions are deemed necessary. People must demand an end to the privatisation of security by stealth, otherwise our safety will end up being sold off to the highest bidder. This is an edited version of an essay in the Transnational Institutes State of Power 2021 report: Coercive World (Natural News) After the revelation that half a million vegans in the UK could be prevented from having to take mandatory workplace vaccinations due to their beliefs being protected by employment law, actor Laurence Fox publicly announced that he now identifies as trans vegan. (Article by Paul Joseph Watson republished from InfoWars.com) So-called ethical veganism was ruled to be a protected characteristic at a tribunal last year, meaning employers would risk legal action if they order staff to be vaccinated, reports the Daily Telegraph. Workers with other religious beliefs could also cite their status as a protected category in order to avoid employers forcing compulsory jabs. Some ethical vegans may disagree with vaccinations on the basis that they will inevitably have been tested on animals. Ethical veganism has previously been found by an [employment tribunal] to amount to a belief, capable of being protected, said a spokesman for the Lewis Silkin law firm. Although COVID-19 vaccines dont contain anything derived from animals, they were tested on animals. Jeanette Rowley, a rights advocate at the Vegan Society, said she had received around 100 messages from concerned vegans who say theyre very affected, psychologically, to have to confront this dilemma. Actor and anti-lockdown campaigner Laurence Fox responded to the news by proclaiming a new identity that is sure to be shared by countless others. From this day forward I self identify as a trans vegan. I will only eat plant based food and medium rare sirloin steaks. And chicken, pork scratchings and salami. Laurence Fox (@LozzaFox) July 30, 2021 From this day forward I self identify as a trans vegan, he tweeted. I will only eat plant based food and medium rare sirloin steaks. And chicken, pork scratchings and salami, added Fox. Fox subsequently reaffirmed his commitment to his new identity by tweeting, #TransVeganRightsAreHumanRights. For millions of Brits, particularly younger people who are more likely to die from vaccine side-effects than the virus itself, their refusal to be intimidated into taking the jab as a condition of work can be boiled down to one statement of defiance. Were all trans vegan now. Read more at: InfoWars.com and Resist.news. (Natural News) A number of pharmaceutical companies predict the need for booster shots against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). The push for these booster shots comes amid the spread of the more infectious B16172 delta variant, which is responsible for many breakthrough COVID-19 cases. However, booster shots appear to be another plan for vaccine makers to boost profits. Pfizer and Moderna have been the most vocal in promoting the use of booster doses. Their mRNA vaccines are reported to have high effectiveness when it came to earlier SARS-CoV-2 strains, but have lower effectiveness against the delta variant. The New York-based Pfizer, which partnered with German company BioNTech, recently announced record profits from its BNT162b2 vaccine. During an April 2021 virtual event, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said inoculated people would likely need vaccine booster shots on a yearly basis to maintain immunity. The variants will play a key role. It is extremely important to suppress the pool of people that can be susceptible to the virus, he said. According to Bourla, there are vaccines for diseases such as polio where one dose is enough and other vaccines, such as the one for influenza, that require yearly inoculation. He added that the COVID-19 vaccine falls under the second category as SARS-CoV-2 looks more like the influenza virus than the polio virus. BioNTech Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ozlem Tureci shared the same sentiments toward booster shots. She told CNBCs Kelly Evans in April 2021 that people getting COVID-19 booster doses yearly should be expected. According to Tureci, scientists expected vaccine-induced immunity against SARS-CoV-2 to decrease over time. We see indications for this in the induced [response], but also the natural immune response against SARS-CoV-2. We see this waning of immune responses also in people who were just infected, and therefore [its] also expected with the [COVID-19] vaccines, she told Evans. Meanwhile, Moderna President Stephen Hoge defended booster shots as people at high risk of severe illness may need to boost their immunity. He estimated that 30 percent of the U.S. population may decline COVID-19 vaccinations. This vaccine hesitancy coupled with the delta variants wide circulation justified the need for booster shots to keep immunity levels high, Hoge said. (Related: Big Pharma companies begin push for coronavirus booster shots, with no end in sight.) However, scientists have questioned the need for these booster shots Many scientists have stood up against the idea of booster shots on the general population, citing lack of data. Back in June 2021, scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said while the general population may not need booster shots for the meantime, more vulnerable groups such as elderly people of organ transplant recipients may do so. The CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) nevertheless ruled that booster shots may be required if immunity from the vaccines diminishes or a new variant reduces the effectiveness of current vaccines. Dr. Sarah Oliver, co-lead of the ACIPs COVID-19 working group, said that they recommended booster shots to the CDC only after evidence of declining protection. The group cited a recent study by Johns Hopkins University researchers that said booster shots may be beneficial for those with weakened immune systems. Given the studys finding, Oliver said the agency should monitor residents of long-term care facilities, elderly people, health care workers and those with a weakened immune system. ACIP member Dr. Sharon Frey said: I would have to agree with the interpretation of the working group, in the sense that theres no data to support recommendations [for] boosters at this time. However, she agreed with giving a third booster dose to transplant patient or if breakthrough infections rise in the general population. I think the only thing we can do at this moment is: [If] we start to see an uptick in reinfection in people or new infections in people who have been vaccinated, thats our clue that we need to move quickly, Frey said. (Related: If covid vaccines WORK, then why are booster shots needed?) Dr. Grace Lee, the chairwoman of the ACIP safety group, also mentioned that more evidence of breakthrough cases is needed before COVID-19 booster shots are recommended. I would want greater clarity on the safety data if were talking about boosting before its clear what the risk data will look like. If were seeing severe breakthrough cases, then I think the decision-making moves forward even if theres uncertainty with the safety data, she said. Ultimately, Dr. Monica Gandhi of the University of California San Francisco remarked: [Decisions on booster shots] will best be made by public health experts, rather than CEOs of a company who may benefit financially. Vaccines.news has more articles about pharmaceutical firms pushing for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots. Sources include: NaturalHealth365.com WSJ.com CNBC.com 1 TheEpochTimes.com CNBC.com 2 (Natural News) Independent news outlets working to share news from the communist nation of Cuba have reported that mass graves are being dug to dump Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine victims. According to the reporters, the bodies belong to Cubans who may have received the Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines. Many of the victims did not even test positive for COVID-19 before they passed away. Communist party digging mass graves everywhere In at least one large central city on the island, residents told independent journalists that Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) officials were being overwhelmed by the bodies they needed to dispose of. They are so overwhelmed that officials are either just dumping bodies anywhere or burying them in peoples yards in impromptu mass graves. These mass graves are being dug without the consent of the property owners. In other instances, local PCC officials are becoming so overwhelmed by the number of dead they have to handle that they are losing bodies. There are also reports that officials are giving families incorrect information about where their recently deceased loved ones are buried. The communist party has officially denied the existence of the mass graves for COVID-19 vaccine victims. But independent Spanish-language news outlet Diario De Cuba (DDC) has confirmed the existence of at least one mass grave through a video circulated online. The video comes from the city of Santiago de Cuba in the eastern part of the island. It is the second-largest city in Cuba. In the video, cemetery workers appear to be filling a mass grave with multiple coffins. None of the coffins are labeled and there is no indication that the cemetery workers are keeping track of who is buried in which coffin. DDCs source in Cuba confirmed that the cemetery is the Juan Gonzalez Cemetery in a southern neighborhood of Santiago de Cuba. The anonymous source also noted that it was just one of numerous locations in Cuba where the communist regime has dug mass graves. Another DDC source confirmed that his grandmother was buried in the Juan Gonzalez Cemetery mass grave following her death in late July. She did not have any COVID-19 symptoms and when she died she was never diagnosed with the virus. Collapse of communist regime imminent due to COVID-19 and vaccines The state of the coronavirus pandemic in Cuba is catastrophic. The communist nation recorded 8,399 new COVID-19 cases and 93 deaths on Thursday, Aug. 5. The Ministry of Public Health reported that the country has 45,632 active cases that are either hospitalized or quarantined in their own homes. The country is also recording a large number of COVID-19 infections in children, with 1,444 coronavirus cases recorded on Thursday in Cubans under the age of 18. The people are very frightened. Every day, more sick, more deaths a relative, a neighbor, a friend, said Mayi Del Valle, a 49-year-old library worker in the central province of Ciego de Avila. In this province, PCC officials are converting hotels into hospitals. One hotel, the Hotel Ciego de Avila, has been converted to house 240 low-risk pediatric patients. The Las Canas Motel will have 53 beds for pregnant women with COVID-19. Officials said these acquisitions and conversions of private property without the consent of their owners will make room for more severe COVID-19 patients in hospitals. Most of the countrys COVID-19 resources are being brought into Ciego de Avila. The province of some 430,000 people is recording about double the number of deaths as in the capital city of Havana, which has two million residents. Despite the attention the PCC is giving to Ciego de Avila, it does not seem to be improving the situation. Moraima Lugo, a resident of the provinces capital city of the same name, told a local news outlet that she could not eat in her own home due to the overwhelming smell of dead bodies. She said the government has flooded us with bodies everywhere. We have been complaining for over a week because what we are living through, we wouldnt wish on anyone. Its like being in a horror movie, said Lugo. The fences they tore down to expand the cemetery belong to peoples backyards who have been living there a long time. Lugo said some of the bodies she saw were left lying on sidewalks, just several feet away from peoples bedroom windows. Learn more about the post-vaccine COVID-19 outbreak in Cuba and other parts of the world by reading the latest articles at Pandemic.news. Sources include: Breitbart.com DiarioDeCuba.com CubaSi.cu APNews.com In the past few days alone, we have learned that the October 2020 Michigan governor kidnap plot was largely a creation of the FBI; a senior FBI official was on the take from media organizations; and another assistant director was in a romantic relationship with a subordinate and involved in other misconduct. The leadership failures documented by the Office of the Inspector General are now almost standard and part of a tiresome media drip-torture for the public to endure. The FBI ran a coup against President Trump. It failed. The following got away: Comey, McCabe, Strzok, Page, Clinesmith, Pientka, Brower, Baker, et al. Any real consequences for attempting to overthrow the government of the United States? No. Any real consequences for attempting to overthrow the government of the United States? No. Questions are now being raised as to whether the FBI had a role in the Capitol Hill protests of January 6, 2021. When one examines the FBIs involvement in the Trump-Russia collusion hoax; Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) abuses; standing by idly while in possession of Hunter Bidens Ukraine and Burisma-laden laptops, while President Trump endured a second phony impeachment; and the frame-up of Trumps National Security Advisor, Lieutenant General Michael Flynn it is not too difficult to imagine. The FBI needs to go away. It should happen in an orderly and thoughtful process, over a period of months. Congress should authorize and create an investigative division in the U.S. Marshals Service and open applications for law enforcement officer seeking to be rigorously screened, vetted and then accessed into the new organization. Similar action was taken before in the very creation of the FBI. It is now time to clean house and restore the publics trust in the premier investigative agency of federal law enforcement. (Natural News) (Article by Chris Farrell republished from GateStoneInstitute.org) The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) continues its downward spiral into terminal corruption. Sadly, the scandals, criminality and ethical abuses of the organization are largely ignored by the American public and by the institutions of government charged with oversight and correction. Outrage after outrage is reported, hearings are held, Inspector General reports are issued but the systemic corruption is never really tackled and dirty cops skate away virtually unscathed. This situation is constitutionally unacceptable, corrosive to public trust in law enforcement, and a threat to the survival of the republic. In the past few days alone, we have learned that the October 2020 Michigan governor kidnap plot was largely a creation of the FBI; a senior FBI official was on the take from media organizations; and another assistant director was in a romantic relationship with a subordinate and involved in other misconduct. The leadership failures documented by the Office of the Inspector General are now almost standard and part of a tiresome media drip-torture for the public to endure. Meanwhile, the FBI had the audacity to issue a Stasi-like tweet urging monitoring of family members and peers for extremism. Remember: what we learn about the FBI in the press are only the stories that are SO outrageous that the FBI cannot keep a lid on them and is forced to make disclosures via a toothless Inspector General report but never anything that results in a criminal indictment. Imagine what the ordinary day-to-day misconduct in FBI offices across the country could be. And these scandals dont just amount to bad press in several of these, federal courts scourge the FBI for lawbreaking. Additionally, Inspector General report after report details FBI abuses such as whistleblowers being retaliated against and ignoring high-risk employees who fail polygraph tests. There are still apologists for the FBI. Some seek to defend the organization with the rationalization that its always been that way. That sort of thinking is a cynical effort to inoculate and immunize real criminality as something normal and regular. Get used to it kid, thats the way of the world, they offer with a shrug and a grin. Others, like Sean Hannity, cling to the just a few bad apples excuse. That sort of FBI cheerleading flies in the face of a litany of systemic abuses and pervasive abusers. The FBI ran a coup against President Trump. It failed. The following got away: Comey, McCabe, Strzok, Page, Clinesmith, Pientka, Brower, Baker, et al. Any real consequences for attempting to overthrow the government of the United States? No. In May 2018, veteran reporter Eric Lichtblau of Time magazine wrote an article titled, The FBI Is in Crisis. Its Worse Than You Think, wherein he detailed: The bureau, which is used to making headlines for nabbing crooks, has been grabbing the spotlight for unwanted reasons: fired leaders, texts between lovers and, most of all, attacks by President Trump internal and external reports have found lapses throughout the agency, and longtime observers, looking past the partisan haze, see a troubling picture: something really is wrong at the FBI other painful, more public failures as well: missed opportunities to prevent mass shootings that go beyond the much-publicized overlooked warnings in the Parkland, Fla., school killings; an anguishing delay in the sexual-molestation probe into Olympic gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar; and evidence of misconduct by agents in the aftermath of standoffs with armed militias in Nevada and Oregon. FBI agents are facing criminal charges ranging from obstruction to leaking classified material. Four years later and the situation has not improved. Let us go back to the Michigan governor kidnap plot for a moment. The entire operation was an anti-Trump political smear job and was called into question for being exactly that back when the story broke in October 2020. Now we find out that the FBI was running at least a dozen paid confidential informants in the plot. It was a plot they dreamed up. It was actually a rehash of an Obama-era 2010 FBI plot by the so-called Hutarees that fell apart in court. The FBI worries about entrapment in these cases because the FBI must demonstrate that there is reasonable suspicion that the subject in a case is about to be or is engaging in criminal activity. The government then allows the criminal/terrorist the opportunity to commit the act. In these cases, the FBI has good reason to worry. More disturbingly, this is nothing new. Look at the Herald Square Bomber case as another instance in which the FBI identifies, recruits, trains, dispatches and then arrests the very informant they recruited in the first place. The FBI appears to have fabricated plots and terrorists to advance their own agenda and statistics. It looks, walks, and talks like entrapment. Are there really no other bad guys out there for the FBI to go after? They need to focus on this modus operandi? Questions are now being raised as to whether the FBI had a role in the Capitol Hill protests of January 6, 2021. When one examines the FBIs involvement in the Trump-Russia collusion hoax; Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) abuses; standing by idly while in possession of Hunter Bidens Ukraine and Burisma-laden laptops, while President Trump endured a second phony impeachment; and the frame-up of Trumps National Security Advisor, Lieutenant General Michael Flynn it is not too difficult to imagine. And that is just the problem: It is not difficult to imagine. It should be an impossibility. The FBI needs to go away. It should happen in an orderly and thoughtful process, over a period of months. Congress should authorize and create an investigative division in the U.S. Marshals Service and open applications for law enforcement officer seeking to be rigorously screened, vetted and then accessed into the new organization. Similar action was taken before in the very creation of the FBI. It is now time to clean house and restore the publics trust in the premier investigative agency of federal law enforcement. Read more at: GateStoneInstitute.org and FBICorruption.news. (Natural News) Senate Republicans pushed back on ATF nominee David Chipman after agents raised questions about him in a report by The Reload and corroborated the existence of a complaint he made racist remarks while working for the agency. (Article by Stephen Gutowski republished from TheReload.com) Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) told President Joe Biden on Thursday to drop Chipmans nomination in response to the allegations. He said the claims combined with Chipmans history of supporting strict new gun laws made him unworkable as an ATF director. In light of these credible allegations, and Mr. Chipmans long record of anti-Second Amendment extremism, the President must withdraw Mr. Chipmans nomination, McConnell told The Reload. The White House did not respond to a request for comment about McConnells call to withdraw Chipman. Additionally, every Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee called for a new hearing on Chipman to further investigate the report and access the complaints made against him. In a letter to Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) obtained by The Reload, the Republicans demanded the release of the complaints and a committee investigation into how Chipman came to work in the Detroit office well as the circumstance surrounding his departure. They noted the allegation he made comments denigrating black agents first surfaced in a June lawsuit but deserve new scrutiny now that more ATF agents corroborated their existence. These were serious charges, not to be taken lightly, but the fact is that it was an anonymous claim in the press without any corroboration, the 11 Republican senators on the committee said. That has changed. In a July 28 article at the independent news site The Reload, it was reported that multiple current and former ATF agents corroborated that they had heard that Mr. Chipman had made racially insensitive comments while serving in the Detroit field office of the agency. McConnell backed up the call for a new hearing if Biden is unwilling to withdraw the nomination. If the President wont do the right thing, at the very least Senate Democrats must hold a second hearing and release Chipmans entire record, he said. The American people deserve the full truth about Mr. Chipmans time at ATF, including especially these racist statements. The Judiciary Republicans said they want two key points addressed by a new hearing. First, we have allegations that Mr. Chipman made racist statements about the abilities of African American ATF agents, the existence of which allegations have been confirmed by current and former ATF officials, the Republican senators said. Second, these allegations imply that an important field assignment in Mr. Chipmans career was one that he allegedly was both forced first to take and then to relinquish. The first issue gets to Mr. Chipmans character, and the second gets to his effectiveness as a leader. Both should be of paramount importance to the Judiciary Committee. The group noted that Chipman failed to pass out of the committee when the late June vote on his nomination ended in a tie based on party lines. While the rules allow for either the Senate minority or majority leader to bring him to the floor after a tie vote, that hasnt been done. So, the committee still has jurisdiction over his confirmation. Because the Judiciary Committee still has Mr. Chipmans nomination, its critical that we call him in for a public hearing to address these allegations before any move is made to advance his failed nomination to the Floor, the Republicans said. Furthermore, you as Chairman must lead the Judiciary Committee in calling on the Justice Department and Mr. Chipman to make public and transparent any such records referenced in these reportsin particular the two EEO complaints Mr. Chipman identified for Sen. Cruz and any related documents. Senator Durbin did not respond to a request for comment on the call to bring Chipman in for a second hearing. Read more at: TheReload.com and WhiteHouse.news. (Natural News) Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened to fine local officials and businesses $1,000 for requiring people to wear face masks. His threat came by means of a July 29 executive order that also penalized local officials for enforcing various Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) protocols. Abbott said the new order would provide clarity and uniformity in Texass continued fight against COVID-19. Abbots July 29 order said: No governmental entity including a county, city, school district and public health authority and no government official may require any person to wear a face covering, or to mandate that another person wear a face covering. Any government entity or official who attempts to impose mask mandates will be subjected to a fine of up to $1,000, the order continued. The executive order superseded any face-covering requirement imposed by any local governmental entity or official. However, Abbots order provided exceptions for medical and correctional facilities and allowed them to continue to use appropriate policies regarding the wearing of face coverings. Abbotts executive order also indicated that there will no longer be operating limits related to COVID-19 imposed on any business establishment. The rule ensured the ability of Texans to preserve livelihoods while protecting lives. Instead, the order called on Texans to follow safe practices they have already mastered such as maintaining a distance of six feet from others and voluntarily wearing masks if social distancing was impossible. In a July 29 press release announcing the executive order, Abbott said his new ruling emphasizes that the path forward relies on personal responsibility rather than government mandates. He continued: Texans have mastered the safe practices that help to prevent and avoid the spread of COVID-19. 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. (Related: Texas Gov. Abbott ENDS statewide mask mandate and lifts all restrictions on businesses.) Texas based its COVID-19 response on personal responsibility The July 29 executive order from Abbott followed his May 18 mandate that prohibited local governments and school districts from issuing mask mandates. Abbott wrote on Twitter: The time for government mask mandates is over now is the time for personal responsibility. Every Texan has the right to choose whether they will wear a masks or have their children wear masks. (Related: Coronavirus cases continue to drop in Texas after lifting mask mandate and reopening businesses.) Texass orders banning mask mandates conflicts with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Guidelines issued by the CDC on July 27 called on people including those fully vaccinated to wear masks. Face coverings provide protection from the [B16172] delta variant and prevent its spread to others, the CDC added. The CDC previously said that Americans fully inoculated against COVID-19 need not wear masks in indoor settings due to immunity provided by the vaccine. However, evidence of the COVID-19 vaccines diminished effectiveness forced the CDC to walk back on its earlier advice. Abbotts July 29 executive order also touched on the issue of vaccines and vaccine passports. No governmental entity can compel any individual to receive a COVID-19 vaccine administered under an emergency use authorization (EUA), his order said. The Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines were only granted EUA by the Food and Drug Administration. Furthermore, Abbott mandated that public and private entities cannot require individuals to provide documentation regarding [their] vaccination status for any COVID-19 vaccine. The order applied to state agencies and political subdivisions who, under the rule, cannot mandate vaccine passports as a condition of receiving any service or entering any place. The vaccine passport ban also applied to public or private entities receiving public funding. Vaccines, which remain in abundant supply, are the most effective defense against the virus. [They] will always remain voluntary never forced in the state of Texas, Abbot noted in his press release. Pandemic.news has more articles about Texass response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com Gov.Texas.gov 1 [PDF] Gov.Texas.gov 2 Twitter.com CDC.gov (Natural News) Western liberals continue to prove that they are no different than first, second or third-world dictators and tyrants as they continue to politicize the COVID-19 pandemic to seize power. In the U.S., one Democrat-run city after another has begun to issue mandates that citizens must prove they have had the vaccine or they arent going to be allowed to fully participate in society, like some kind of vaccine caste system of privileged vaxxers versus an unprivileged underclass of second-class citizens who must stay hidden and out of the mainstream. The federal government is doing the same thing. The king of the regime, Joe Biden, has mandated that all federal employees must get the vaccine or be forced to take an uncomfortable COVID test every single week if they want to keep their jobs. In Europe, new lockdowns are causing massive protests and rioting in countries like the UK, France, Italy and Germany. And in Australia, the government is actually using the military to enforce more mandatory lockdowns as the Delta variant of COVID-19 begins to spread (though its not at all as deadly as the original strain and the vast majority of infected people are only experiencing mild symptoms). But its worse than that in the land Down Under: Now the government is requiring a minimum number of vaccinated in order for the entire citizenry to be given their rights back proving the wisdom of Americas founders who wrote a Constitution observing and protecting inalienable rights that can neither be given nor taken away by government. Reuters reports: Australian authorities said they could ease a COVID-19 lockdown that demands Sydneys five million people stay home until the end of August if half the population is vaccinated, even as new infections linger near a 16-month high. While the state on Tuesday reported another 199 locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours near a 16-month high of 239 infections recorded in one day last week Premier Gladys Berejiklian said curbs could be eased if six million people in New South Wales are vaccinated by the time the lockdown is due to end. Six million jabs is roughly half the population with at least one or two doses, Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney last week. That gives us additional options as to what life looks like on 29 August. This is tyranny, straight up. Rights are rights, and they are not dependent on whether or not there is a pandemic sweeping the country, whether there is a meteor shower underway, or whether Earth is being attacked by little green men from two galaxies away. Thats what inalienable means in the American Constitution, anyway. And while Western governments are fashioned on American-style liberties, they are not the same governments, by any stretch, as Australia is proving. Plus, Australians have another problem that is very similar to why there is so much vaccine hesitancy in America misinformation. Although Australia has largely kept its COVID-19 numbers relatively low, with just over 34,500 cases and 925 deaths, its national vaccination rollout has hit several roadblocks due to changing medical advice on AstraZeneca (AZN.L) doses over blood clot concerns and supply constraints for Pfizer (PFE.N) inoculation, Reuters added. Meanwhile, the outbreak in Australia has been very mild overall anyway; only about 35,000 cases as of this writing and under 1,000 deaths. But it doesnt matter because the western leftists running that country are the same as other leftists throughout the West, authoritarians who dont give a rip about science. And it doesnt matter what the lockdowns will do to ordinary Aussies, even as their elitist government rulers live large and are taken care of. The lockdown of Sydney is expected to see the Australian economy shrink in the current quarter, and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has warned the length of the stay-at-home orders will determine whether a recession can be avoided, Reuters added. The West is being overrun with tyrants who have been waiting for the political opportunity COVID gave them. Sources include: NYPost.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Chinese authorities set their sights on frozen food imports during the latest outbreak of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country. According to local reports, different Chinese cities tightened their inspections on frozen foods to curb COVID-19 transmission. China put forward the theory that SARS-CoV-2 came from another country and reached its borders through frozen meat. Local reports said the city of Zhengzhou in Henan province and the city of Haikou in Hainan province will intensify their inspection of imported frozen food. Meanwhile, authorities seized frozen pork bone and beef ribs from a hot pot restaurant in Jiangsu provinces Nantong city. The frozen ribs from the U.K., Brazil and Canada were confiscated as the restaurants operators were unable to show relevant papers. Officials in the city of Nanjing also investigated more than 13,000 cold chain facilities for food and other items. They also tested more than 35,000 samples, but all were negative for COVID-19. The Nanjing authorities investigation came amid the latest outbreak caused by the highly infectious B16172 delta variant. First detected at the Nanjing Lukou International Airport in late July 2021, the variant has since spread to nearly half of Chinas 32 provinces within two weeks. China has espoused the frozen food theory as the main reason for COVID-19s spread, saying that SARS-CoV-2 can survive on frozen food and packaging. In early 2021, the countrys mass testing and disinfection of frozen food caused severe port congestion and long delays in the issuance of customs clearances. The vigilance toward the pathogen has even spread to supermarkets with some groceries having separate coolers for imported items. However, health authorities outside China downplayed the possibility of the virus spreading through frozen food. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the likelihood of catching COVID-19 was very low. China focused on frozen food, not laboratories, as the source of COVID-19 In February 2021, Taiwan News spoke to geneticist Zhang Daoyu regarding the frozen food theory. According to Zhang, if SARS-CoV-2 came from frozen food then the frozen foods place of origin should have suffered an outbreak. He added that there is no evidence of the viruss circulation anywhere in the world before the Wuhan outbreak. Zhang continued that claims of the virus being detected in frozen food involved only positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests which meant that the viral particles were already inactive and unable to infect people. They simply cannot produce human infection because they are not active viruses, he said. Furthermore, China also claimed that salmon from Norway and chicken wings caused additional outbreaks in the country. Both claims were later debunked. Referring to the mainland, Taiwanese Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung said there is one country in the world repeatedly reporting frozen food products testing positive for COVID-19. Chen added that Taiwan tested 408 samples from 104 batches of frozen meats and seafood for COVID-19. The frozen products from 10 countries including China all tested negative for the virus, further debunking the possibility of COVID-19 transmission through frozen food. A March 2021 report by scientists from the WHO and China said the probability of a cold-chain contamination with the virus from a reservoir is very low. It pointed out that the SARS-CoV-2 entering China through frozen food in December 2019 would have been extraordinary as the pathogen had not been detected in other places that time. Despite the possible chance of transmission, the report said there was no conclusive evidence that frozen food played any role in the viruss transmission. (Related: WHO investigators say its extremely unlikely the coronavirus entered Wuhan through frozen foods.) The reports conclusion pointed to animal-to-human transmission as the likely source of COVID-19. It explained that SARS-CoV-2 was very likely to have come from bats, then transferred to an intermediary animal. Humans then caught the pathogen from the animal before it spread widely among the population of Wuhan. However, the report downplayed the possibility of the pathogen leaking out of a high-security laboratory in Hubei province where Wuhan was located. Evidence for the lab leak theory recently emerged, with the WHO calling for a renewed investigation on the matter. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on July 15 that it was premature to rule out the lab leak theory. (Related: WHO chief FINALLY admits it was premature to discount lab leak theory.) CommunistChina.news has more about Chinas insistence on the frozen food theory as the possible origin of COVID-19. Sources include: Bloomberg.com FoodProcessing.com TaiwanNews.com.tw MedicalXpress.com TheEpochTimes.com (Natural News) It has become patently clear that the Biden regime has no regard for the rule of law, doesnt care what federal courts say, and has no tendency to follow precedent, as a series of recent actions prove beyond a shadow of a doubt. Most readers are well aware of what occurred at the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6. We all know that was a deep state false flag operation; people going to hear a president give a speech dont show up in military gear and body armor. And supporters of President Donald Trump do not attack police officers. But for trespassing on the Capitol grounds that day, dozens of suspects are still in custody at the horrific D.C. Jail where they are being subjected to the same kinds of horrific abuses that prisoners of war suffer in authoritarian regimes. Most of them cant even see their lawyers, which is blatantly unconstitutional. And yet, not a peep from the Justice Department. Meanwhile, several states are either conducting audits of 2020 ballots or are considering do so, which they are well within their constitutional and legal right to do. But suddenly, under the current regime, its not allowed; doing so is a violation of voting rights laws, according to the same Justice Department that is allowing American citizens to rot in jail in violation of the Eighth Amendment. Earlier this summer, Attorney General Merrick Garland warned states like Arizona theyd better be careful conducting their audits because any violation of voting laws (real or imagined, of course) would result in punishment. Many of the justifications proffered in support of these post-election audits and restrictions on voting have relied on assertions of material vote fraud in the 2020 election that have been refuted by law enforcement and intelligence agencies, of both this administration and the previous one, as well as by every court, federal and state, that has considered them, Garland said in a speech at the Justice Department in June. That drew a fiery response from Arizona Rep. Mark Finchem, now a GOP candidate for Arizona attorney general. In an appearance on Steve Bannons War Room: Pandemic podcast, he warned Garland and his band of thugs theyd better stay away from the states ballot audit. I got news for Merrick Garland, theres this little thing called the Constitution, said Finchem. Article I, section IV, the times places and manner of holding election for senators and representatives it is the legislature that has responsibility for nominating and naming the electors for President. Now, Garlands thugs have come back with a threat of their own: Jail time if the Justice Dept. finds what it will claim are violations of voting laws. The ultimate purpose of the Civil Rights Acts preservation and retention requirements for federal elections records is to secure a more effective protection of the right to vote,' a document from the department states. There are federal criminal penalties attached to willful failures to comply with the retention and preservation requirements of the Civil Rights Act, it continues. (Natural News) New research out of Israel has found that administering the anti-parasite drug ivermectin to Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) patients may help to drastically reduce the duration of infections and all for less than $1 a day. Prof. Eli Schwartz, founder of the Center for Travel Medicine and Tropical Disease at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, launched a randomized, controlled, double-blinded trial last May that evaluated the efficacy of ivermectin in reducing viral shedding among non-hospitalized Chinese Virus patients with mild to moderate infection. That trial recently wrapped up, showing that the drug, which was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) back in 1987, can help to minimize the impact of the Fauci Flu both safely and effectively. The discoverers of ivermectin, by the way, were awarded a Nobel Prize in 2015 for successfully using ivermectin to treat onchocerciasis, a disease caused by infection with a parasitic roundworm. Over the years, it has further been revealed that ivermectin is an effective remedy against scabies and head lice, as well as a variety of viruses ranging from HIV to common influenza to Zika to West Nile. Since a five-day course of ivermectin costs around 60 cents in the third world, and about $10 in Israel, it is a highly economical remedy that could easily put an end to the plandemic and get everyone and everything back to the old normal. Because it works so well and costs next to nothing, however, the FDA and the World Health Organization (WHO) are saying no way, Jose! Since ivermectin appears to work effectively, the government doesnt want you to have access to it In Schwartzs study, 89 volunteers over the age of 18 who tested positive for Chinese Germs were divided into two groups: one that received ivermectin and the other that received a placebo. All participants took their pills for three days in a row one hour before every meal. Every two days and at the end of the sixth day, each volunteer was administered a standard nasopharyngeal swab PCR test, which supposedly identifies viral loads of the Fauci Flu. (NOTE: This is highly disputed now that it has been revealed that PCR tests were never designed to look for the Chinese Virus, but rather for seasonal influenza.) Even so, what this process found is that about 72 percent of all volunteers who received ivermectin tested negative for the Chinese Virus by day six. In contrast, only 50 percent of those who received the placebo tested negative. As for the culture viability of each patient, meaning how infectious they were by the end of the regimen, a mere 13 percent of the ivermectin group was still infectious after six days compared to 50 percent in the placebo group. Our study shows first and foremost that ivermectin has antiviral activity, Schwartz said. It also shows that there is almost a 100% chance that a person will be noninfectious in four to six days, which could lead to shortening isolation time for these people. This could have a huge economic and social impact. Schwartzs study has been published on the health research sharing site MedRxiv, where it has not yet been reviewed by peers. Another study that came to similar conclusions, however, has been peer-reviewed and published in the American Journal of Therapeutics. Despite claims by the establishment to the contrary, ivermectin did not show any significant side effects in Schwartzs trial, suggesting that it is not only inexpensive but also safe and effective. To learn more about the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) plandemic deception and how it is keeping potentially viable remedies like ivermectin out of the hands of sick patients, visit Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: JPost.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) The U.S. has faced a chronic lack of truck drivers for some time now. The Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has also made matters worse by triggering early retirements and increased demand for shipped goods. Thus, shipping companies have looked to other countries to fill in much-needed vacancies for truck drivers. According to an April 2021 press release by market intelligence company Beroe, the truck driver shortage in the U.S. is expected to become worse by 2026. The press release mentioned that about 63,000 truck-driving jobs in the bulk taker market are vacant as of writing. It added that by 2026, the global tanker truck market will need 174,000 new truck drivers. This projection is aligned with statements by the American Trucking Associations (ATA). It said that in 2019, the U.S. already had a shortage of 60,000 truck drivers. ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello predicted that the shortage could climb up to 100,000 by 2023. The lack of truck drivers to transport goods came with serious consequences. Gasoline stations and airports experienced shortages of much-needed fuel. A stainless steel manufacturer declared force majeure due to the lack of raw materials. Lumber prices also went up as some suppliers pointed to delivery delays. A number of companies shared their experiences of recruiting foreign truck drivers to address this shortage. Recruiter Holly McCormick said she has had to coordinate with an agency in South Africa to source foreign drivers for the first time in her decade-long trucking career. Despite her company Groendyke Transport doubling her budget since the pandemic, she still faced difficulty finding suitable candidates. If were not able to haul these goods, our economy virtually shuts down. Visa Solutions CEO Jose Gomez-Urquiza meanwhile said: Were living through the worst driver shortage that weve seen in recent history, by far. Gomez-Urquizas company handled immigration concerns for clients in the transportation industry. Because of this, demand for his companys services from the trucking industry had more than doubled since before the pandemic. This is 100 percent because of the driver shortage, Gomez-Urquiza remarked. Recruiting drivers from other countries has its own share of challenges Bringing in foreign truck drivers has its own set of challenges such as visa limits and complicated immigration rules. However, the Biden administration has moved to address these supply chain challenges and aid the trucking industry. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Acting and Deputy Administrator Meera Joshi met with trucking industry representatives back in July 2021. Efforts to improve driver retention and reduce turnover were among the topics tackled in the meeting. A July 8 statement by the Department of Transportation acknowledged the effect of driver turnovers on the trucking industry. It said: Turnover rates are over 90 percent for large long-haul carriers and over 72 percent for small carriers meaning that drivers are regularly leaving companies or leaving the industry altogether. The lag time that results in training and onboarding new drivers can result in driver shortages. The trucking industry sought a number of measures during the July 2021 meeting with government officials. These included lowering the minimum age from 21 to 18 for interstate drivers. The industry also sought to add trucking to the list of industries that can bypass the Department of Labors immigration certification process. While those plans are still under consideration, two trucking companies looked to other countries for their staffing needs. Petroleum Marketing Group Vice President of Operations Andre LeBlanc said gas stations the company served had seen shortages for as long as 12 hours. We simply cant re-supply them because we dont have the qualified drivers, he said, estimating that the company needed about 40 more to operate at full capacity. To solve the understaffing problem, LeBlanc tried to hire 24 drivers through a federal immigration program. But only three have gotten through all steps of the verification process. Weve got 21 drivers right now who are qualified, who can come to this country the right way and are ready to come here and solve this problem. We cant seem to get an answer on what we need to do to move that forward, LeBlanc said. Meanwhile, A&M Transport CEO Andrew Owens looked to other countries to address his companys driver shortage. The company has brought in 20 foreign workers in the last year, but Owens remarked that a dozen more workers could address demand. They all have verifiable truck driving experience. The only thing we need to do is teach them to drive on the right side of the road, Owens said. Of the 15 workers his 2017 job contract required, only two workers managed to undergo the vetting process. OpenBorders.news has more articles about foreign workers being used to fill in labor shortages in the trucking industry. Sources include: PressHerald.com PRNewsWire.com Transportation.gov Indonesia decides to resume its 'Jurassic Park' project despite warnings of UNESCO that it is bad for the environment. Indonesia is a home to world's largest lizard, the Komodo dragon, which lived in the country's islands for millions of years. The construction of the tourism project which began last year centered around the Komodo National Park, a Unesco World Heritage site, first established in 1980. This raised concerns to locals and environmental activists, as well as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) itself, due to its potential negative impact on the environment. UNESCO called the tourism ministry to undertake fresh environmental impact assessment. In the meantime, the project remains unnamed as of yet. Indonesian government hopes to develop a 'premium, world-class' tourism category Around 3,000 of the strong lizard population that had inhabited Indonesian islands includes the largest lizards with 10-foot-long size, razor-sharp teeth, and a strength that can 'hunt the region's water buffaloes for food'. A host of tourism construction projects have been taking place in these islands, but activists believe that the Komodo Dragon Island project should not be one of them, for several reasons, such as the disturbances of large-scale construction activities to the lizards and reduced habitat space when the project continues. "We urge the government to develop tourism that's based on the people. There are people living there," said Rima Melani Bilaut of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI), an environmental group told news agency Reuters. To address the issue, the Indonesian government assures that the construction is being carried out carefully. "We haven't even cut down a single tree," Kita Awang Nistyantara, the head of the Komodo National Park, told news channel Al Jazeera last year. "We want to go into the premium, world-class tourism category. The Komodo dragon is like the panda - highly respected - and this is the only location in the world that has them," said Inung Wiratno from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. "We are not damaging anything; we are improving the facilities and visitor management." Also read: Explosions of Mt. Pavlof in Alaska Caught on Cam, USGS Raises Alert Level Indonesia's environment ministry says the project has "been proven to have no impact" Officials from UNESCO had required a new environmental impact assessment over alleged illegal fishing concerns and the potential risk to the Komodo dragon's fragile habitat. "This project will proceed... it's been proven to have no impact," Inung Wiratno, a senior official at Indonesia's environment ministry, told the news agency on Thursday. While UNESCO officials say they have not received updated response, Wiratno said a new assessment was being drafted and could be sent in September. It raised confusion on what the project really entails, after the government claims it to serve as 'premium tourism spot' around Rinca island, while Wiratno said the project mainly included renovation work on existing structures and not put danger for the rare Komodo dragons. Last year, a photo of a dragon standing in front of a big vehicle went online, garnering likes and comments as it resembled the film 'Jurassic Park'. Also read: Study Shows Commercial Insecticide is Harmful to Bees Even in Small Amount GROSSE POINTE FARMS, Mich. (AP) David Hufford learned that an extreme storm had flooded a suburban Detroit church with more than 7 feet of water, striking the boiler, electrical system, elevator and more. Just astounding, he said, thumbing through photos on his phone. But this repairman wasn't called to fix anything ordinary at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran in Grosse Pointe Farms. Hufford's mission: get the music flowing again from the church's 63-year-old pipe organ. A flash flood in southeastern Michigan ruined basements in thousands of homes when a regional pump system didn't keep up with the June 25-26 disaster. It also created urgent business for a small band of experts who specialize in pipe organs, a cherished instrument of worship in churches. You might think that the pipe organ that sits high in the loft would be spared, said the Rev. Tim Pelc of St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Grosse Pointe Park, but the blower system, which supplies air to the bellows, is located in the basement. The system at St. Ambrose was "wiped out" by water, Pelc reported in the church bulletin, and won't be restored for weeks. A piano now leads the hymns. Indeed, other churches in the Detroit area had similar challenges. Meanwhile, the nearly century-old Senate Theater in Detroit, home of a Mighty Wurlitzer organ, is recovering after several feet of water flooded the basement. Hufford, whose business, Renaissance Pipe Organ in Ann Arbor, services the instrument, explained that a blower and other intricate parts commonly installed in lower levels serve as the lungs of the organ. As he made his rounds at St. Paul, Hufford found that the organ's wind reservoir, a critical box made of wood, had been completely soaked. It's going to the dump, it's done. There is no way to salvage it," he said. But we'll keep it around and use it for a pattern. The blower motor might only need to be rebuilt, a cheaper option than a full replacement, said Eric Miller, St. Pauls music director. The cost to fix the organ was estimated at $12,000. I'm hoping to have it back by Thanksgiving, he said. It's a real specialized area of work, Miller added. Once you find somebody whos good, you want to stick with them. They know the instrument, the peculiarities of it. Renaissance Pipe Organ was able to get the wind reservoir running again at Peace Lutheran Church in Detroit, a result that was celebrated by the church with a brief Facebook video of a rising bellow. Another organ technician, Stephen Warner, was needed at two Detroit churches, Zion Evangelical Lutheran and St. Matthews-St. Josephs Episcopal. He said emergency calls aren't typical. It's very seasonal, said Warner, who also is the organist and music director at Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church. Approaching Christmas and Easter, it's mostly spent tuning and troubleshooting. The pitch of organ pipes can change with the temperature. Warner understands why organs are revered, especially in churches. The pipes themselves are singing. You have a sense of majesty," he said. The sound of the organ seems like it came from a long time ago, and its going to be here after were gone. It can go from an absolute roar to a whisper and everything in between. ___ Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez Champaign, IL (61820) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some clouds. Low around 60F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some clouds. Low around 60F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. To help build confidence in and increase demand for COVID-19 vaccination, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is partnering with the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and several other organizations on an innovative community initiative leveraging local artists as trusted vaccine messengers. The COVID-19 Georgia Arts pilot is a unique collaboration between CDC, the David J. Sencer CDC Museum, DPH, Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) Georgia, and two local arts organizations Dashboard and Living Walls to increase vaccine uptake through public art. A series of recently launched art installations and events will continue throughout August in select neighborhoods in cities including Atlanta, Savannah, and Athens. Some of the events which focus on communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 will feature pop-up vaccination sites, providing convenient opportunities to access COVID-19 vaccines. There is a long history in the U.S. of partnering with arts and media organizations to promote health education. Local artists can play an important role in delivering fact-based information and serving as trusted messengers within their communities to increase confidence in vaccines. This is a truly unique opportunity to work together to demonstrate the power and potential of the arts as a public health strategy to protect communities." Peggy Honein, Deputy Incident Manager for CDC's COVID-19 Response Vaccine-focused Living Walls "Signs of Solidarity" canvases have been installed in nine neighborhoods throughout Atlanta. Living Walls is also planning two events one on Aug. 7th at My Abuelas Food from noon to 5 pm, and the other from noon to 6 pm on Aug. 14th at the Latin American Association that will feature free onsite vaccine clinics to increase access for people in the community. In addition, Dashboard will present a large-scale public art projection on Aug. 18th in Atlanta's Castleberry Hill neighborhood in conjunction with the Atlanta United game at nearby Mercedes-Benz Stadium. CORE Georgia will be on-hand to provide COVID-19 vaccination and testing to interested people. This pilot is part of DPH's broader "Say 'Yes' to COVID-19 vaccines" campaign, and the lessons learned can be applied to communities nationwide. The Georgia pilot project will serve as a "case study" for other states interested in using arts and culture to empower vaccine confidence. In addition to and in support of these efforts CDC's collaboration with the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine has resulted in the development of a set of informational field guides, a comprehensive program repository to drive public health partnerships with arts and culture programming in communities, and an Aug. 24th webinar for health and arts professionals on vaccine confidence collaborative efforts. Engaging the arts community is just one of many creative strategies being used by public health to promote COVID-19 vaccine confidence and increase uptake. Strong confidence in COVID-19 vaccines within communities leads to more people getting vaccinated, which will ultimately help stop this unprecedented pandemic. The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating seven additional COVID-19 cases, all of which are imported. They arrived at Hong Kong from the US, Tanzania, Austria, Spain and France. In relation to a confirmed case arriving from the US and involving L452R mutant strain, who had lived in Hong Kong within the past 21 days, two specified premises visited by the case are included in the compulsory testing notice. For prudence's sake, this compulsory testing requirement applies to those who have completed a COVID-19 vaccination course as well. A total of 31 cases were reported in Hong Kong in the past 14 days, one of which is a local case with unknown infection sources while the rest are imported. Meanwhile, the Government will set up mobile specimen collection stations at the area near Tang Kung Mansion, Kam Din Terrace in Taikoo Shing and the open space next to Tower 6, Harbour Place in Hung Hom tomorrow to provide free testing service for residents and workers subject to compulsory testing. For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Governments dedicated webpage. (Newser) "The most powerful evidence often comes from patients themselves," a Florida attorney who has handled dozens of federal fraud cases tied to the health industry tells the Wall Street Journal, saying they can make the details of the case come alive for the jury. On Wednesday, a judge decided such potentially powerful testimony can factor into Elizabeth Holmes' upcoming trial, which is due to start with jury selection on Aug. 31. Lawyers for the Theranos founder had tried to keep those former Theranos patients from testifying about what they say were faulty results they got from their Theranos tests. The Journal details some of what potential witnesses say they experienced: tests that wrongly indicated the presence of advanced prostate cancer, a miscarriage, and HIV. story continues below CNBC reports Holmes' lawyers had argued this testimony should be kept out of the trial because the blame rested with the government for not preserving a key databasethe Laboratory Information Systemthat held the accuracy and failure rates of Theranos' blood tests over a three-year period. Absent it, her lawyers said anecdotes about those tests shouldn't be allowed. But US District Judge Edward Davila put the blame largely on Theranos, saying when prosecutors received their copy of the LIS in 2018, Theranos did not convey that an encryption key was required, and that they did not have that key; four days later, Theranos took apart the servers that held its own copy. BuzzFeed notes an earlier ruling will mean that patient testimony is restricted to the facts, with no discussion of any physical or emotional fallout they experienced from the tests. (Read more Elizabeth Holmes stories.) (Newser) Wildfires rampaged through some of Greeces last remaining forests for yet another day Saturday, encroaching on more inhabited areas after burning scores of homes, businesses, and farms during the country's worst heat wave in three decades. One of the massive fires threatened the Greek capitals most important national park and sent choking smoke across the Athens region, where authorities set up a hotline for residents with breathing problems, per the AP. Thousands of residents and vacationers in areas where fires broke out days ago have fled by land and by sea. In apocalyptic scenes overnight and into Saturday morning, ferries evacuated 1,153 people from a seaside village and beaches on Evia, an island of rugged, forested mountains popular with holidaymakers and campers, after approaching flames cut off all other means of escape. People clutched babies and carried elderly people on chairs as they boarded the small ferries to safety. A local official in in the southern Peloponnese region of Mani, the site of another major fire, estimated that 70% of her area had been destroyed. story continues below Its a biblical catastrophe. Were talking about three-quarters of the municipality, East Mani Deputy Mayor Drakoulakou told state broadcaster ERT, pleading for more support from water-dropping aircraft. Fires described as the worst in decades also have swept through stretches of neighboring Turkey's southern coast for the past 10 days, killing eight people. The top Turkish forestry official said 217 fires had been brought under control since July 28 in over half of the countrys provinces, while firefighters continued working Saturday to tame six fires in two provinces. In Greece, the fire that broke out north of Athens killed a volunteer firefighter Friday. At least 20 people have been injured in blazes nationwide. The multiple fires have stretched the country's firefighting forces to the limit as crews tackled the constant rekindling of several of the blazes, including the large fire burning outside of the capital. The Greek government appealed for help through the European Unions emergency support system. Firefighters and aircraft have arrived from France, Ukraine, Cyprus, Croatia, Sweden and Israel, with more arriving Saturday from Romania and Switzerland. Egypt said Saturday it was sending two helicopters to Greece. (Read more wildfires stories.) (Newser) A real estate agent showing a house to a potential buyer saw cops on the lawn. His first thought was, Hes not going to buy this house now. Eric Brown, who is Black, initially assumed there was a problem outside the house, NBC News reports. But the buyer, Roy Thorne, an Army veteran, grew alarmed when he realized the house was being surrounded, the Washington Post reports. Thorne was shopping for a home in the Grand Rapids, Michigan, area and brought his 15-year-old son Samuel along. I was scared for my son, Thorne said. When Thorne, who is also Black, saw the police outside he called to them. The police pointed their guns at the house and ordered the two men and the boy outside. story continues below The police kept guns drawn on them until they were done handcuffing them, and, Brown says, when he asked what was going on he didnt get an answer. Finally he convinced an officer to check his credentials and let him demonstrate how he used an app to open the house. He says police told him a White neighbor had reported a break-in, and that a squatter had broken to the house recently. Police apologized, but the damage was done, Thorne said. If you see a crime, report a crime. But if you see us just living life the same way you do, just let us do that, Thorne said. (Read more police misconduct stories.) (Newser) Eight months after the coronavirus vaccines got their first big push in the US, a milestone number. The CDC on Friday reported that 165.9 million Americans, or 50% of the nation, have been fully vaccinated, per Reuters. More than 58% of the total population193,764,457 people, to be exacthave received at least one dose, either the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine or their first of two doses from Moderna or Pfizer. Per Cyrus Shahpar, the White House's COVID chief, 565,000 newly vaxxed Americans are included in Friday's numbers, with the one-week average for new vaccinations up 11%. Per USA Today, White House officials believe one of the reasons for the sudden spike of people getting their jabs is because it's becoming clear to many that the delta variant is a different animal posing increased risks, especially in states feeling the impact the most. story continues below NBC News reports that cases driven by delta have increased 142% over the past two weeks, while stats from the Department of Health and Human Services show rising hospitalization numbers as well. In states with the highest case rates, the number of people who've gotten their first dose has more than doubled over the past three weeks, according to Jeff Zients, the COVID response coordinator for the White House. States with the lowest vaccination rates include Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas. "Clearly, Americans are seeing the impact of being unvaccinated and unprotected," Zients said during a Thursday briefing, per USA Today. "And they responded by doing their part, rolling up their sleeves, and getting vaccinated." (Read more COVID-19 stories.) (Newser) In took 20 soldiers nearly nine hours to extract a Nazi-era military tank from an elderly German man's basement in 2015, just one of the many eyebrow-raising items found in his Heikendorf home. The man was also in possession of an anti-aircraft gun, a torpedo, machine guns and assault rifles, more than 1,000 rounds of ammo, and a bunch of Nazi memorabilia, including mannequins in SS outfits, swastika pendants, and a bust of Hitler, per Insider and the dpa news agency. The now-84-year-old, whose name has been protected under Germany's tight privacy laws, was convicted this week of illegal weapons possession, and his penalty is steep: a fine of nearly $300,000, as well as a 10-month suspended prison sentence. The sentence was originally 14 months, but four months were slashed from that due to how long it took to resolve this case. story continues below Per the court ruling, the man must sell or give away the Panther tank and the anti-aircraft weapon to a collector or museum within the next two years. The BBC notes that authorities were originally tipped off to the man's stash by Berlin colleagues who'd earlier gone through his home seeking art pilfered by the Nazis. The man claimed at the time that he'd simply bought the tank in the UK for scrap metal. Per Gizmodo, his lawyers also claimed the tank wasn't operational. Whether it still is is unclear, but at the time of the raid, Heikendorf's mayor told local media that the man had been seen driving the tank in the snow in 1978. The mayor had shrugged off the man's odd possession, noting, "One loves steam trains, the other old tanks." The man's attorney says a US museum has expressed interest in scooping up the vehicle. (Read more weird crimes stories.) (Newser) If Bob Odenkirk's words of assurance last week that he was going to be OK after suffering a "small heart attack" weren't enough to calm your nerves, let his latest update offer even more of a salve. The 58-year-old Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul star took to Twitter Friday night to let fans know that he was "doing great," and that he feels like he's been living in a movieone particular movie that most people know well, per the Wrap. "I've had my very own 'It's a wonderful life' week of people insisting I make the world slightly better. Wow!" he posted, referencing the 1946 Jimmy Stewart film in which Stewart's character, George Bailey, finds out how things would've been on Earth if he'd never been born. story continues below Odenkirk was rushed to the hospital on July 27 after suffering a heart attack on the set of Better Call Saul in New Mexico. During a tense day in which there was no word on his condition, fans, friends, and co-starsincluding Bryan Cranston from Breaking Bad and David Cross from Mr. Showposted their well wishes and admiration for Odenkirk online. Even more posts, mostly of relief, followed after it was revealed he was going to be fine. In his most recent update, Odenkirk expressed his thanks, though with a caveat. "I love everyone right now but let's keep expectations reasonable!" he tweeted. The Hollywood Reporter notes Odenkirk is set to return to the Better Call Saul set after he recovers. (Read more Bob Odenkirk stories.) (Newser) Two Seattle police officers, a married couple, have been fired for their presence at the US Capitol riot on Jan. 6. Alexander and Caitlin Everett say they were only attending a political event. But photos and video shot that day show them standing in a restricted area, in full view of rioters and people scaling the walls of the Capitol. Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz said in a statement that the couple wasnt fired for their politics. You betrayed the incredible and harrowing work by other officers on January 6 and deeply damaged our relationship with those we serve, the Seattle Times reports. story continues below The Everetts said they werent close enough to see what was going on. But, Diaz said, It is beyond absurd to suggest that they did not know they were in an area where they should not be, amidst what was already a violent, criminal riot, The Washington Post reports. Mike Solan, president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, questioned why the Everetts werent charged with trespassing if they were present. Four other Seattle officers were present in Washington, DC, on Jan. 6, KOMO reports. (Read more Seattle police stories.) Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by subscribing or contributing today. Let us know what you're seeing and hearing around the community. Submit here The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574. Community Perspective Send Community Perspective submissions by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Submissions must be 500 to 750 words. Columns are welcome on a wide range of issues and should be well-written and well-researched with attribution of sources. Include a full name, email address, daytime telephone number and headshot photograph suitable for publication (email jpg or tiff files at 150 dpi.) You may also schedule a photo to be taken at the News-Miner office. The News-Miner reserves the right to edit submissions or to reject those of poor quality or taste without consulting the writer. Letters to the editor Send letters to the editor by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707), by fax (907-452-7917) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Writers are limited to one letter every two weeks (14 days.) All letters must contain no more than 350 words and include a full name (no abbreviation), daytime and evening phone numbers and physical address. (If no phone, then provide a mailing address or email address.) The Daily News-Miner reserves the right to edit or reject letters without consulting the writer. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Bahrain Airport Company has started its preparation for kick-starting the much anticipated Cargo Express Village project at Bahrain International Airport. The project, now in phase one with several warehouses, and other logistic facilities planned, is open for bidding with the tender board. According to a tender launched by BAC, the project seeks bidders to take up the construction works. Eligible to participate are Grade A and Grade AA rated building contractors registered with the Ministry of Works. The project, reportedly valued at $58.5 million, already has a deal with the US-based FedEx Express to move to the freight complex at the BIA. The tender description confirms that the village has 5,000 m2 earmarked for the FedEx warehouse and its associated fit-out works in Zone A. The Cargo complex reportedly has around 25,000 sq meters of area in total. Zone A also has spaces earmarked for three warehouses, each having 2,500 m2 areas. All of them, the tender description says, are designed as core and shell, meaning fit-out works are to be done by the tenants. The tender also says that the village will have access to the Al Rayya highway, car parks and two power stations. BAC earlier awarded Frances Egis International the contract to supervise the design and construction of the Cargo Express village for $4.72 million. According to the website of egis, BAC is developing two cargo-logistic areas at BIA: Cargo Express Village(north of the runway) and Cargo Logistics Centre (Southeast of the runway). The Cargo Express Village, egis say, contains four warehouses of 4,700 sqm built-up area each. Cargo Logistics Centre, located south of runway will consist of further one of 3,500 sqm built-up area. If interested, make bids before the 12th of September 2021 with a BD5,000 initial bond and BD100 tender fees. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Works Minister has announced launching agricultural projects employing modern techniques like hydroponics in Horat Aali and Al Diraz as per the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Essam Khalaf, the Minister of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, said they are planning the first phase of the projects for BD3,700,000 in four hectares. The project, the minister said, will contribute to raising the local production of vegetables and several types of agricultural products. The project, now in its implementation stage, was awarded by the Tender board. We are expecting to complete the project in a year, following which we will expand it to other governorates, the minister said. Explaining, Khalaf said the ministry had developed an integrated plan for hydroponics as per the directives of His Majesty the King. The ministry is working to establish an infrastructure capable of achieving food security by adopting projects based on soilless farming technology, the minister said. The initiatives, Khalaf said, falls within the aim of supporting Bahraini youth in agricultural production and sustainable production techniques. Dr Nabil Muhammad AbulFath, the Undersecretary for Agriculture and Marine Resources at the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, held a meeting with the company working on the project. The project, Dr Fath said, is expected to produce up to 500 tonnes of vegetables annually from the two sites. Soilless cultivation will contribute to increasing the local production of vegetables by 20%, he said. Looking ahead, he said there are several projects in the private sector. In Horat Aali, 19 plots are handed over to farmers and seven to companies for raising agricultural production, said Dr Fath. Dr Abdulaziz Muhammad Abdul Karim, the Assistant Undersecretary for Agriculture, representatives of Works Affairs, Mumtalakat and contractors were present. NEWTOWN When Hawley School opened, it was considered one of the finest classroom buildings in Connecticut, with its own heating system and an impressive chemistry lab. That was 100 years ago. Today the old brick building on busy Church Hill Road is Newtowns smallest elementary school with a ventilation system that is far from state-of-the-art. The solution is to close the 1921 building for a year, split its 280 students between two other schools, and complete ventilation and air conditioning upgrades expected to cost $7.8 million. We think this option is the least disruptive, said Dan Rosenthal, Newtowns top-elected leader. Weve been debating this for the better part of 15 years. As such, Newtown leaders have advanced the plan almost as far as they can before November, when the spending proposition would go to taxpayers for a referendum vote. If voters approve the Hawley project, town and school leaders could discuss other important details, such as whether to use federal grant money from the governments $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package to offset the cost to taxpayers. Newtown received $7.5 million in so-called American Rescue Plan grants. The school district received $1.25 million of that, some of which has been proposed to offset project moving and storage costs associated with the planned Hawley School shutdown. Newtowns Board of Education unanimously approved the plan to move students out of the building for the 2022-2023 school year, should voters pass the spending proposition in November. Under the plan, younger students from Hawley would be sent to Sandy Hook Elementary School and older students would be bused to Reed Intermediate School. Schools Superintendent Lorrie Rodrigue said shortly before the school board voted to approve the plan in mid-July that both schools felt they could take care of what was needed. The districts current plan should not be confused with the controversy surrounding the proposed shutdown of Hawley in 2015, when community objection to closing the old school swayed the Board of Education against the move. At the time, then-Superintendent Joseph Erardi and a study group concluded closing the school was the best option to deal with shrinking enrollment and climbing maintenance costs. The deal breaker in the 2015 proposal was that the Hawley students would attend the newly opening $50 million Sandy Hook Elementary School at the same time that students from Sandy Hook that had been attending class in Monroe following the 2012 mass shooting would be returning to class in their new building. The next step for the Hawley project is for Newtowns Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance and Legislative Council to authorize placing the $7.8 million Hawley HVAC project on the November ballot. Hawley made headlines in 2019 when school leaders asked the town to buy a one-acre residential property next door to improve security, traffic flow and perhaps expand the building. The argument at the time was that Newtowns enrollment was projected to increase steadily. Even if Hawley reached 350 students by 2029 as the projections indicated, Rosenthal said, the number would still be well below the 550-student capacity that Hawley was built for. In the end, Rosenthal and other members of the Board of Selectmen said, they didnt believe the property was necessary for Hawleys future. rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342 CORNWALL State police have arrested a man in connection to an attempted bank robbery on Friday afternoon. Troopers responded to the National Iron Bank at 366 Furnace Brook Road for a report of an attempted bank robbery, police said. Western District Major Crime detectives responded and are investigating. A suspect was taken into custody without incident, police said. The suspect was identified by police as Jay William Puzinski, 48, of Winsted. He was charged with conspiracy and criminal attempt at robbery second degree, according to police. State police are still searching for a second suspect, whose description matches that of the suspect in the Sharon bank robbery from earlier this week. The man was described by police as a white or Hispanic man, small to medium build with dark hair. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call Connecticut State Police Troop B in North Canaan at 1-800-497-0403. christine.derosa@hearstmediact.com BANGKOK (AP) Thai riot police on Saturday fired water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets to repel a crowd of several hundred young anti-government protesters who marched on an army base where Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has his residence to demand his resignation. The demonstrators threw rocks, bottles, fireworks and fired slingshots during the hourslong confrontation in the Din Daeng area of Bangkok, which was obscured by swirling smoke. The rally was led by the Free Youth, a student protest group that drew tens of thousands to its protests last year. It's demanding Prayuths resignation over his handling of the coronavirus crisis, which has seen the number of cases spiraling and the health care system stretched to the limit. Prayuth has been criticized for a slow vaccination program. Thailand reported a new high of 21,838 confirmed cases on Saturday, with 212 more deaths. Bangkok and surrounding provinces have been under lockdown, including overnight curfew, for weeks. According to the citys Erawan Medical Center emergency services, five people were hospitalized, including three police officers. The march was called off in the early evening but disturbances continued, with protesters battling the police and hurling objects. The protesters are also calling for part of the budget for the monarchy and the military to be redirected into the COVID-19 fight. Saturdays protest was originally planned in an area near the Grand Palace in the old part of the capital but switched to the compound of the 1st Infantry Regiment, where Prayuth a former general who originally took power in a 2014 coup continues to live. The protest movement began last year with demands for sweeping political change, including unprecedented public calls for the reform of the powerful monarchy to make it more accountable. After going dormant due to prosecutions, internal disagreements and the pandemic, protests have returned in recent weeks, fueled by the growing discontent over the government's response to the health crisis and its massive impact on the economy, which is reliant on tourism. After meeting with the family, he assured his support to the family. Rahul Gandhi also tweeted about his meeting and shared a picture of him with the victim's parents on Twitter. Twitter appears to have taken down Congress leader Rahul Gandhis tweet that revealed the identity of the relatives of a minor rape and murder victim in Delhi. On Thursday, a Delhi-based lawyer Vineet Jindal had filed a complaint with Delhi Police against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for allegedly disclosing Delhis Nangal rape victims identity. Advocate Vineet Jindal, a practising advocate, in his complaint stated that the Congress MP from his Twitter handle @RahulGandhi shared his own photo along with the father and mother of the child victim which disclosed the identity of the minor victim. The complainant requested the Delhi Police to lodge an FIR against Rahul Gandhi under relevant sections and take strict legal action. The complaint further stated that the act of Rahul Gandhi is an offence under section 23 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 74 of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 228A of Indian Penal Code (IPC). In the same matter, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Tuesday also issued notice to Twitter India asking it to take action against the Twitter handle of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi allegedly for violating the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act by revealing Delhis Nangal rape victims identity. Taking to Twitter, Priyank Kanoongo, chairperson of NCPCR said the child rights body took action after taking cognisance of reports saying the Congress leader sabotaged the identity of the minor rape victim by posting the photograph of her parents on the microblogging site. On Wednesday morning, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met the family of the minor girl who was allegedly raped, murdered and cremated without her parents consent in Delhis Old Nangal crematorium. After meeting with the family, he assured his support to the family. Rahul Gandhi also tweeted about his meeting and shared a picture of him with the victims parents on Twitter. On August 1, a nine-year-old girl was allegedly raped and killed by a priest and three employees of a crematorium near Delhi Cantonment in the Purana Nangal area of southwest Delhi, the police had said. The Delhi Police registered a case against four accused on the basis of the statement of the minors mother who alleged that her daughter was raped, murdered and cremated without their consent on Sunday. The accused persons have been booked under Sections 302, 376 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code, along with the relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the SC/ST Act. More than 136 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses are expected to be available till the end of this year, informed the central government on Friday. In order to ramp up COVID-19 vaccine supply in the country, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday met Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla in the national capital and held a discussion over the supply of Covishield vaccine. We had many good meetings here. We discussed ramping up vaccine production. More than 17 countries in Europe have already approved Covidshield and many are in line to give approval. We discussed also this. This will be good news for all the travellers also. We were doing what we can do for our students, Poonawalla told ANI after the meeting with Union Health Minister. More than 136 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses are expected to be available till the end of this year, informed the central government on Friday. For the next four months, Indias vaccine programme will be accelerated by the Serum Institute of Indias (SII) Covishield and Bharat Biotechs Covaxin. The note titled Covid-19 Public Health Response Pro-active, Pre-emptive and Graded Response guided by Epidemiological and Scientific Rigour also gave details about the vaccine production targets, which are given to Members of Parliament from the Prime Ministers Office (PMO). As per the note, In August the vaccine projection of Covaxin will be 2.65 crores, Covishield will be 23 crores and total a 25.65 crore doses will be produced in the month. In September the projection of Covaxin is 3.15 crore and Covishield will be 23 crores, which in total will be 26.15 crore doses. In October the total of 28.25 crore doses will be produced out of which Covaxin will be 5.25 crore and Covishield will be 23 crore doses. Additionally, 28.25 crore doses will be available in November, of which 5.25 crore will be of Covaxin and 23 crores of Covishield. In December the projection of Covaxin will be 5.25 crore and Covishield will be 23 crore doses, which in total will be 28.5 crore doses for the month. As per an advance order placed by the Centre for August to December 2021, 75 per cent of Covishield vaccine doses will be procured at Rs 215.25 per dose at a total cost of Rs 8,071.87 crore. The note has also mentioned the government will buy 28.5 crore Covaxin doses from Bharat Biotech at Rs 225.75 per dose at a cost of Rs 6,433.87 crore. On Sputnik V production, the note said, Sputnik V is not yet produced till July and it is expected to be manufactured 25 million doses in August, September, and October by Panacea. Thereafter there is no clarity/visibility as it depends on the bulk to be provided by Russia for filling. So, total production for the year can be expected to be 2044.16 million doses. The Union Health Ministry gave a presentation to MPs on the COVID situation in the country and action taken during the crisis. Due to ongoing field activities in terms of increased testing, surveillance, clinical management and other activities for more than one year, the health system witnessed fatigue, it said. The note has also mentioned, Human resource crunch experienced during the second wave due to shortage of doctors and healthcare workers across urban areas. Lack of COVID appropriate behaviour and complacency set in the community during opened economic activities, the virus spread rapidly across India, it said. With an unexpected surge in cases, challenges in terms of infrastructure augmentation across the country, enhanced Oxygen supply, drugs requirement and other logistics came up, it added. Further, the note mentioned the management of medical Oxygen and the management of drugs during the second wave. When offices across Connecticut emptied during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, companies started to consider how their employees would eventually return to their workplaces. Today, employers are still grappling with those decisions. Nearly a year-and-a-half after the state recorded its first COVID-19 case, many businesses have reopened their offices while still offering employees the option of working remotely. The recent rise in infections sparked by the delta variant has further complicated workplace arrangements but many companies are recommending, rather than mandating, that employees get vaccinated. All workplace policies and plans need to be flexible, and return-to-work plans are no exception, said Megan Moran, a Stamford-based senior HR specialist with Insperity, a provider of human resources and business performance services. Each business is different, and the response to the rising case numbers will differ between companies. Employers should base decisions around local guidance and consult experts when possible. Recommending, but not requiring, vaccines In the past few weeks, the spike in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations mostly among the unvaccinated has highlighted the pandemics persistence. As of Friday, Connecticut had 174 hospitalizations related to COVID-19. The total compared with a low of 25 as of July 9, but it was still less than 10 percent of the 1,972 hospitalized patients in the state as of April 22, 2020, at the peak of the first wave. Despite the recent uptick in cases, Connecticut has contained COVID-19 more effectively than most states boosted by its high vaccination rate. Only Massachusetts and Vermont have administered a higher number of vaccine doses on a per-capita basis, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials at several Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Connecticut including Stamford-based Charter Communications, Farmington-based Otis Worldwide, New Britain-based Stanley Black & Decker, Stamford-based Synchrony and Norwalk-based Xerox told Hearst Connecticut Media this week that they are recommending, but not requiring, COVID-19 immunizations for their employees. Employee health and safety remains our top priority. Stanley Black & Decker strongly encourages employees to get vaccinated, said SB&D, which is one of the worlds largest tool manufacturers, in a statement. The fastest way to end the pandemic and build toward a new normalcy is to get everyone vaccinated who is able to do so, and we are working hard across the organization to make that happen for our employees, their families and our communities. Information technology provider Xerox is requiring all U.S. employees to attest to their vaccination status by indicating whether they are vaccinated, not vaccinated or have an approved exception. Those who are vaccinated must also provide their last date of vaccination and the type of vaccine they received, according to a company spokesperson. Employees do not have to provide vaccine documentation, but the spokesperson said, Failure to provide accurate information is considered a violation of Xeroxs Code of Conduct, which could potentially lead to termination. Many smaller firms, such as Stamford-based First County Bank, are also recommending vaccines for their staff members. We are waiting to see if booster shots are recommended, said June Walker, First Countys chief human resources officer. If that is the case, we could consider offering those on-site as we do our annual flu shots. Elsewhere, a growing number of large companies are requiring vaccines for at least some of their employees. That list includes Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Tyson Foods, United Airlines, Walmart and Walt Disney Co. The question of vaccination mandates is a complex one, Moran said. Insperity does not universally recommend one approach over another as unique business situations, goals and workplace dynamics dictate the right approach for specific companies. For instance, some companies that have employees who interact closely with each other or the public may find it beneficial to enact a mandate to placate concerns of customers or colleagues. However, for business owners that allow employees to work primarily from home, vaccinations may not be an issue that requires employer intervention. Differing workplace arrangements Office buildings in Connecticut were allowed to return to full capacity on March 19. But that green light did not spur a rush back to workplaces, as employers have preferred to go at their own pace. Some companies such as Charter, Otis and Stanley Black & Decker have kept facilities open since the start of the pandemic through government designations as essential businesses. Our field professionals in Connecticut, as well as across the globe, were deemed essential throughout the pandemic and have continued to work to keep critical infrastructure safe and moving, said Ed Jacovino, manager of public relations at Otis, which makes elevators and escalators. Our Connecticut facilities remain open for essential workers and for colleagues who choose to work from the office with protocols consistent with the recommendations of public health officials. Others have started to reopen sites in recent months. Xerox, for instance, welcomed back employees to its workplaces in April. Amid the COVID-19 resurgence, mask mandates remain prevalent. Regardless of their vaccination status, all Xerox employees are required to wear a three-ply surgical mask or better when indoors at either a customer or company site and complete a daily health check, according to the company. First County Bank asks all employees and customers who are not vaccinated to wear masks at its branches and main offices. Moving forward, we are much better equipped to quickly react to any change in the situation with the pandemic, Walker said. I think First County is well prepared. At the same time, remote working has become entrenched at many companies. Synchrony, the countrys largest private-label credit card provider, announced last October a new policy allowing employees to permanently work from home. In-person work still figures in Synchronys plans, too, with the company starting a Return to Hub program in early June that reopened offices, including its Stamford headquarters. The company, however, is modifying the initiative. Based on the data we have today and new CDC guidelines, to protect the safety of our employees, families and communities, Synchrony is pausing our voluntary Return to Hub pilots across our U.S. locations effective Monday, Aug. 9, 2021, said Lisa Lanspery, senior vice president of public relations at Synchrony. We will continue to monitor the data and CDC guidelines and look forward to resuming the pilots when it is safe to do so. pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; twitter: @paulschott LOS ANGELES (AP) The California Republican Party voted overwhelmingly Saturday not to endorse any candidate in the looming recall election that could remove Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom from office, sidestepping a potentially nasty fight over a GOP favorite that threatened to divide Republicans and depress turnout in the nationally watched race. The lopsided vote to skip an endorsement supported by about 90% of delegates attending at a virtual party meeting -- reflected concerns that an internal feud among candidates and their supporters would cleave party ranks and sour Republicans who wouldnt bother to vote if their candidate of choice was snubbed. There are 24 Republicans on the recall ballot, with leading contenders including talk radio host Larry Elder, former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer, businessman John Cox, state legislator Kevin Kiley, former Olympian and reality TV personality Caitlyn Jenner and former congressman Doug Ose. Two of the state partys most powerful figures - Republican National Committee members Harmeet Dhillon and Shawn Steel - earlier helped set the stage for an endorsement vote. But they reversed course Friday and urged delegates to avoid it. The polls are showing that the recall is in a statistical tie, and we cannot afford to discourage voters who are passionate about a particular candidate, yet may not vote because their favored candidate didnt receive the endorsement, they warned in an email obtained by The Associated Press. In the recall election, voters will be asked two questions: First, should Newsom be removed, yes or no? The second question will be a list of replacement candidates from which to choose. If a majority votes for Newsoms removal, the candidate who gets the most votes on the second question becomes governor. Republicans feared that fallout from an endorsement squabble could sap support from the critical first question on the ballot whether or not to remove Newsom. If that vote fails to reach a majority, the results on the second question are irrelevant and the governor retains his job. The party's decision was not without risk. Republican voter registration in the heavily Democratic state is a paltry 24%. Some party leaders believed the best route to victory in the Sept. 14 election was concentrating the GOPs money and volunteers behind a single candidate. Some will see the decision as a setback for Faulconer, who was considered an early favorite for the endorsement. Faulconer had been seeking the nod, but his campaign later shifted gears, saying he no longer believed it was in the partys interest to back a single candidate. Cox, a conservative, earlier accused party insiders of trying to steer the endorsement to Faulconer, a political centrist elected in Democratic San Diego who some saw as a more viable statewide candidate in strongly Democratic California . Cox, in protest of what he viewed as a rigged process, said he wouldnt seek the endorsement. In a statement Saturday, Cox praised the delegates' decision, adding that the Republican Party must be united to recall Gavin Newsom. Nothing is more important. Kiley said in a statement that all candidates are on the same team as we make the case that California deserves so much better than Gavin Newsom. Newsom, meanwhile, has been stepping up his campaign activity with polls showing the race could go either way, as coronavirus cases again climb and populous areas of the state bring back mask rules loathed by many. The recall grew out of widespread frustration during the depths of the pandemic over whipsaw stay-at-home orders, crushing job losses from business closures and long-running school closures that together upended life for millions of Californians. Republican candidates have depicted Newsom as an incompetent fop whose bungled leadership inflicted unnecessary financial pain during the pandemic. Democrats have sought to frame the contest as driven by far-right extremists and supporters of former President Donald Trump. PIKE CREEK, Del. (AP) Dr. Velma Scantlebury became the first female African American surgeon to specialize in transplant surgery in the United States in 1989, and now, she has been honored locally with the Delaware History Makers Award. The only female African American to have been named a Delaware History Maker, Dr. Scantlebury has also been placed on the Best Doctors in America and Top Doctors in America lists multiple times throughout her career. She said it was an honor to be selected for the Delaware award and to join a distinguished group of previous winners, including President Joe Biden. I feel like I dont really belong in this unique league of folks, but Im grateful and honored to be selected, she said. Dr. Scantlebury described a similar feeling when she moved from Barbados to Brooklyn, New York, with her parents at age 15. In high school, whether it was my accent, the way I dressed, the way I looked, I wasnt seen as someone who was going to make a profound influence in history, she said. My high school counselor didnt see me as someone who was a candidate to go to college. So it certainly was a struggle, being seen and heard. Dr. Scantlebury attributes much of her motivation to her parents, who moved to America hoping to give their daughter the best education possible. My mom was a very determined woman and grew up in a culture in Barbados where education was paramount, she said. It was never a question about whether I was going to college or not. It was just a matter of where. She was awarded a full scholarship to Long Island University in Brooklyn, close to home. She was then accepted to Columbia Universitys Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, also in New York, for medical school, which preceded a residency in general surgery at Harlem Hospital Center. She completed her fellowship training in transplantation surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, then joined the school as an assistant professor of surgery. Dr. Scantlebury said she thrived in college and medical school, earning deans list status every semester and working as a tutor on the side. However, her studies did not come without anxieties, the diversity recruitment notion always in the back of her mind. My acceptance to medical school was viewed as the token Black acceptance, she said. That was disappointing, but it allowed me to see that, as a person of color, youre not seen for your potential but just the color of your skin. Folks will undermine your potential just because of their ignorance. Dr. Scantlebury joined ChristianaCare in 2008 as the associate director of the Kidney Transplant Program. She has worked with many patients in various stages of kidney failure but emphasized that her job isnt just about getting patients on a transplant list and finding them a new organ its also about understanding their condition and educating family members. I think, as a person of color, Im a bit more sensitive to issues that keep other people of color from navigating the system, whether its for understanding the health care system, distrust of the health care system, not having the appropriate insurance or even not being able to read, Dr. Scantlebury said. Even though the longtime doctor retired from ChristianaCare in 2020, she got to work combating COVID-19. She is working to dispel false information and hesitancy about vaccinations in low-inoculation areas and groups and address the many health disparities exacerbated by the pandemic. When it comes to those that were affected by COVID-19 and those that were dying from it, there are barriers that exist for getting people vaccinated or even just tested, as we saw earlier in the pandemic, she said. You needed an appointment to get tested or had to drive through to get tested. Dr. Scantlebury added that senior citizens without friends or relatives to help them navigate online signups had trouble receiving vaccinations early on. In addition, a general lack of access to the internet made it difficult for many in underserved communities to find reliable information about testing and shots, she said. She commonly saw misunderstanding of terms like Warp Speed, which led people to think the vaccines development was rushed and therefore untrustworthy, she said. Once our communities got the right information and heard from people that they could trust, physicians and health care workers, who could really explain the process and explain things that made people hesitant, they were then willing to get vaccinated, she said. And now that many vaccination sites have walk-in availability, people in low-access areas are able to get vaccinated more easily. Dr. Scantlebury noted that cultural sensitivity, like understanding each patients daily struggles and looking at social determinants, is important in her work, as well. Dont see it for what it is but dig a little bit deeper into understanding what this person is going through, she said. Instead of saying, So-and-so didnt show up to his appointment. Hes not compliant, maybe he missed his bus or didnt have the money to pay for his bus ticket. Regarding her specialty, she said people of color are disproportionately affected by kidney disease. Minority populations have much higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and heart disease, all of which increase the risk for kidney disease, according to the National Kidney Foundation. Most of these issues are perpetuated by lack of access to health care and affordable healthy-living options, she added. Helping patients figure out how to cover medical costs is also a tough part of Dr. Scantleburys job. A social worker or financial consultant is called to handle the specifics, but the challenge is determining when a patient needs those services. One of the things we find is that a lot of patients will be reluctant to even want to voice the things that they lack, she said. Its about getting those patients to understand that we are here as physicians and as a transplant center to offer you help, (but) we just need for you to trust us. We can at least get you on a path to better health by understanding your disease process and your risk factors and what you can do to do a better job taking care of yourself. Dr. Scantleburys vast empathy doesnt stop at work. She and her husband have two biological children, but she said she really has many more that theyve taken under their wing over the years. When I was in Pittsburgh, I was introduced to a young student who was from South Sudan, who was going to college and didnt have any family here, and she wanted to be a doctor, she said. We became her American parents so-to-say, and she stayed with us for summers. Then, when she was out of college, we babysat her kids, and she just sort of became our other daughter. She met several other students through her husband, an international studies professor, and recounts several for whom she stepped in as a mom. In her time at home following retirement, she pulled out her sewing machine to sew masks for friends and family at the start of the pandemic. She also found a tremendous source of stress relief when she started hiking and exploring nature trails around her home. But the trials and tribulations of her journey are no match for the difference she has made in so many lives. It feels so good when I see someone that I did a transplant for post something on Facebook or reach out to me on Messenger to say that they were looking for me, and theyre glad Im still around and that their transplant is still doing well, Dr. Scantlebury said. The Delaware History Makers Award will be presented Oct. 7 at the Delaware History Museum in Wilmington. MARION, Ind. (AP) A jury has convicted a northern Indiana woman of the strangulation death of her 10-year-old stepdaughter. The Grant County jury deliberated about three hours Friday afternoon before finding Amanda Carmack of Gas City guilty of murder, strangulation, neglect of a dependent resulting in death and domestic battery resulting in death to a person under 14. The jury will reconvene Monday to consider whether Carmack should be sentenced to life in prison without parole, WANE-TV reported. Police found Skylea Carmacks body in a shed in September 2019. She had last been seen that Aug. 31, and days later, Carmack admitted to strangling the girl to death in a shed behind the familys home. The body was found stashed in plastic trash bags in the shed. Carmacks first trial ended with a mistrial last November after several people involved in the case tested positive for COVID-19. Bill O'Leary/AP WASHINGTON (AP) A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol has hired former Republican Rep. Denver Riggleman as a senior staff member, bringing on the one-term Virginia lawmaker as GOP leaders have criticized the panel as too partisan. The committee's chairman, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, announced Riggleman's hiring Friday evening, saying Riggleman has a deep background in national security and intelligence matters. Riggleman served in military intelligence and worked at the National Security Agency before he was elected to the House in 2018. He was defeated by Republican Rep. Bob Good in 2020. NAUGATUCK An emergency services preparedness drill will be held on Aug. 11. The Naugatuck police and fire departments will participate in the drill from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday in the vicinity of Platts Mill Road and the Naugatuck River. The public can anticipate emergency vehicles and possible traffic delays during the drill, police said in a news release. Police and fire dispatch will be made aware of the drill and efforts will be made to keep the public up-to-date on any relevant updates via social media. christine.derosa@hearstmediact.com AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Texas Democrats still refused to return to the state Capitol on Saturday as Gov. Greg Abbott began a third attempt at passing new election laws, prolonging a monthslong standoff that ramped up in July when dozens of Democratic state lawmakers left the state and hunkered down in Washington, D.C. A quorum is not present, said Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan, who then adjourned the chamber until Monday. More than 50 Democrats last month bolted to the nation's capital, but the precise whereabouts of each of them is unclear. In a joint statement Saturday, Democrats said 26 of them would remain part of an active presence in Washington maintained for as long as Congress is working." But there were also signs the stalemate may be thawing. Two of the Democrats who decamped last month returned to Austin Saturday, and one of them said enough of his colleagues may also begin trickling back to secure a quorum next week. And, notably, Republicans did not invoke a procedural move that would give Phelan the authority to sign arrest warrants for missing lawmakers, as they did when the Democrats left town. Democratic state Rep. Eddie Lucio III said those who might return were feeling the pull of personal and professional demands. I was encouraged that the baton would be carried by my Washington colleagues at the federal level, that there would be sweeping reform nationwide, Lucio III said. Republican state. Rep. Jim Murphy, chairman of the House Republican Caucus, also believed that more Democrats would come back in the coming days. People are talking to their friends, and we think were going to see quite a few more," he said. It was not just Democrats who were absent Saturday: Six Republicans were also out, including one who recently tested positive for COVID-19. Heading into the weekend, Democratic leaders had not committed to sitting out the entire 30-day session, leaving open the possibility that enough could return at some point to end the standoff. Republicans want to advance an overhaul of elections in Texas under legislation that largely remains the same despite the months of walkouts and protests by Democratic lawmakers. Texas would ban 24-hour polling locations, drive-thru voting and give partisan poll watchers more access under the bill that Republicans were on the brink of passing in May. But that effort was foiled by Democrats abruptly leaving the Capitol in a late-night walkout. Democrats made a bigger gambit by decamping to Washington on chartered jets to run out the clock on the GOP's second try. Democrats had hoped to exert pressure on President Joe Biden and Congress to pass federal voting rights legislation, but a Senate Republican filibuster continues to block such a measure. Democrat Jasmine Crockett, one of the state representatives remaining in Washington, said she would be disappointed if enough of her colleagues returned to give Republicans a quorum next week. She said their group is not naive" and knows they don't have the votes to permanently hold off passage of a bill in Texas, but are still hoping for movement in Congress. Im not giving up on anything. Im not going home until the fat lady sings," Crockett said. Biden never met with the Texas Democrats in Washington. The group was quickly forced to change some plans after several of their members tested positive for COVID-19. Reports that two Democrats snuck away to Europe also led to bad headlines and invited mockery from Republicans back home. There has been a recent sharp surge in COVID-19 infections in Texas, where the number of people hospitalized with the virus stands at more than 8,500 patients, the highest number since February. But Abbott is adamant that Texas will not bring back pandemic restrictions or mask mandates and has prohibited schools from requiring face coverings. Many of the state's 5 million students are scheduled to return to classrooms this month. NMT Grad Student Lands Competitive NASA Future Investigator Grant August 5, 2021 Zoe Havlena will study gypsum samples as potential recorders of ancient life and extraplanetary ecosystems SOCORRO, N.M. NMT Earth and Environmental Science graduate Student Zoe Havlena was recently awarded a prestigious NASA grant to fund her doctoral research in geomicrobiology. Her project is Interpreting Acidic Gypsum Deposits as Hosts for Past and Present Microbial Life. Havlena (pictured at right) will be collecting and analyzing gypsum samples from four cave systems in an effort to shed light on how life could grow in harsh ecosystems, such as other planets or moons. The FINESST award, or Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology, is for graduate research proposals through the NASA Science Mission Directorate. Havlenas proposal was funded through the Planetary Science division, which fielded 249 proposal applicants and only awarded 32 grants. The grant is for three years and will cover the remainder of her Ph.D. studies at New Mexico Tech. Havlena is the Future Investigator and wrote the majority of the proposal, with guidance from her advisor Dr. Daniel Jones, who is the P.I. on the project. Jones is a faculty member in the Earth and Environmental Science Department and the Academic Director of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute, NMTs division in Carlsbad. Havlena said gypsum is a mineral of interest in the search for life on Mars, since the surface is thought to contain similar mineral deposits that formed from highly acidic waters. (At right: Zoe Havlena in the Frasassi Cave in Italy.) On Earth, we can study how biological material is preserved in similar acidic gypsum deposits and use this information to improve our understanding and ability to detect any evidence of extraplanetary life, Havlena said. Although we know that acid-tolerant extreme microbes help in the formation of gypsum in these systems, we dont fully understand how they inhabit the gypsum itself or how well the evidence of their activity is preserved over geologic timescales. Astrobiologists have studied the microbes that inhabit gypsum crusts on the Earth surface, but there is also acidic gypsum in special cave systems known as sulfuric acid caves. These caves are ideal natural laboratories for research since the ecosystem within is supported by unique forms for life and is not subject to surface influences like photosynthesis. The NASA Astrobiology Strategy characterizes these kinds of subsurface environments as important targets for studying the kind of rock-hosted extreme life that may exist on other planets. Havlena will take samples from four cave systems: the Frasassi and Acquasanta caves in Italy, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, and Lehman Caves in Great Basin National Park in Nevada. The Italian caves are one of the few locations in the world where this sulfidic process is actively happening today, while the now inactive Carlsbad Caverns formed several million years ago and retains ancient gypsum deposits. Lehman Caves is theorized to have formed in a similar way and may be even older, potentially up to 10 million years old. (At right: Zoe Havlena in front of an underground gypsum deposit.) The timescale of gypsum ages from these systems is a key part in developing our understanding of how well this mineral may or may not preserve evidence of life, Havlena said. This project will use a multidisciplinary approach involving microbiology and molecular biology, organic geochemistry, and mineralogical analyses. She will work with collaborators at NASAs Goddard Spaceflight Center to search for biomarkers, which are special biological compounds that may last in the environment for a long period of time. The information I obtain from this project will hopefully transform our understanding of how life uses acidic gypsum on Earth, and how it may do so on Mars or other planets, she said. Havlena was born in Albuquerque and grew up in Madison, Wisc. She returned to New Mexico for college and got her bachelor's in biology at NMT in 2017, followed by her master's in biology in 2019. Her masters research was on a project in Carlsbad Caverns with advisor Dr. Tom Kieft. The manuscript from her masters work was published in early 2021 in Applied and Environmental Microbiology (https://journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.1128/AEM.02695-20). She is also an Incident Commander for New Mexico Search and Rescue. NMT Watertown, NY (13601) Today Scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing late. Low 63F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing late. Low 63F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. 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. This week marks a milestone for the Superdome: 50 years ago, crews drove the first construction pilings for the building that reinvented the citys skyline and image. In 1966, Louisiana voters approved a constitutional amendment creating the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District (LSED, or the Domed Stadium Commission in its early years) to oversee the project. Voters also approved a 4% tax on hotel and motel rooms to help pay for it. Initial construction estimates were $35 million, but the figure ballooned to $165 million. Designed by architect Nathaniel Buster Curtis Jr., construction on the building began on Aug. 11, 1971, the day the LSED sold $113 million worth of construction bonds. That day, a brass band led a parade from City Hall to the construction site. (Gov. John) McKeithen, (Mayor Moon) Landrieu and (Superdome promoter Dave) Dixon mounted the cab of a pile driver to drive the first 79 -foot pre-stressed concrete construction pile, reported The Times-Picayune. Construction took four years, with dedication ceremonies held on Aug. 3, 1975. The New Orleans Saints played their first preseason game there six days later and their first regular season home game on Sept. 28, 1975 losing both. The Dome hosted its first Sugar Bowl the following December, its first Super Bowl in 1978 and its first Final Four in 1982. It welcomed Pope John Paul II in 1987, the Republican National Convention in 1988 and the first Essence Music Festival in 1995. It provided shelter for more than 30,000 people during Hurricane Katrina and closed the next 13 months for repairs. Renamed the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in a 2011 deal with the Saints, last month it was rebranded the Caesars Superdome as part of a 20-year, $138 million agreement. Blake Pontchartrain: Remembering when Mardi Gras parades rolled on Metairie Road The all-female Krewe of Helios became the first Carnival parade to roll down Metairie Road in 1958. Days before the first day of school, Darlene Mims agonized. Her 9-year-old daughter, Delilah, and 6-year-old son, Franco, were set to start at Lee Road School in Covington. They thrived with in-person instruction and missed their friends. But she was haunted by a recent RSV scare and the latest wave of coronavirus cases particularly those among children terrified her with a seven-week-old newborn at home. Im very protective of my family, especially my children, said Mims. Two and a half weeks ago when cases started getting crazy I got nervous. Finally, she enrolled her older two children in a virtual charter school, Googling current case numbers as she filled out the forms to assure herself that she was making the right decision. Mims is among many parents who have reconsidered back-to-school plans as another wave of COVID cases clamps down on the state. Some, like Mims, made the decision out of a concern that the recent spread of the virus didn't bode well for the school year. But despite the rise in the delta variant and revived precautions, New Orleans-area school districts have focused on in-person learning, with some doing away with a virtual option altogether. The lack of virtual options has caused some parents either because they're wary of cases or upset over mask mandates to jump ship to home schooling programs or virtual charter schools, in some cases just days before their children were supposed to start school. Enrollment in virtual schools has risen. Danielle Scott-Johnson, head of school for Louisiana Virtual Charter Academy, a state funded charter, said the school has reached its capacity of 1,900 students. Students can join a waitlist, but realistically theres a slight chance of acceptance with our strict grade level caps. Michelle Clayton, the superintendent of University View Academy, a virtual state funded charter school, also saw an uptick of interest. The school has a capacity of 3,720 students and this year has filled its 3rd, 8th and 12th grades. Parents are just doing what great parents do, Clayton said. They want to protect their child but they also want their child to have academic growth. But local and state education officials say students learn better inside classrooms, and point to the most recent standardized test scores as an example. Statewide and across the New Orleans metro area, scores released last week were down, and officials said the chaotic nature of the last school year, including children having to learn at home, was the reason. +2 Here's how much test scores fell in these New Orleans area school districts during the pandemic Public school students across the New Orleans area performed worse on standardized tests in 2021 than they did in 2019, results that education The state Department of Education said students who were in-person for all of last school year achieved the level of mastery or above at a rate 15 percentage points higher than those who did virtual for the full year. "We refuse to lose a generation of children," NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. said during a news conference last week, when asked why the push for in-person learning. Lewis said the district's medical staff assured him it's safe for students. And the test scores, he said, make it clear students do best inside classrooms. St. Tammany Parish does not have the human capital to adequately staff virtual and in-classroom programs, Superintendent Frank Jabbia said in a recent interview. 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 Meanwhile, in St. Tammany at least, some parents have threatened to take their kids out of public school because they disagree with the state mask mandate. But Jabbia told parents during a heated meeting Thursday night that the masks will hopefully be temporary. We're hoping this will be a quick solution, we will address the issues that have been documented by the government and by health officials," Jabbia said. "We get our numbers down back into control, and then we can move forward so I'm just excited to get back to school. Last year, at the height of the pandemic, more than 5,000 students across the parish enrolled in virtual schooling. In the case of a student quarantining, students will be able to join classes through Google Meet or through recorded lessons and do work through their Google classroom, said Meredith Mendez, a St. Tammany spokesperson. New Orleans public school students can learn virtually, either with work sent home or on a computer, only in special cases of quarantines or with a documented health condition and a note from a doctor, the district said. Each school will set their own policies on handling quarantining students, but because schools will be able to establish distance learning environments for students when dealing with quarantines, there will likely be individual class or school closures but not system-wide, said Taslin Alfonzo, a NOLA schools spokesperson. We respect parents choices and urge them to choose the course of action that is best for their family, Alfonzo said. Nothing beats in-person learning and the benefits it provides our children academically, emotionally, and socially. Last year more than 20,000 students opted to learn virtually in Jefferson Parish. This year, the district will only offer Virtual Jefferson High, in which 300 students are enrolled, a spokesperson said. The district said that in the case of required quarantine or a positive test, teachers will upload materials on Google classroom that students can access at any time. The Archdiocese of New Orleans has allowed schools to partner with Catholic Virtual or other online schools to offer remote learning as an option. As the primary educators of their children, we want to offer an option for parents who choose to keep their children for remote learning, said Sarah McDonald, an archdiocese spokesperson. +4 Some New Orleans area school districts said masks wouldn't be required. That changed Monday. As Louisiana continues to reel from a devastating fourth wave of the coronavirus, Gov. John Bel Edwards on Monday reinstated a statewide mask Exact plans for handling student quarantines vary by school, she said. Lexi Pritchard, a spokesperson for St. Bernard Parish said virtual learning options will be offered for students whose medical condition prevents in-person learning, and students must qualify with a note from a doctor. The St. Bernard Parish School Board believes that in-person instruction is vital to the success of our students, Pritchard said. Staff writer Faimon Roberts contributed to this report. New Orleans business owners, after scrambling to hire new workers and prepare for a jam-packed autumn of festivals and other events, now face a new quandary amid the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: whether to require vaccinations of their workers. Some of the largest companies in the United States have begun to mandate vaccinations, including Tyson Foods and other high-profile employers such as Microsoft, United Airlines and Netflix. But so far, many large New Orleans employers such as Entergy Corp., hotels like the Hilton Riverside and attractions such as the National World War II Museum are following the example of companies like Amazon, Apple and most major banks that are encouraging vaccinations but not mandating them. The vaccines are safe and effective at protecting people from severe illness from COVID-19, and public health experts broadly agree that persuading people to take the vaccines is the surest way to slow the spread of the virus and return life to normal. But in interviews and public statements, company leaders and hiring managers said that they're still hoping that bonuses and other incentives, along with education campaigns, will be enough to persuade employees to get the shots. Some also worry about the potential of a political backlash from a mandate, or the possibility that a mandate will make it harder to hire. "It's such a sensitive situation," said Monique Louque, a human resources executive at the National WWII Museum, during a break while recruiting at a jobs fair at the Smoothie King Center on Thursday. The museum has encouraged vaccinations but hasn't instituted a vaccine mandate, and when surveying employees about their vaccine status, the nonprofit has avoided asking workers for their rationale. But when Louque has heard from unvaccinated employees, they've given her many different reasons for so far declining the shots, including politics but also lingering concerns about their safety and effectiveness. "It can be a combination of a lot of things," she said. Companies, nonprofits and government entities can require coronavirus vaccinations as a condition of employment, according to employment lawyers and federal regulators. And the rapid spread of the highly-contagious delta variant, coupled with flagging vaccination rates, has put the issue front and center for many employers trying to navigate the latest stage of the pandemic. In New Orleans, new confirmed cases are now averaging more than 300 a day. Mask mandates are back in force, and hospitals are warning about a lack of resources to handle a growing influx of COVID-19 patients. While the city's vaccinate rate, with 52% of residents fully vaccinated, leads the state, it is still far behind some other areas of the U.S. The vaccines available in the U.S. are being distributed under an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, and Gov. John Bel Edwards said Wednesday that that vaccinations should be mandatory for state employees and for LSU students once full FDA approval is granted later this year. Mayor LaToya Cantrell has already taken the step, telling city employees and contractors July 30 that they must be vaccinated. The Regional Transit Authority has also mandated vaccines. Private universities, including Tulane, Loyola and the University of Holy Cross, have made vaccinations for students mandatory and are reporting vaccination rates above 90%. Ochsner Health, the state's largest health care system, isn't yet mandating vaccinations but will be requiring unvaccinated employees to show weekly negative test results and wear N95 masks. CEO Warner Thomas has said that vaccines will be required after full FDA approval. 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 Still, other major employers are sticking to encouragement instead of requirements. Entergy Corp. is encouraging vaccination but not mandating it for its employees. At the 1,700-room Hilton Riverside, New Orleans' largest hotel, employees aren't required to be vaccinated. But General Manager David Piscola said the hotel has created a lottery with $2,000 prizes, and on Friday held a clinic to aimed at convincing the few remaining unvaccinated employees to get the shot. Piscola said the latest surge of COVID-19 cases which in Louisiana and some other parts of the country is the worst of the pandemic has been a frustrating turnabout, especially in the hospitality sector where there have been steady signs of recovery. Hotel room occupancy in New Orleans for the last week of July was at 58%, nearly double what it was in the spring and down just 4.6% from 2019, according to industry tracker STR. And many are still hoping that a slate of events set for this fall will be able to move forward. But the new wave of infections has cast doubt over the resumption of big events. The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is expecting its largest gathering since the pandemic in early September, when tens of thousands are expected for the International Association of Chiefs of Police. "The current official policy on vaccines is that they are strongly encouraged for employees, yet are not mandated," said Michael Sawaya, president and general manager of the Convention Center. He said as a state entity, they would follow policies set by Edwards. The center is also following the city's new mandate on indoor masking, though Sawaya noted that event organizers might insist on even tougher procedures. A more immediate question hangs over the Caesars Superdome, where the Saints are due to hold preseason games on Aug. 23 and 28. In June, the Saints said they expected capacity crowds would be allowed at games and that proof of vaccination would not be required. ASM Global, the private firm that operates the state-owned Caesars Superdome and Smoothie King Center, declined to provide an update on their crowd policies or plans for employee vaccinations. Louque, of the WWII Museum, said that while plans by many businesses may seem muddled at the moment, by the fall there are likely to be consequences for employees who have not been vaccinated, even without imposing mandates. She noted, for example, that emergency provisions under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act are due to expire at the end of next month. The statute provides for paid family leave and paid sick leave for employees with COVID-19 issues who work for employers with fewer than 500 employees. But with those rules ending, workers needing to quarantine or take sick time because of coronavirus exposure may need to do so without pay. "At some point, the sick pay is not going to be available and I think people will have to think about that and make a decision," she said. The St. Tammany Parish Library is open and serving patrons with mitigation measures in place. As the library prepares its upcoming fall programming, patrons can expect the hybrid model of in-person outdoor programming and virtual programming to remain in place for the foreseeable future. Inside library branches, social distancing remains. The spaces inside each facility are designed to ensure that the libraries are safe for patrons and library staff. Masks are required in all St. Tammany library buildings for all patrons ages 5 and older, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, in cooperation with Gov. John Bel Edwards current statewide indoor mask mandate. To enable proper social distancing, and for the safety of library patrons, every other public computer will be available for use. Masks and sanitizing supplies are provided. All library branches continue to offer curbside service until dusk each evening for patrons who do not wish to come into the library. Free Wi-Fi is available in the parking lot of each branch. Patrons can apply for a library card online at www.sttammanylibrary.org/library-card-request, and begin using their card immediately. Find more information at www.sttammanylibrary.org/covid-19-services/#COVID19FAQ. Small library branches have already begun evening hours on Wednesday nights. The six small branches Abita Springs, Lacombe, Pearl River, Lee Road, Folsom, and Bush will open at noon and remain open until 8 p.m. on Wednesdays. Small branch hours the rest of the week are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Small branches are closed Saturdays. The six large branches of Madisonville, Causeway, Mandeville, Slidell, Covington and South Slidell will maintain their current hours: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. St. Tammany top stories in your inbox A weekly guide to the biggest news in St. Tammany. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up In other news, the Friends of the Slidell Library will hold a Second Saturday Special Sale on from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 14 inside the Slidell Branch, 555 Robert Blvd., of previously owned cookbooks and magazines about food and beverages. Cash and checks accepted. All moneys raised will help provide support to the Slidell, Pearl River, South Slidell and Lacombe branches. For more information, email Friends of the Slidell Library at fsl70458@yahoo.com. The Friends of the Library of West St. Tammany will have a book sale on from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, and Saturday, Aug. 21, at the group's building at 1301 N. Florida St., near the St. Tammany Parish Fairgrounds in Covington. At this sale, enjoy buy one, get one free specials on all CDs, DVDs, vinyl records and biographies. There will be many home-school items and many childrens books as well. All COVID-19 restrictions will be enforced. For more information, call Debbie Reed at (504) 957-5898. OTHER ACTIVITIES AUG. 11-18 BOOKS: Teen Totes Teens in seventh through 12th grade can sign up for the free monthly book subscription service until Aug. 15 for September's Teen Book Tote. Register online at bit.ly/TeenBookTotes. PROTECT: Learn from "Get Scam Smart." In this virtual Tech Talk, learn about scams and how to avoid them. Aug. 17, 11:30 a.m. Register online at bit.ly/TechTalkScams. BOND: Bond over a book by joining the Abita Lit Wits for an outside book discussion on the third Wednesday of each month at the Abita Springs Branch. Aug. 18, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Learn more online at bit.ly/AbitaLitWits. After serving a combined 35 years in prison, two men were freed from Louisiana prisons this week after St. Bernard Parish District Attorney Perry Nicosia conceded they had been wrongly convicted. The unusual developments, in separate cases overseen by Nicosias predecessor Jack Rowley, were a first for St. Bernard Parish, but they follow dozens more convictions across Louisiana that have been overturned after fresh claims of innocence. Nicosia said new evidence supported one mans claim that he was wrongly convicted of raping a Violet grandmother in 1998, and another mans claim that he was falsely identified as the leader of a botched armed robbery in 2009. Both men were represented by the non-profit Innocence Project New Orleans. As far as we can tell, its unprecedented," said Innocence Project staff attorney Charell Arnold. "Were always happy to get innocent people out of prison. Were even happier when we can have two exonerations at the same time. Sweeping project to undo split-jury convictions in New Orleans hits speed bump Newly installed Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams launched his project to undo split jury verdicts with a flourish: a speech on Prosecutors dismissed charges in both cases and have indicated that they dont intend to prosecute them again, Arnold said. She praised Nicosias office as a model for its swift action, but a robbery victim criticized the DA's decision. Within hours of his release on Tuesday, Jarvis Ballard met with his mother for the first time in years. He also visited with Jerome Morgan, another former prisoner from the New Orleans area who fought a long battle to have his charges thrown out. Books about wrongfully convicted men helped Ballard get through his prison years, Arnold said. Meanwhile, fellow exoneree Darvin Castro Santos was enjoying the fresh air, she said. DNA evidence played a role in overturning both Ballard and Castros convictions, but the mens attorneys said one case was also tainted by a lawyers failure to receive key evidence and the other by anti-immigrant bias. +9 Former No Limit rapper Mac released from prison, back home after being granted parole: 'Blessed' Within hours of being paroled from a manslaughter conviction in connection with a fatal nightclub shooting in Slidell, former No Limit rapper In the first case, Ballard was one of three men convicted of ransacking a 60-year-old Violet womans home in search of a safe, while repeatedly sexually assaulting her. Ballard was 18 at the time of the crime, and received a sentence of life without parole at trial. Yet appellate attorneys said that there were only two attackers at the womans house. The victim identified Ballard as one of three burglars at trial, but in her first statements to St. Bernard Parish Sheriffs Office deputies, the woman spoke only of two men, according to legal briefs. Meanwhile, DNA testing uncovered matches to two assailants, not three, Ballard's lawyers said. Ballard gave a statement saying he had a hand in the crime, but he later claimed that he was beaten into the confession. Ballards trial attorney may have been able to poke holes in the states theory of three burglars, but he never received key Sheriffs Office reports, according to the lawyers sworn affidavit. +3 New Orleans judge tosses murder conviction; DA Jason Williams says predecessors withheld evidence A New Orleans judge on Thursday tossed the conviction of a man serving a life sentence for a 2007 murder, after Orleans Parish District Attorn Last week, the state 4th Circuit Court of Appeal ordered a hearing on whether prosecutors intentionally withheld evidence. Instead, Nicosias office on Monday agreed to vacate Ballards conviction and dismiss the charges against him. DNA evidence, witnesses recanting their prior statements and polygraph testing all supported the actual innocence claims of Jarvis Ballard, Nicosia said in a statement. Our office will always protect the public and prove guilt when evidence of guilt exists; however, when proof of innocence is shown I will follow through with administering justice and correcting past errors. A decade after Ballards conviction, Castro was identified as the ringleader of a harrowing stick-up at the Gold Star Diner on Bayou Road in the eastern part of the parish, which was foiled when a retired FBI agent chased the robbers off. A jury voted 11-1 to convict Castro, who received a 40-year sentence. He remained behind bars until Monday. 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 Castros attorneys said they uncovered new evidence that it was a different Honduran immigrant who actually pointed a gun in the face of the diners owner. Castro and a co-defendant who pleaded guilty both pegged the man as the lead robber, but St. Bernard authorities discounted their claims, his lawyers said. +3 One of Louisiana's oldest incarcerated women is free; prosecutors say she was wrongly convicted One of Louisianas oldest women serving a life sentence walked free after nearly four decades in prison on Wednesday when prosecutors and a ju Castros young trial attorney failed to enter into evidence the time sheets from a Houston job site placing Castro in Texas 18 hours before the robbery, along with cellphone records for the alternate suspect that showed him traveling toward the diner with the other convicted robber while Castro was still on the job. When pieced together, they demonstrated that the alternate suspect led the crime, his lawyers said. That misstep was compounded by comments about Castros immigration status, Castro's appellate lawyers said. While trying to reassure the jury that Castro would be put in immigration detention if they acquitted him, the trial lawyer called his client an "illegal alien." If you go to any Home Depot, youre probably going to see a lot of them, short and stocky, the defense lawyer said. While the attorney raised the idea of bias, he failed to follow through with questions about whether it would affect jurors' decisions, Castro's appellate lawyers said. The result was that one White juror said during deliberations that she worked with Spanish people and that they lie, according to a sworn affidavit from the sole juror to vote against conviction. Meanwhile, post-trial DNA testing of zip ties used to bind the victims, and a money bag touched by the lead robber, showed contributions from other people but not Castro. The diner's owner, Baker Jaber, said this week that he still believes that Castro was the ringleader of the robber. He said Nicosia's office didn't warn him that Castro would be released. "I never thought that the government would side with the criminal, except now," he said. Jaber also took offense at the notion that bias played a role in the jury's decision, noting that he's an immigrant himself. Gold Star Diner armed robbery suspects arrested in Texas Darbin Maurisio Castro Santos St. Bernard Parish father, daughter relieved after two men sentenced in 2009 armed robbery Two Honduran immigrants, Darbin Maurisio Santos-Casto and Selvin Torres Rodriguez, were sentenced Tuesday in Chalmette to 40 and 50 years resp Jaber is partially blind, which meant that John Fleming, a retired FBI agent, gave perhaps the strongest identification of Castro at trial. Fleming said that he had no doubt that Castro pointed a gun in his face. Arnold, the appellate attorney, said the robbery victims underwent a terrifying ordeal, and were not minimizing that at all, but they simply got the wrong person, and one of the reasons they did this in this case is because law enforcement didnt follow best practices. Mistaken witness identifications play a role in 28% of wrongful convictions, according to the National Registry on Exonerations. Researchers have identified cross-ethnic identifications, like the ones used against Castro, as less reliable. Nicosia said the new evidence supporting Castros claim that he was in Texas was critical to his agreement toss the conviction. Considering the likelihood that a new trial would be ordered, and new alibi evidence having been presented, justice required that Darvin Castro Santos conviction be vacated, he said in a statement. A judge has ruled that a Metairie man charged with fatally shooting his mother in the middle of an Elmwood street is mentally competent to go to trial, according to Jefferson Parish court records. Relatives of DaRius Sims, 23, have previously said they believe he suffers from undiagnosed mental illness. +3 Metairie man fatally shoots his mom on Dickory Avenue before leading police on 130-mph chase A Metairie man led police on a chase across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway that hit speeds of 130 mph early Tuesday. When officers finally pu Sims allegedly shot his mother, Jeanette Collins, 61, in the chest while the family's vehicle was stopped in the 1300 block of Dickory Avenue in Elmwood on the night of Feb. 24, 2020. Collins was pronounced dead at the scene. Sims is accused of then stealing a vehicle from a couple in the 2700 block of Edenborn Avenue in Metairie before leading police on a high-speed chase on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway several hours later. Sims is charged with second-degree murder, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, obstruction of justice and first-degree robbery, court records said. He has pleaded not guilty. 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 Sims' previous defense attorney, Brad Scott, asked for a sanity evaluation in March 2021, noting that law enforcement interviews with him after his arrest "make it clear that he is currently suffering from mental illness." Sims' family members could not be reached for comment Friday. But in the days after Collins' death, relatives noted that that he had always been a troubled young man, though never formally diagnosed with mental illness. "I don't feel like they should just throw him away. I think that he needs some type of counseling," Sims' sister and Collins' daughter, Chandreica Marshall, said shortly after the homicide. In a July 28 hearing, Judge Michael Mentz of the 24th Judicial District Court ruled Sims was mentally competent enough to understand the charges against him and assist in his defense, adopting the findings of the court's forensic psychologist and psychiatrist, court records said. The finding refers only to whether Sims can proceed to trial and does not address his mental capacity at the time of the homicide. Attorney Gregory Thompson is now representing Sims after Scott left the Jefferson Parish public defender's office, court records said. Thompson did not return a call seeking comment. Sims was being held Friday at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna. His case returns to court on Aug. 30. Oh, for the days when Attorney General Jeff Landry stood at Gov. John Bel Edwardss side, and sent the message that facing down the coronavirus pandemic was so important that the states leaders, Democrat and Republican, were rowing in the same direction. I dont know, maybe Landry dropped his oar or something. More likely hes now got a different destination in sight. With Louisiana facing a frightening fourth wave driven by low vaccination numbers, relaxed precautions and the highly contagious delta variant, the Democratic governor is once more pleading with Louisianans to take care of themselves, their neighbors, and their children who are susceptible but cannot yet be vaccinated. This time things are so dire that Edwards has more than the usual company from across the aisle. Republican Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, who oversees a tourism industry that has suffered mightily, endorsed the mask mandate Edwards imposed this week. The Louisiana Association of Business and Industrys Stephen Waguespack, who during the first COVID-19 spring carried on as if the greatest threat to Louisiana was its laws governing auto accidents, is now urging mask compliance and vaccination as a means to stave off a return to business restrictions. U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Start, who lost her husband to COVID-19, is out there telling her story to anyone wholl listen. And then theres Landry, whos decided its more important to take a stand for the hey, you cant make me crowd than to protect everyone including the very people hes coddling from a deadly virus. As vaccine mandates are becoming more common and both the U.S. Department of Justice and a number of courts have said theyre allowed Landry joined three students in filing suit against the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Monroe for requiring students to be vaccinated, then pulled out when a federal judge questioned his standing. And as younger students return to the classroom, he sent a pair of form letters around his office advising parents how to get their kids out of masking requirements and potential vaccine mandates, things that could keep them and their classmates safe and keep schools from once again shutting down. Sympathetic lawmakers redistributed the letters to their constituents. The letters, first reported by the Louisiana Illuminators Julie ODonoghue, amount to a grab-and-go guide for not just those with sincere, deeply felt religious or philosophical objections that they can express in their own words, but for anyone looking for a cookie cutter-excuse to act without regard for others. Then on Friday he issued a legal opinion suggesting Edwards has no authority to impose COVID safety measures on schools. For Landry, its yet one more step away from the public health script. Last year he joined Republican lawmakers in going to court to block Edwards restrictions, and lost. He mimicked ex-President Donald Trumps crusade to use hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19, despite no evidence to show its effectiveness, in the words of Adm. Brett Giroir, who was assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Twelve days after being diagnosed with COVID-19 last July, he hightailed it to a fancy Colorado resort, which may or may not have violated evolving quarantine requirements but which definitely cut things awfully close. And he wont say whether hes personally vaxxed, even though its recommended for those whove had a bout of the disease caused by the virus. With Landry out there stirring up opposition, Edwards sent a letter to Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley reiterating the established exceptions to the mask mandate, reminding all who read it just whats at stake, and urging them to ignore those who are unwilling to acknowledge the current crisis. That would be the AG, the letters context is clear, although Edwards is being too generous here. Landry isnt just unwilling to acknowledge that were in COVIDs darkest days, as Dr. Catherine ONeal, chief medical officer at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge recently put it. Hes using the tragedy all around us to score political points and to solidify his standing among the most extreme potential voters in the next gubernatorial election. Hed better watch out though. If they follow his lead, there will be fewer of them in the boat come 2023. Aug 7, 2021 KRR Ace director Selvaraghavan has been roped in to play a key role in actor Vijay's upcoming flick "Beast", helmed by Nelson Dhilipkumar of "Kolamavu Kokila" fame. The film's production banner Sun Pictures announced Selvaraghavan's inclusion in the movie through a tweet on Saturday. The first two schedules of the film have been completed in Georgia and Chennai, and the third schedule is currently underway in Chennai. The film will have three antagonists. Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chacko, who is making his Tamil debut with this film, joined the film shooting in Chennai. Pooja Hegde is the female lead in the movie. The film is bankrolled by Sun Pictures, and it has music scored by Anirudh Ravichander. Click the Movie button below for more info: Beast Two Myanmar citizens living in New York plotted over the past month to attack and potentially kill the countrys ambassador to the United Nations who resides in Westchester County, federal prosecutors in Manhattan said on Friday. After being contacted by an arms dealer in Thailand, one of the men, Phyo Hein Htut, agreed to hire attackers to injure the ambassador, U Kyaw Moe Tun, in an effort to force him to step down, according to court documents. If the ambassador, whom Myanmars military has repeatedly tried to replace, refused to resign, the dealer proposed the attackers kill him, prosecutors said. Mr. Phyo Hein Htut, 28, and Ye Hein Zaw, 20, who prosecutors say served as intermediaries and made payments to fund the attack, each face a charge of conspiracy to assault and make a violent attack upon a foreign official. Neither entered pleas on Friday as they made initial court appearances in White Plains, N.Y., on their criminal complaints. Time was of the essence when we received information about a threat to Myanmars Ambassador to the United Nations, Jacqueline Maguire, an acting assistant director at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said in a statement. Our laws apply to everyone in our country, and these men will now face the consequences of allegedly breaking those laws. A single dose of the Covid-19 vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson is highly effective in preventing severe illness and death from the Delta and Beta variants of the coronavirus, data from a clinical trial in South Africa suggest. The study is the first real-world test of the vaccines efficacy against Delta, a highly contagious variant of the virus surging across the United States and much of the world. South Africas Ministry of Health reported these preliminary results at a news conference on Friday. The data have not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal. In the trial, called Sisonke, the researchers evaluated one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in nearly 500,000 health care workers, who are at high risk of Covid-19. The vaccine has an efficacy of up to 95 percent against death from the Delta variant, and up to 71 percent against hospitalization, the researchers reported. (The vaccine did slightly worse against the Beta variant, which is thought to be more adept at sidestepping the immune response than Delta.) We believe this vaccine is doing what it was designed to do, which was to stop people going to hospital and stop them ending in I.C.U.s and dying, said Dr. Linda-Gail Bekker, co-lead of the study and director of the Desmond Tutu H.I.V. Centre at the University of Cape Town. Jon Lindbergh, an acclaimed deep-sea diver and underwater demolition expert whose life as the son of Col. Charles A. Lindbergh was shaped by the height of fame and the depths of tragedy that his family experienced, died on July 29 at his home in Lewisburg, W.Va. He was 88. His daughter Kristina Lindbergh said the cause was metastatic renal cancer. Mr. Lindbergh was one of the worlds earliest aquanauts. He explored the ocean depths, pioneered cave diving and participated in daring underwater recovery missions, including one to find a hydrogen bomb that was lost in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain in 1966. The quest for adventure was in his DNA. In 1927 his father piloted the first solo nonstop trans-Atlantic flight in history, an epic feat that made him arguably the biggest celebrity in the world. Colonel Lindbergh and his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, a writer and the first woman in the United States to earn a glider pilots license, were glamorous symbols of the American can-do spirit, and they flew all over the world together, drumming up interest in the fledgling pursuit of aviation. But their prominence also made them a target of awe-struck curiosity seekers, paparazzi and evildoers. On March 1, 1932, their 20-month-old son, Charles Jr., was kidnapped for ransom from their home in New Jersey and killed in what the press called the crime of the century. Just as the self-congratulatory domestic narrative centers on the ineluctable expansion of freedom from sea to shining sea, Bacevich writes, so, too, the narrative of America abroad emphasizes the spread of freedom to the far corners of the earth. Americas account of its foreign policy, he notes, is even less inclined than the domestic narrative to allow room for ambiguity and paradox, and it excludes disconcerting themes such as imperialism, militarism and the large-scale killing of noncombatants. He finds a dissonance between windy rhetoric and harsh reality even in the good war 80 years ago, which was by no means so good for all Americans, or all countries. Starting in 1942, Bacevich reminds us, Frank Capra made Why We Fight, a series of seven government-sponsored documentary movies that gave a greatly simplified account of the origins of World War II and described a people deeply devoted to liberty and equality for all. An addendum to those movies was called The Negro Soldier, and quite evaded the grotesque irony that America was fighting a war against the most hateful racial tyranny in history with a rigorously segregated Army, with that Negro soldier mostly kept in menial roles. And maybe World War II has distorted the American perspective ever since. When President Biden speaks of the strength and audacity that took us to victory in two world wars, he forgets that the United States entered those wars belatedly (and in the second case involuntarily), and it succeeded largely thanks to the ordeals endured by others. The first war against Germany was won by the blood sacrifice of the French and British Armies, the second by the blood sacrifice of the Red Army, with American casualties modest by comparison, and the crucial American contribution in both cases financial. Since then, when has the United States actually won a war? From the stalemate in Korea to the latest failures its hard to see any clear victory. What Americans have failed fully to recognize is what might be called the impotence of great might. In the heyday of the Cold War two vast superpowers faced each other, each armed with an immense array of nuclear warheads. It seemed that no other country could possibly prevail against either. But what actually happened? The Americans were humiliated in Vietnam by one ragtag peasant army and the Russians were humiliated in Afghanistan by another. And in both cases the effect on national self-confidence was grievous. The Afghan adventure destroyed the morale of the Red Army before precipitating the collapse of the Soviet Union, and by the 1970s the U.S. Army in Vietnam could have been described in the words an 18th-century English general used of his own army, in a state of licentiousness which must render it formidable to everyone but the enemy. Some of Bacevichs points are the sharper for being personal: Recalling the atrocious use of defoliants in Vietnam, he adds ruefully that the high incidence of prostate cancer among Vietnam veterans (myself included) has been traced to their probable exposure to Agent Orange. After the Apocalypse is offered, he says, not for my own contemporaries but for those who will inherit the muddle we have made. And what a bunch we contemporaries are! Compare us with our predecessors. In my own country, every prime minister from 1940 to 1963 Churchill, Attlee, Eden and Macmillan had formerly served as an infantry officer in the Great War, whereas in 2003 we were taken into the Iraq war by Tony Blair and a government of more than a hundred ministers, not one of whom had ever performed any military service whatever. Mr. Seiler described Mr. Cuomo as the Shakespearean figure whose greatest skills or attributes are so inexplicably bound up with their flaws and their sins. He added: What makes him such a formidable worker of the machinery of politics also makes him a control freak who has a horror of investigations that he does not control. When Mr. Cuomo was attorney general, Mr. Lyons wrote an unflattering article about him. After it appeared, Mr. Cuomo called Mr. Lyons. I made the mistake, he said, of allowing Mr. Cuomo to go off the record in the call. Then he proceeded to scream at me and really say some things that were out of line. After a while, Mr. Lyons recalled, he said, Ive had enough Im not listening to you anymore and suggested Mr. Cuomo call his supervisor, which Mr. Cuomo promptly did before Mr. Lyons could give the supervisor a heads up. And he started screaming and threatening him as well, Mr. Lyons said. The lesson, he said: Ill never let this guy go off the record with me again. Mr. Azzopardi, who has been with the administration for nine years, said, I cant tell you what the governor did or didnt do when he was attorney general. On going off the record, Mr. Azzopardi said, Sometimes you like to be able to explain context without watching every word you say carefully. He added: Its not any different here than in any other political organization. The vaccines have been shown to be vigorously effective against severe illness and death after infection, including the highly contagious Delta variant, and public health officials, doctors and political leaders are urging inoculation. The Kaiser Family Foundation reported in late July that more than 90 percent of Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have occurred among people who are unvaccinated or not yet fully vaccinated. The more people who are out there without the vaccine, the more Covid will spread, said Luisa Borrell, distinguished professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy. A growing number of companies are mandating vaccines as a condition of employment, leaving unvaccinated workers at risk of being fired. CNN, which has required full vaccinations for all employees working in its offices and in the field, said on Thursday that it had fired three people who went into the office unvaccinated. Many others are adopting less sweeping but perhaps more conspicuous approaches, including mask mandates for unvaccinated workers or the requirement that they work remotely. For employers, keeping workers safe while being equitable is one of the thorniest workplace challenges of the pandemic to date. In addition to potential legal ramifications if any of their policies are viewed as discriminatory, many companies are concerned that implementing separate protocols for unvaccinated workers could lead some of them to quit amid an already tight labor market. As of Aug. 5, roughly 39 percent of Americans ages 18 and over were not fully vaccinated, representing a large pool of people who could be in close contact with others at their jobs. If youre going to treat vaccinated and unvaccinated employees differently, it needs to have a well-reasoned basis and not be done in a sort of harsh and derogatory way, said Todd Logsdon, an employment attorney in Louisville, Ky., who is co-chairman of his firms workplace safety practice group. From a non-legal standpoint, he added, the fact that you have some real morale issues yeah, that employee is going to feel left out so you may have more turnover. Nach Waxman, who combined his seasoning in anthropology and nonfiction editing to found a Manhattan bookstore that became a global mecca for chefs, cooks, culinary academics, epicurean writers and just about anyone who enjoyed eating as much as he did, died on Aug. 4 in Manhattan. He was 84. The cause was septic shock, his son, Rabbi Joshua Waxman, said. Mr. Waxmans passion for, and curiosity about, food made his store, Kitchen Arts & Letters, a go-to source for all kinds of culinary history and customs, as well as for recipes that he insisted should be sources of creative inspiration rather than rigid paint-by-numbers templates. Faced with a dining challenge, customers knew whom to call. In one instance, Mr. Waxman counseled Citibank on its banquet menu for the Venezuelan finance minister; in another, he found Indigenous recipes from New Guinea for the American Museum of Natural Historys dining room during an exhibition on rain forests. He could make helpful recommendations, obtain the very cookbook you needed, search for out-of-print editions and discuss the authors, said Florence Fabricant, a food and wine writer for The New York Times. Although the summer opened with promises, or threats depending on your perspective of a hot girl summer and a hot vax summer, the surge of the highly contagious Delta variant may have, at least for now, dashed hopes of a hedonistic few months. But theres another group whose plans werent so contingent on the virus disappearing: those who have embarked on a healing girl summer. Helena Honey Selassie, a content creator based in Los Angeles, was an early adopter of the phrase on TikTok. Over the last year and a half, Ms. Selassie had recovered from a binge eating disorder and became an overall healthier version of myself. When she posted a video of herself jogging, someone commented OK hot girl summer and it didnt really resonate with me, she said. I felt like my summer needed self-care, learning to love myself and unlearning behaviors that were causing me stress and anxiety. I said no, its a healing girl summer and it kind of stuck. Ms. Selassie, 30, went on to create a healing girl summer series, where she shares the negative thoughts, which she says are the result of a former relationship that was physically and verbally abusive, that come up in her new relationship. She says the series has resonated with so many people that she went from 50,000 to 240,000 followers on TikTok from that content alone. Hot girl summer is about feeling confident in who you are and looking good while doing it. Healing girl summer is all about learning to love yourself and eventually love someone else even after youve been hurt, she said. Im dedicating the entire summer to healing myself. Francis living out of Jesus message is not a revolution of 1848, but the following on and practical carrying out of the substance of the Second Vatican Council. The church today requires that reminder if it is ever to remain a vital instrument of Gods word. Kevin McGinn Westhampton Beach, N.Y. The writer is a former Jesuit seminarian. To the Editor: It is important to recognize the asymmetry about exit options on Pope Francis conservative and liberal flanks. The churchs conservatives would have to initiate a schism and create a new church, perhaps considering themselves the true Catholic Church. The churchs liberals have options to become Episcopalians, Lutherans or Presbyterians. In other words, conservatives would need a leader-led schism, while liberals can vote with their feet. As Ross Douthats column implies, Pope Francis is arguably governing the church in a manner that just barely avoids schism from the right and even more defections from the left. Ken Kollman Ann Arbor, Mich. To the Editor: Ross Douthat continues to see the Catholic Church in terms of progressives and traditionalists. From the perspective of a former priest, I suggest that it would help to see it in terms of those who continue to fight the good fight and those who have given up. Those who have given up are unwilling to make the necessary changes for dealing with the structural flaws revealed by the child sex abuse. There should no longer be a privileged class of male-only celibate priesthood. Such a class is too susceptible to self-deception and hubris. Child sex abuse has destroyed both the perpetrator and the abused. Now more than ever, the world needs an authentic church that starts by recognizing its own shortcomings. Since the beginning of the revolution, Cuban intellectuals and artists who have sought to organize independently of state institutions have been thrown in labor camps, subjected to electroshock therapy, expelled from jobs and universities, censored and imprisoned for their ideas. The government accuses anyone who challenges it of being mercenaries and C.I.A. agents of a supposed counterrevolutionary plot against the regime. The Communist Partys reach extends beyond the island for the Cubans who have left. It vilifies exiles and extorts outrageous fees for passports and other documents needed to travel back to Cuba. Since the 1990s, it has subsidized its priorities and investments, rather than the Cuban economy, using billions of dollars expats send in remittances to their families. Unfortunately, many foreigners not only buy into the Cuban governments claims about Cuban dissidents they also rely on generalizations about Cubans in the diaspora. Cubans in Florida are lumped together as Trump supporters who want the United States to invade Cuba. These generalizations are convenient for those who seek to ignore our critical role in Cuban affairs, allowing them to monopolize, along with some of the older, more radical exiled Cubans, the public discussion about Cuba. Both the Cuban government and progressives are complicit in their disregard for Cubans right to their own opinions and aspirations. We Cubans are used to misguided perceptions of what life in Cuba is really like. Fidel Castro promised a more prosperous country, a nation where all Cubans could live in dignity and true equality. But his bait-and-switch revolution delivered an educated people that in 60 years have been able to elect only three presidents. A cultivated people that have no access to public debate and participation. The Cuban people are tired of Communism and broken promises. For the first time, in more than 50 cities and towns throughout the island, they took to the streets to demand change. They have been told that it is unchangeable, but they are asking for the right to alter the conditions of their lives. They want more than an end to the embargo. They should have the right to create a society by and for themselves. Even if their specific aspirations disappoint the utopian views of some foreign progressives. For the last few years, Hungary, a country of fewer than 10 million people, has occupied an outsize place in the imagination of American liberals and conservatives. If you think the American right is sliding toward authoritarianism, you cite Viktor Orbans nationalist government as a dark model for the G.O.P. If you think an intolerant progressivism shadows American life, you invoke Orban as a figure whos fighting back. In this running debate, sharpened by the recent Tucker Carlson visit to Budapest, I was struck by an observation from The Atlantics David Frum, a fierce critic of the rights Orban infatuation. As part of a Twitter thread documenting corruption in Orbans inner circle, Frum wrote: I visited Hungary in 2016. Again & again, I witnessed a gesture I thought had vanished from Europe forever: people turning their heads to check who was listening before they lent forward to whisper what they had to say. They feared for their jobs, not their lives but still This is a useful tweet for thinking about the fears motivating Hungary-watching Americans, left and right. On the one hand, theres the fear that Trumpian populism will someday gain enough power to make its critics fear for their livelihoods. On the other, theres the fear that progressivism already exerts this power in the United States, and that what Frum describes in dire terms, the cautious sotto voce conversation, is an important part of American life right now. You can document this fear of sharing strong opinions, especially ones that conflict with progressive orthodoxy, by looking at opinion polls. For example, a 2020 survey conducted by the Cato Institute found that 62 percent of Americans felt uncomfortable sharing their views because of the political climate, and strong liberals were the only ideological group where the majority felt free to speak their minds. To the question, Are you worried about losing your job or missing out on job opportunities if your political opinions became known? highly educated Americans were the most anxious, with 44 percent of respondents with a postgraduate degree and 60 percent of Republicans with a post-grad degree saying yes. She is from a family of musicians, so singing in an ensemble, she said whether it was musical theater or show choir meant learning to breathe with others and sound like one voice. This set her up for the moment she found improv comedy, because she already knew how to collaborate and how not to steal a scene. I was, I think, picking up all the pieces I needed to get where I was going, she said. After graduating from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2007, she began a Ph.D. program in performance studies at Northwestern University. She hated it and was anxious all the time, she said, so her parents bought her an improv class at the Second City comedy club in nearby Chicago to blow off steam. When she took a comedy writing class there, a teacher pulled her aside to let her know she was a writer. People had been telling me, You should try this. You should try this, and I had been uncomfortably trying it, Ms. Black said. But youre a writer? I was like, yes. I completely shifted my view of myself to be a writer first. And that was when everything started to fall into place. Chicago, Ms. Black said, is the best place in the world to learn comedy writing. Theres an emotionality she found in Chicago that she values in many of her collaborators, including Ms. Bee and Ms. Ruffin. What attracted me to Sam and Amber is that theyre admitting to you that they live in the world, she said. And they might be upset about it, and they might be angry about it, and they might cry about it on camera, because theyre not removed from it. Theyre a part of it. Linapuni Elementary started its new year on Aug. 3, but the news there is no better. Even though the staff resumed knocking on doors to register students, as of July 20, only 38 kindergartners and 37 first graders had signed up, compared with 65 kindergarten students and 71 first graders in the fall of 2019. Low-income and nonwhite families have the biggest concerns about the virus and the safety of returning to classrooms, according to surveys of parents. And the rise of the Delta variant may only heighten these worries. But the pandemic has also exposed the distance between what parents want, and what schools are delivering. And at least for Ms. Ramirez, thats the bigger consideration in keeping Bonnylin at home. I need a miracle at this point to get out of this apartment and this neighborhood, Ms. Ramirez said. My kids deserve so much more. Amelia Nierenberg contributed reporting. Jugal K. Patel contributed graphics. Data was compiled by Eric Sagara, Justine Issavi, Julia Ingram, Charlie Hoffs, Dilcia Mercedes, Justin Mayo, Elizabeth Huffaker, Christine DeLianne, Cheryl Phillips and Thomas Dee of Stanford Universitys Big Local News project and Graduate School of Education; Alicia Parlapiano and Jugal K. Patel of The Times; Ryan Pitts of the journalism nonprofit OpenNews; Daniel J. Willis of EdSource; and Vignesh Ramachandran of the Colorado News Collaborative. About the data National totals were calculated by combining data from the U.S. National Center for Education Statistics with figures from the State of Illinois, which wasnt included in the federal data. School-level data was collected directly from 33 state education departments. The Times excluded schools that were primarily virtual before the pandemic, and any that had no students in the fall of either 2019 or 2020. Neighborhood income levels came from NCES EDGE School Neighborhood Poverty Estimates, which uses census data to estimate the poverty level of each schools surrounding neighborhood. Schools were considered to be in high-poverty neighborhoods when the average household income was 135 percent of the poverty level or lower, which in 2020 was $35,000 or less for a family of four. The Times also examined high-poverty schools using statistics on students receiving free and reduced price lunch, which showed similar trends. Data on which school districts operated in-person, hybrid and remote as of October was provided by Burbio. For 10 days, the quiet bedroom community of Fruitland, Idaho, has been overrun by drones, canine units and hordes of on-foot volunteers, all scouring the city in a desperate effort to find a 5-year-old boy whose family calls him Monkey. Fruitlands 12 police officers, aided by more than a dozen local agencies, the F.B.I. and the state and county police, have searched over 3,000 acres of land, 200 residences and businesses, 200 trash cans, a septic tank and 29 miles of the Snake River bank bordering Idaho and Oregon looking for any sign of the missing child, Michael Joseph Vaughan. Mayor Brian Howell said residents had never seen anything like this in Fruitland. Its a pretty incredible little town, Mr. Howell said. Everyone is looking for him. He personally joined some search efforts in the fields near Michaels home in Fruitland, a city of 5,400 residents about 50 miles northwest of Boise. The town, though not agricultural itself, is surrounded by farmland, part of largely rural Payette County. But over 2,500 hours of searching have yielded very few, if any, developments. Investigators have been working just as hard right now as they did when he was first missing, Mr. Howell said. Theyre literally leaving no stone unturned. Theyre draining canals, theyre checking homes. Theyre doing everything that they can do. SUNLAND PARK, N.M. Towering over the borderland, Mount Cristo Rey is natures barrier between Mexico and the United States. Each year for nearly a century it has drawn thousands of people who tread up a constellation of switchbacks representing the Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross, to pray beneath the 29-foot-tall limestone crucifix at the summit. The holy mountain boasts a sweeping view of three states Texas, New Mexico and Chihuahua in Mexico and these days attracts not just the faithful, but the desperate, too: migrants from around the globe trying to enter the United States undetected, for here there is no border wall. In the dark hours past midnight recently, several groups of men set out over the mountains jagged, gravel-coated slopes as the lights of El Paso twinkled in the distance. But as they descended, they were spotted by agents with the U.S. Border Patrol, who rounded up 16 of them along a roadside. The truth is, most people made it, said Evandro, a 31-year-old Brazilian migrant, his eyes bloodshot from fatigue, who had watched many of his fellow travelers dash to freedom through a jumble of nearby mobile homes and ranches. We were just unlucky. The bulk of the war has been fought by the countrys rank-and-file servicemen, who often come from rural and working-class backgrounds. But upon retirement, typically around age 40 and after 20 years of service, many have said that they were given few tools to succeed in civilian life. The $400 monthly retirement pension offers little more than subsistence living in cities like Bogota. The signature education component of the militarys reintegration program is a year of technical training in industries like cooking and construction. But after losing those military benefits, many soldiers are forced deep into debt to pay for homes for their families. A 2019 veterans law, supported by President Ivan Duque, was intended to address some of those issues. It created a fund that grants credits to soldiers who seek higher education, among other benefits. Mr. Molano, the defense minister, defended the program. Of course more can always be done, he said. But compared to other Colombians, he added, the veterans treatment is adequate. Many former soldiers, though, said they needed more, now. Some leave the military without knowing how to read or write. Others lack basic computer skills. The Assassination of Haitis President An assassination strikes a troubled nation: The killing of President Jovenel Moise on July 7 has rocked Haiti, stoking fear and confusion about the future. While there is much we do know about this event, theres still much we dont know. A figure at the center of the plot: Questions are swirling over the arrest of Dr. Christian Emmanuel Sanon, 63, a doctor with ties to Florida described as playing a central role in the death of the president. More suspects: Two Americans are among at least 20 people who have been detained thus far. Several of the people under investigation met in the months before the killing to discuss rebuilding the country once the president was out of power, Haitian police said. Years of instability : The assassination of Mr. Moise comes after years of instability in the country, which has long suffered lawlessness, violence and natural disasters. Over the last decade, the veterans desperation has collided with a ballooning global demand for private security, particularly in the Middle East, said Sean McFate, an expert on the mercenary industry and a professor at Georgetown University. In recent years, Colombian soldiers have gone to Iraq and Afghanistan to work for U.S. contractors, and to the United Arab Emirates, where many became hired guns for the country in its intervention in Yemen. Some Colombians have killed and others have been killed during these missions, said Mr. McFate. KABUL, Afghanistan Another provincial capital, the second in two days, all but fell on Saturday in Afghanistan, officials said, this one in the countrys north, where a Taliban offensive has surrounded several cities since international forces began withdrawing in May. The capital, Sheberghan, in Jowzjan Province, collapsed less than 24 hours after a provincial capital in southwestern Afghanistan was also taken over by the Taliban. The whole city has collapsed, said Abdul Qader Malia, the deputy governor of Jowzjan. Nothing is left. On Saturday afternoon, government troops still controlled the airport and the army headquarters outside Sheberghan. Much of the province, though, which borders Turkmenistan, is now under Taliban control. The Taliban victories and Afghan government defeats come despite continued American air support and are the result of an insurgent strategy that has overstretched and exhausted Afghan government forces. Christian Frommelt, the director of the Liechtenstein Institut, an independent research organization, said casinos were likely to remain a divisive issue. It is rare to have such a major debate in Liechtenstein and for an issue to get so politicized, he said. He said the casinos pitted the rural countrys conservative values, rooted in Catholicism, against its liberal economic ones, which have made Liechtenstein one of the worlds leading financial centers. Casinos create a conflict between these two worlds, he said. Unlike their glitzy cousins in Las Vegas or Macau, Liechtensteins casinos are modest affairs. There are no sprawling gambling resorts with fireworks shows or reputations for never sleeping no, these casinos are more focused on slots and tables. And because gamblers are allowed to light up while playing, they are also smoky. BUDAPEST Its been a meeting of conservative fellow travelers: a jovial host who heads an authoritarian government bent on targeting liberal institutions, including universities, the judiciary and the media and his American guest exchanging grins. In a week in which he broadcast nightly from Budapest, the American talk show host Tucker Carlson posed for pictures with and interviewed Hungarys authoritarian leader, Viktor Orban, and took a helicopter to inspect a Hungarian border fence designed to keep out migrants. The visit by Mr. Carlson, the top-rated host on the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox News, bolsters Mr. Orbans mission to establish Budapest as an ideological center for what he sees as an international conservative movement. For Mr. Carlson, the Hungary trip was an opportunity to put Mr. Orban, whom he admires, on the map for his viewers back home, a conservative audience that may be open to the sort of illiberalism promoted by the Hungarian leader. On Wednesdays show, Mr. Carlson praised Hungary as a small country with a lot of lessons for the rest of us. An Offaly brewery is firmly on the map as it was announced as taking part in a nationwide initiative to promote Irish craft breweries with the launch of a new online Irish beer map. The resource was created to highlight the abundance of quality, independent craft breweries that are located throughout the country and to generate public interest in beer provenance, by linking craft breweries to specific destinations. The map, which currently has more than 60 breweries listed is available to view at irishbeer.ie Similar to wine terroirs in other countries, the Irish Beer Map has the potential to build provenance of Irish beers and to directly link breweries to distinct regions for residents and holidaymakers. From Offaly, Slieve Bloom Brew ery is taking part in the initiative. Slieve Bloom Brewery from Kinnitty in Co. Offaly was founded in 2018. Founded by Kieran Clements, he combined his passion for brewing beer with the need to meet the demand for a locally crafted beer to establish Slieve Bloom which commemorates the legendary Kinnitty Pikemen from the area. The brand highlights the local history of the area with its branding and refreshing craft beer. The story behind this rich history involves three local Kinnitty men, Johnny Daly, Jimmy Scully and Tom Curley who fought in the 1798 rising. With an interesting story involving local rebels and landmarks such as Kinnitty Castle, it is easy to get a taste of Offaly history and food culture. To elevate this further, Kierans, top tip is to pair their craft beer with a Moss field cheese platter from Clareen, Co. Offaly. Slieve Bloom Brewerys core product range represents local historical figures and include: Rising Moon IPA Pikeman Red Ale Pikemaker Stout The Irish Beer map aims to raise awareness of the vibrant Irish microbrewing industry and to encourage consumers to seek out local beers wherever they are. The Irish Beer map is created in conjunction with the Independent Craft Brewers of Ireland (ICBI) and is supported by Bord Bia. Craft breweries who are not yet listed on the map are asked to register interest using the website contact form. Visit irishbeer.ie to discover independent breweries nationwide China Continues Its Crackdown on Cryptocurrency Published August 6, 2021 by Elana K China has ramped up its crackdown on cryptocurrency by calling for the shutdown of a company that allegedly provided crypto-related services. China has ramped up its crackdown on cryptocurrency by calling for the shutdown of a company that allegedly provided crypto-related services. The statement came as both an announcement and as a warning, the latter directed toward other companies that offer/are considering offering crypto-services with the clear message: stop. Chinas Recent Crusade Against Cryptocurrency China came out against cryptocurrency as early as 2013, but recently the Republic has stepped up its measures to stop mining and the use of crypto-services in general. In May, China prohibited financial institutions from providing crypto-related services. The crackdown set off what is being called the great mining migration, sending bitcoin miners out of China and toward other places with more lenient regulations (namely, the United States). In June, there was a wave of arrests of people suspected of crypto-activities. At the same time, regulators increased the pressure on financial institutions to cease and desist with their crypto-services. Despite Chinas crackdown, its estimated that between 65% to 75% of global data mining in 2021 has taken place in China. The Chinese Influence on Crypto Values Every time China has made a move against digital currency, the value of bitcoin and others have plunged. 2021 has seen particularly volatile swings, with bitcoin currently trading at about $35K, a 40% drop from its all-time high. But China isnt the only country cracking down. UK regulators recently banned the crypto exchange Binance. As cryptocurrency continues to grow in popularity, we can expect to see governments getting more involved in regulation. Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has condemned the "act of hatred" that took place on the coastal road a few days ago, following its opening on 30 July Photo: (Photo : FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images) A planned private family event at the children's museum in Nebraska was called off due to death threats. OutNebraska, an LGBTQ organization, was supposed to run a Drag Queen Story Hour at the Lincoln Children's Museum, but they decided to shut down the event after receiving an "overwhelming number" of threats of violence. After consulting with the local police, the museum publicly announced the cancellation. In a statement, the museum operators said that while they were looking forward to supporting OutNebraska's advocacy for inclusivity and welcome LGBTQ families, the safety of the staff and the visitors had to be the priority. Some 50 people were expected at the weekend event. Abbi Swatsworth, the executive director of OutNebraska, said that they have been running story hour for four years and have drawn negative reactions in the past. However, the level of threats this year was unexpected, which they received through Facebook and other online platforms, as well as their voicemails. The group booked the children's museum months ahead of the event, which was limited to the invitees. Read Also: Barbie Releases 6 New Dolls Celebrating the 'Heroes of the Pandemic' Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said that the "inflammatory posts" aimed at a private gathering are under investigation. Police officer Luke Bonkiewicz confirmed the legitimacy of some of the threats they've reviewed, and while they did not advise the museum to cancel the event, there were concerns for the children, so it was better to be safe than sorry. What is Drag Queen Story Hour? The family event is a storytelling activity that explains gender fluidity to young kids. According to OutNebraska, drag queens feature in the program so that children may have "glamorous, positive and unabashedly queer role models." Drag Queen Story Hour runs nationally across other libraries and schools in the U.S. It was created in 2015 by Micheal Tea as an educational and fun activity for young people who are not bounded by gender restrictions. It serves to inspire young people to love reading and embrace diversity and appreciation for other people, regardless of their status, orientation or race. OutNebraska said that they do background checks on the participating drag queens to appropriate personalities for a young audience. With the challenges of COVID-19, OutNebraska also came prepared and planned a COVID-safe story hour. Despite the upsetting decision, the group is already planning to reschedule the event. Support for LGBTQ After the museum announced the cancellation, a spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Nebraska said that this incident had been another painful reminder of the discrimination against LGBTQIA Nebraskans. Danielle Conrad said that although many local politicians support equality, hate still crops up among some Nebraskans. Conrad said this is also a reminder for people to be empowered to "make a positive difference" during difficult circumstances. The ACLU director noted that it's not enough to take this incident to heart as people are not powerless to change. Related Article: American Medical Association Wants To Remove 'Sex' on Birth Certificates Photo: (Photo : IVAN COURONNE/AFP via Getty Images) Experts might have found a way to improve fertility treatments and extend a woman's reproductive lifespan following the discovery of a gene that controls the age of menopause. In a study published in the Nature journal, the experts were able to identify close to 300 gene variants that are part of the DNA pathway that ties to menopause. These genes may predict the age when a woman will stop having periods and determine a woman's risk of early menopause. The findings could facilitate future studies that will help doctors develop better fertility treatments or extend a woman's natural reproductive lifespan. The study authors said that their discovery might even help other studies on the impact of women's hormones and certain cancers. The Genetic Signals According to the scientists from Cambridge, Copenhagen, and Exeter, their mice test subjects developed a longer reproductive lifespan after inhibiting two specific genetic signals, CHEK1 and CHEK2. The researchers also tried to block one of the genes (CHEK2), resulting in the mice's body releasing more eggs after IVF. It suggested that a lack of CHEK2 protein can extend menopause by at least three years or improve the fertility chances of a patient. Read Also: Doctors Remove Watermelon-Sized Ovarian Tumor in Mom Who Was Told She Just Got Fat University of Exeter's Dr. Katherine Ruth said that their discovery might eventually provide women the leeway to plan for their future. Further studies may help fertility doctors predict if their patients will experience early menopause, affecting their plans to get pregnant the natural way. It may also be possible for fertility doctors to develop short-term inhibition procedures so their patients will respond better to IVF. Probing the genetic signals further also showed that early menopause might increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and fractures due to poor bone health. However, early menopause may lower the risk of ovarian or breast cancer. The experts assumed that this could be due to the shorter exposure to sex hormones that trigger menstruation. The experts, however, said that their discovery of the genetic signals is still in the early stages, and it will take some time before their methods are tried on humans. A Woman's Reproductive Lifespan The reproductive lifespan of a woman begins at puberty and ends at menopause. However, the age of menopause varies with every woman between 40 to 60 years old. About one percent of women may stop menstruating at the age of 40, while the average age of menopause in the U.S. is around 51. There are various health markers and genetic markers that determine menopause, coupled with a woman's lifestyle and environment. The study focused on the genetic markers to help women determine their fertility window. While there are existing tests that can measure women's fertility hormones, the decline has started by the time it's detected. There are still no tests that can determine when the decline will begin, and ultimately, this is what the study aims to achieve so women can have more informed choices. Related Article: Scarlett Johansson Fondly Calls Daughter Her 'Shadow' Amid Second Pregnancy Photo: (Photo : INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images) A new study involving children under 17 years old has revealed that kids who contract coronavirus are not likely to become COVID-19 long haulers. The researchers from King's College London learned that just under two percent of the 1,734 kids who had positive results experienced COVID-19 symptoms that lasted for more than four weeks. In comparison to adult patients, only one in 20 children have symptoms that continue to affect their health from eight weeks or longer. Recovery was also higher for kids who had more protracted symptoms than adults, with no signs of prolonged effects. The experts based their study on app data entered by the children's parents or their caregivers. The app provided medical information when the children manifested their symptoms until they were healthy and negative from the virus. The most common symptoms reported were fever, headache, loss of smell, sore throat, and fatigue. On average, children between the ages of 5 to 11 years old had symptoms for five days, while those between 12 to 17 years old had symptoms for a week. Read Also: COVID-19 Antibody Treatment Approved for Unvaccinated Family Members With Weak Immunities The experts also didn't find any neurological impact of COVID-19 in the kids, such as impaired concentration, seizures, and anxiety. The results of the study were published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health. Data Collected Before Delta However, the study was undertaken from September 2020 to February 2021, before the Delta variant emerged as the more dominant variant across many countries. It has a 50 to 60 percent higher transmission rate than the Alpha or Beta variants. In the U.K., Delta transmissions started its domination in May 2021. Pediatrician Dr. Michael Grosso of the Northwell Health's Huntington Hospital told Healthline that the results could likely be different if the study was done on children who have been infected by Delta. He said that further studies would be needed to provide more information to enlighten and address issues with the current surge. Dr. Elizabeth Whittaker of Imperial College London's Paediatrics and Child Health acknowledged the study's limitation. However, she told BBC News that there hadn't been any changes in the U.K. despite the emergence of Delta. Conflicting Outcomes In a conflicting report, the Office for National Statistics in the U.K. said in April that an estimated 13 percent of kids from 2 to 11 years old, and around 14.5 percent of kids in the ages of 12 to 16 years old, had coronavirus symptoms lasting five weeks. Patients are considered COVID-19 long haulers if their symptoms last for five weeks or more, despite a negative test. Sometimes long haulers may be asymptomatic or feel better for a while, but they become weaker and experience the symptoms some weeks later. Doctors have no way of diagnosing COVID-19 long haulers, but for children whose symptoms last for more than two months, it's best to find a pediatric sub-specialist to mitigate any damaging outcomes. More studies are still being done to understand the impact of COVID-19 in the long term. Related Article: Highly Transmissible COVID-19 Delta Variant Puts 7 Kids in ICU Photo: (Photo : Kimberly White/Getty Images for Fortune) Larry Page, Google's co-founder and one of the world's billionaires, was able to fly to New Zealand and bring his son for an emergency medical procedure despite the country's strict border closure orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In a meeting with Parliament, Health Minister Andrew Little confirmed that Page applied for his son's emergency evacuation in early 2021. The health minister said that before approving the medevac, they conducted a thorough clinical assessment of the medical needs of Page's son. They also evaluated if the boy could be treated locally so that they do not have to fly to New Zealand. Before the emergency evacuation, the boy was staying in Fiji. Little said that all the standard steps, including COVID-19 protocols, were carried out to approve this special request to receive treatments in Auckland at the Starship Children's Hospital. Before the pandemic, New Zealand's Ministry of Health received about 100 requests for medevac (medical evacuation) every year. During the border closures, exemptions may be granted for residents of the country as New Zealand has succeeded in keeping its infection rates low since the start of the pandemic. Read Also: Disneyland Parent Trap: How To Avoid Ruining Your Relationship With the Kids Post-Divorce Is Larry Page an NZ Resident? In the course of the inquiry with Parliament, Stuff reported that Page, who is from the U.S., applied for a special visa in November 2020 to secure residency as an investor. Under this arrangement, Page had to pour in $10 million to invest in New Zealand for three years. However, his visa application was still under process when the family filed an urgent appeal due to a medical emergency. An Immigration New Zealand insider said that Page's residency isn't permanent and still subject to many restrictions. Yet this has raised many questions about the privileges extended to the wealthy despite strict pandemic protocols. It opened up a debate in Parliament that implied billionaires could "buy" their status to get into the country. Member of Parliament Brooke van Velden disagreed with the handling of Page's urgent request. He said that the New Zealand government showed the world that money is above anything else, especially with the thousands of citizens who cannot go home to be with their families because of the border closure. Prime Minister Jacinda Arden said that clinicians, not the politicians, make the decisions on medevac cases. She added that she trusts the clinicians' decisions and said that she was not advised of Page's case or any other specific cases seeking medevac. Larry Page's Net Worth The Google co-founder's net worth is estimated to be $116.5 billion, and he is the sixth richest man in the world. Little did not say who paid for the emergency evacuation, but as other cases may go, it is usually covered by private insurance, or an agreement from one government to another, or paid directly by the requesting individual. According to Bloomberg, Page has plans to fund Wisk, an air taxi company in New Zealand. Meanwhile, before moving to New Zealand, residents in Fiji said that they had seen Page on the island when the pandemic broke in 2020. Fiji has also closed its borders to tourists, but Page was able to gain entry through the Blue Lane program offered to owners of private jets and yachts. Related Article: Canadian Fertility Doctor Who Inseminated His Sperm on IVF Patients To Pay $10.7 Million The African Union has started the distribution of 400 million Covid vaccines to member states, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced. Several countries will receive the first of the monthly shipments on Thursday. The AU's aim is to deliver 25 million vaccines a month by January. Member states agreed in March to combine their buying power and source vaccines together. The countries opted to buy the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the final stage of production of which is done in South Africa. This is a momentous step forward in Africas efforts to safeguard the health and well-being of its people," President Ramaphosa said. "This will provide impetus to the fight against Covid-19 across the continent and will lay the basis for Africas social and economic recovery. Vaccination rates on the continent have lagged way behind the rest of the world. The South African president as well as other African leaders have accused wealthier countries of engaging in vaccine nationalism. The 400 million vaccines should be enough to immunise a third of the continent's population and bring Africa halfway towards the goal of vaccinating at least 60% of the people, the AU said. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The annual Greater Works Conference organized by the International Central Gospel Church has ended in Accra with a call on young Africans to fulfill the dreams of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Dr. Kaunda, Julius Nyere, and other African Greats to accelerate the continents development. Speaker on the final day of the 3-day event and General Overseer of ICGC, Pastor Mensa Otabil declared it is possible for Africa to use 25 years to catch up with development instead of 250 years as envisaged by experts. It is Africas time, a new generation is being born, the Joshua generation The Theologian said God will work a cosmological miracle and shift things massively in favour of Africa. He declared, the dreams of African greats like Dr. Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Ahmed Sekou Toure of Guinea, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, leopold sedar senghor of Senegal will be fulfilled. Pastor Otabil was hopeful the scourge where Africans disgracefully queue behind embassies to seek greener pastures will soon be over because the continent will soon come out of its 3rd world status. I believe in God and Africa that the same God who Joshua talked to extend time can shrink time, he said. Preaching on the sermon titled This Is My Moment he told the congregation, the world is sitting at a point in history designed for them. Pastor Otabil continued his biblical account of how the Israelites defeated the Amorites by reading Joshua 10:11-14. He recalled how Joshua made a case to God to allow the sun and moon to stand still to conclude the assignment of defeating the Amorites. The motivational speaker said if God gives an assignment and time is threatening it, God will come in to adjust the system of the earth so time will not be against you. God will not allow is an assignment for you to be cut off by time so if you do what Joshua did, God will give you permission, he said. The last day of the conference also saw song ministration by lumina and various choirs from ICGC. This years Greater works conference was resized to three days from the usual 5-day event following measures announced to address the spread of coronavirus. The church presbytery also cut down the service time to two hours in line with presidential directives and put together a strict adherence to Covid protocols at the venue ground to ensure the safety of all members. Greater Works Conference returns next year bigger better and greater. 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 National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has rejected the recent upward adjustment of salaries for public sector workers pegged at four and seven percent for 2021 and 2022 respectively. That is not what we expected. The ongoing discussions on various social media platforms indicate clearly that workers are understandably unhappy with the outcome of the negotiations, National President of GNAT, Ms Philippa Larsen, said. She was speaking on Thursday during the opening session of the sixth Quadrennial Eastern Regional delegates conference of GNAT, which was themed: [email protected] surviving as a reliable and vibrant teacher union in the 21st century teaching the journey, explicating the essence and examining the prospects. Ms Larsen said, We are not happy either. We had to settle on the relatively low rates of increments reluctantly after intense negotiations spanning many weeks. She also said the associations leadership were so sad and that explains why they could not muster courage to inform members about the outcome of the negotiations with the tripartite committee. I am sad, all leaders are so sad and that is why we didnt have the courage to disclose the initial outcome of the negotiations to you, she said. She noted that the current system of remuneration in the countrys public sector was not fair and that it only favoured some categories of officeholders, saying, And we are not going to agree. We will not agree to that. She called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to intervene swiftly, otherwise, there would be no industrial harmony in the coming days, insisting, Otherwise there will be no peace and the country will become ungovernable. For industrial harmony in the country, the four and seven percent, we are never happy, she added. She urged the president to initiate a process towards the establishment of a commission made up of experts from various fields to advise government on salaries for all jobholders in the public service to guarantee fairness. After all we all go to the same market and there should be fairness in the salaries of all public sector workers, she stressed. Ms Larsen also urged the Ghana Education Service (GES) to continue to work on all outstanding issues of teachers such as promotions for industrial peace and harmony. We have a lot of unresolved issues and we called on the GES to factor in concerns of teachers, otherwise we will not agree and before the close of the week, they are going to hear from us, she added. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Gomoa East District Assembly in the Central Region has given residents of the Buduburam Refugees Camp up to September 30, 2021, to vacate the place as it gives full effect to its resolve to demolish the structures in the area. That, it said, is to pave the way for the redevelopment of the area. The Gomoa East District Security Council (DISEC), at its second meeting on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, at Gomoa Potsin, has resolved and further directs that individuals and groups living in the defunct Liberia Camp at Buduburam should vacate the area latest Thursday, September 30, 2021, to pave way for the demolition of the area, an eviction notice dated August 3, 2021, issued by the assembly, said. The notice, signed by the Chief Executive of the Gomoa East District, Mr. Solomon Darko-Quarm, said the demolition of structures in the area was in furtherance of the governments approval of a request by chiefs, opinion leaders and the general public for it in view of the rising security challenges emanating from the area. The notice said beginning yesterday, officers of the assembly and security personnel would be deployed to clearly mark the boundaries of the 141-acre land, including Zone 12. All are entreated to treat this notice with all seriousness to avoid any complications. The Gomoa East DISEC apologises for any inconvenience this may cause to the affected persons, it added. Decommissioning The camp, which was decommissioned as a refugee base by the Untied Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in June 2010, has become a settlement and now bears the infamous credential as a hideout for social deviants, including alleged robbery gangs. Mr. Darko-Quarm had told the Daily Graphic that the demolition of the camp was in response to a request by the Gomoa Fetteh chiefs over the increasing criminal acts in the Gomoa area, with the camp being turned into an abode for suspected criminals. The Buduburam Camp has become an albatross around the neck of the nation as it has become a den for many suspected criminals engaged in many criminal activities across the country, he had earlier noted. Camp profile The camp is sited in the Gomoa East District and shares a boundary with Kasoa. It was set up by the UNHCR in 1990 to serve as a safe abode for more than 12,000 refugees from Liberia who fled the country during the two Liberian civil wars (19891996 and 19992003). It also housed refugees from Sierra Leone who escaped from their countrys civil war between 1991 and 2002. Although the camp was decommissioned following the return of peace to the two countries, most of the refugees resettled in the neighbourhood. On May 18, 2021, the chiefs of Gomoa Fetteh, at a news conference, expressed concern about the increasing crime rate at the Buduburam Camp and issued a three-month ultimatum to the government to pull down all makeshift structures said to be the abode of suspected criminals in the area. 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 Chinese scientist, popularly called batwoman, has issued a stark warning that more deadly Covid variants are coming. Wuhan-based virologist Shi Zhengli is one of the world's top researchers on coronaviruses and has discovered dozens of deadly SARS-like viruses in bat caves. She studied samples taken from some of the first people to become infected with the new and then-mysterious respiratory illness in China in December and found it was similar to SARS. Now, in a new interview, she has warned that more deadly variants of Covid could sweep the globe amid fears of a catastrophic fresh mutation. Speaking to People's Daily the scientist said: "As the number of infected cases has just become too big, this allowed the novel coronavirus more opportunities to mutate and select. "New variants will continue to emerge." It comes after claims that a new Covid mutant could emerge which could kill more than a third of the people it infects. Documents published by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) said that future strains of the novel coronavirus could be as deadly as MERS. In such a scenario, the virus could kill 35 per cent of those it infects. The panel, which advises the government on its pandemic response, warned that such mutations are most likely to occur when the virus is widely spread. 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, popularly known as Opanyin Agyekum has asked President Nana Akufo-Addo and his government's Communication team to take into consideration the inscriptions on the placards by the ''Fix the Country'' protesters. The demonstrators hit the streets of Accra Wednesday to pour their grievances to the President. They wielded placards with some reading 'Ghana is the most religious yet most corrupt', If Ghana was your personal property, would you run it like this?, 'No to Nepotism, Family and Friends Government', 'Fix Dumsor' among others. Reacting to the protest, Opanyin Agyekum advised the government not to brush aside the inscriptions as it will give them a clue about how to fix the country. He stressed ''the government should document all the placards...Your Communication must sit down and listen to all voices, tabulate all the placards and do analysis'' to sift the important stuff from the unnecessary ones and work on them to improve the lives of Ghanaians. Also directing a message to the protesters and the citizenry at large, Opanyin Agyekum advised that ''as we demand fixing (the country), we should fix ourselves; the time we go to work, our work ethics, truth and full commitment. If you're not committed to the job, sit at home! You will definitely find some of the demonstrators'' who exhibit lackadaisical attitude towards work. He made these comments during Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'' Thurday morning. 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 Brewer & Ruan Claim $50K Super High Roller Titles at Floridas 2021 SHRPO August 07, 2021 Chad Holloway The 2021 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open, which kicked off its $5,250 buy-in, $3 million GTD Main Event this weekend, recently wrapped up a pair of $50,000 Super High Roller events. The tournaments, which were part of the PokerGO Tour, awarded more than $2.5 million in prize money between them, and while one winner was a familiar face on the high roller scene, the other was a 20-year-old newcomer. Brewer Claims First $50K SHR Title Chris Brewer The first big buy-in tournament was Event #29: $50,000 Super High Roller, which ran August 4-5 and offered a single re-entry option. Two dozen entrants created a $1,164,000 prize pool that was reserved for the final four players. Among those to compete but fall short of the money were Ali Imsirovic, Alex Foxen, and bubble boy Elio Fox, just to name a few. According to updates from the event, Sean Perry fell in fourth place after getting his stack in with both an open-ended straight and flush draws against the pocket queens of Chris Brewer, who was recently profiled by PokerNews here. The ladies held and not long after Cary Katz bowed out in third place after his flush draw fell to Sean Winters trip fours. At that point, the final two players agreed to an ICM chop. Winter received $394,130 while Brewer, who had the bigger stack, took a career-high $420,670 and the title. Event #29: $50,000 Super High Roller Results Place Player Prize PokerGO Tour Points 1st Chris Brewer $420,670 252 2nd Sean Winter $394,130 236 3rd Cary Katz $209,520 126 4th Sean Perry $139,680 84 20-Year-Old Beats One of the Best Zhuang Ruan From August 5-6, Event #33: $50,000 Super High Roller played out as 29 entrants competed for a $1,406,500 prize pool, which was reserved for the top five finishers. Perry made back-to-back final tables, but once again he was the first to go. According to updates from the event, he lost a race with king-jack against the pocket sevens of Dan Smith to bust in fifth, good for $112,520. Katz, who was also at back-to-back final tables, then doubled through Giuseppe Iadisernia, who was left short and bowed out in fourth place. Katz followed him out the door in third when his ace-jack was outdrawn by the ace-eight of 20-year-old Zhuang Ruan. Ruan and Smith then battled back and forth before the former ultimately prevailed, the result of flopping trip jacks and getting Smith to call off on the river with two pair queens and jacks. Smith took $351,625 for his runner-up finish while Ruan claimed the $562,600 top prize. I started at $1NL. Half a cent-one cent [blinds] and eventually worked my way up, Ruan told SHRPO reporters after his victory. I actually switched to PLO and made it to the $100-$200 games. He continued: I took six months off from poker to try and go to college, but after that I found tournaments, so I started playing that And then I was playing high-stakes MTTs. And now Im here. At just 20 years old (remember Seminole Hard Rock requires players to be just 18 years of age to play), Ruan will need to wait until 2022 to play other major events like the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Event #33: $50,000 Super High Roller Results Place Player Prize PokerGO Tour Points 1st Zhuang Ruan $562,600 338 2nd Dan Smith $351,625 211 3rd Cary Katz $225,040 135 4th Giuseppe Iadisernia $154,715 93 5th Sean Perry $112,520 68 Here's a look at how things stand on the PokerGO Tour leaderboard after the pair of $50K Super High Roller events in South Florida. Place Player Country Earnings PokerGO Tour Points 1 Ali Imsirovic Bosnia and Herzegovina $3,004,960 2,394 2 Sean Perry USA $2,572,578 1,819 3 Sean Winter USA $2,557,920 1,539 4 Cary Katz USA $2,310,800 1,347 5 Sam Soverel USA $2,073,296 1,305 6 Andrew Moreno USA $1,460,105 1,200 7 Clayton Maquire USA $1,443,757 1,200 8 Toby Lewis UK $1,235,204 1,200 9 Chris Brewer USA $1,615,520 1,095 10 Alex Foxen USA $1,207,786 1,023 *Images courtesy of PokerGO. Thiago "IneedWasabi" Macedo Wins 2021 GGPoker WSOP Online Event #4 August 07, 2021 Matthew Pitt Thiago "IneedWasabi" Macedo secured his first and Brazil's second World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet when he finished with all the chips in play in Event #4: $800 Double Chance NLH online at GGPoker. Some 1,643 players bought into the event on Day 1, creating a $1,248,680 prize pool as a result. Macedo got his hands on $161,637 of that princely sum in addition to, of course, a coveted gold WSOP bracelet. Event #4: $800 Double Chance NLH Final Table Results Place Player Country Prize 1 Thiago "IneedWasabi" Macedo Brazil $161,637 2 Andreas "Duckzzz" Nasman Finland $121,209 3 Mathias "Senor Perez" Siljander Finland $90,894 4 Tomi "BAAABUUSKIII" Brouk Finland $68,161 5 Ivan "Kewww" Babintsev Ukraine $51,114 6 Stoyan "UncleToni" Obreshkov Bulgaria $38,330 7 Ido "idollar" Aboudi Israel $28,743 8 Sung keung "skpang781" Pang Hong Kong $21,554 9 Sergei "Igor Gofman" Pillpenko Russia $16,163 Simao Wins First Bracelet in GGPoker WSOP Online Event #2 Macedo was in disguise until the final table real-name policy exposed him as "IneedWasabi." Macedo had bagged the third-largest stack at the end of Day 1 and found himself among the chip leaders throughout proceedings. However, Macedo sat down at the nine-handed final table eighth in chips and with plenty of work to do. The final table was a star-studded affair, and any of the nine finalists would have made a worthy WSOP champion. Pillpenko Goes From Hero to Zero Russia's Sergei "Igor Gofman" Pillpenko sat down at the final table as the chip leader, but he was the first player out of the door. Pillpenko lost most of his stack to Mathias "Senor Perez" Siljander before committing the remainder of his short stack with ace-eight, finding a caller in the shape of Tomi "BAABUUSKIII" Brouk, and losing to a ten on the turn. Sung Keung "skpang781" Pang was the next to fall, the man from Hong Kong busting at the hands of Stoyan "UncleToni" Obreshkov, who you may recall, reached the final table of last year's WSOP Main Event International event. DON'T MISS: Unlimited Attempts at WSOP Main Event Seats for $49.99 at ClubGG Seventh-place went to Ido "idollar" Aboudi; Obreshkov did the damage here once again. Obreshkov was the chip leader after Aboudi's elimination, but he came unraveled, fell in sixth place, and had to make do with a $38,330 prize. Ukraine's Ivan "Kewww" Babintsev's exit in fifth-place left only four players in the hunt for the bracelet. Babintsev was down to approximately 6.25 big blinds when he looked down at king-queen and decided to move all-in from under the gun. Siljander looked him up from the big blind with ace-seven and caught a seven on the flop. Game over for Babintsev, but game on for Siljander. Brouk Busts in Fourth Place Tomi Brouk The dangerous Finn, Brouk, saw his bracelet run end in a fourth-place finish worth $68,161. Brouk min-raised to 800,000 on the button, and Macedo defended his big blind. Macedo check-called a 600,000 continuation bet on a king-ten-king flop before both players checked the five of clubs turn. Macedo led for 1,056,000 on the seemingly innocuous four of spades river, only for Brouk to jam all-in for 4,244,902. Macedo tanked for more than two minutes before making the call with king-nine for trips. Brouk could only muster queen-jack. Macedo then claimed his second final table scalp, that of Siljander. With the 250,000/500,000/60,000a blinds eating into the players' stacks, Siljander made a move for his 4,500,000 stack from the small blind with what turned out to be nine-eight. Macedo called with the dominating king-nine. A king on the flop left Siljander drawing extremely thin; he was drawing dead by the turn. That hand boosted Macedo's stack to 24,391,359, but he had plenty of work ahead of him in the heads-up battle with Finnish star Andreas "Duckzzz" Nasman, who had 41,328,641 chips in front of him. WSOP 2021 Main Event Satellites From $80 Hit GGPoker Macedo clawed his way level before forging a lead for himself. The Brazilian got the job done during Level 45 when the blinds and antes were 400,000/800,000/100,000a. The Brazilian champion elect limped in with queen-nine and called a 2,400,000 raise from Nasman, which the Finn made with king-jack of spades. The flop came down nine-queen-six with two spades, Nasman betting 1,650,000, and Macedo calling. Both players check a red eight on the turn, but Nasman ripped it in for almost 7,500,000 on the king of clubs river, a bet that Macedo quickly called. An impressive performance from Nasman, but one that ultimately saw him fall at the final hurdle. A huge congratulations to Macedo, who won his first WSOP bracelet and joined his fellow samba star, Joao Simao, in the WSOP bracelet winner's club. 2021 GGPoker WSOP Online Continues on August 7 You do not have long to wait if you want to follow more updates from the 2021 GGPoker WSOP Online festival because the fifth event of 33 scheduled tournaments shuffles up and deals on August 7. Event #5 is the $315 Bounty No-Limit Hold 'em Deepstack and is sure to attract some of the biggest names in the poker world. PokerNews' Live Reporting Team will be on the ground from when the first cards are pitched to when the champion is crowned. Be sure to join us. Drogi Uzytkowniku! W zwiazku z odwiedzaniem naszych serwisow internetowych mozemy przetwarzac Twoj adres IP, pliki cookies i podobne dane nt. aktywnosci lub urzadzen uzytkownika. Jezeli dane te pozwalaja zidentyfikowac Twoja tozsamosc, wowczas beda traktowane dodatkowo jako dane osobowe zgodnie z Rozporzadzeniem Parlamentu Europejskiego i Rady 2016/679 (RODO). Administratora tych danych, cele i podstawy przetwarzania oraz inne informacje wymagane przez RODO znajdziesz w Polityce Prywatnosci pod tym linkiem. Jezeli korzystasz takze z innych usug dostepnych za posrednictwem naszych serwisow, przetwarzamy tez Twoje dane osobowe podane przy zakadaniu konta, rejestracji na eventy, zamawianiu prenumeraty, newslettera, alertow oraz usug online (w tym Strefy Premium, raportow, rankingow lub licencji na przedruki). 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Jesli zgadzasz sie na wykorzystanie technologii plikow cookies wystarczy kliknac ponizszy przycisk Przejdz do serwisu. Zarzad PTWP-ONLINE Sp. z o.o. Building upon months of groundwork and analysis, the Aiken Municipal Development Commission is poised to obtain control over a significant swath of blighted property in the citys downtown region, documents show, in an effort to mollify investors wary of the areas patchwork parcels and ownership. But to do so to begin buying land that developers have shown interest in, to intervene, middleman and parlay in the name of economic development the local panel needs money. So an ask was made. In a letter to Aiken Mayor Rick Osbon last month, the commissions chairman, Keith Wood, requested that Aiken City Council make a sum of $10M available to the AMDC so that we may proceed with the important objective of securing a significant and meaningful portion of the Parkway District suffering from disuse and deterioration. There is significant interest from the development community, Wood wrote to the mayor, and significant investment must be on the near-term horizon if the city and the AMDC are to successfully pursue targeted properties in the Parkway District, an area generally bounded by Morgan and Beaufort streets and Hampton and Park avenues. Specifically, pockets of housing and mixed-use developments are being considered something like the plans to rejuvenate the Aiken County farmers market corridor, including the Jackson Petroleum brownfield. Light industrial properties are likely on the hit list. Wood predicted tens of millions of dollars in private investment are waiting in the wings. On Monday, City Council is scheduled to consider fulfilling the commissions request; an agenda shows council will preliminarily review issuing $10 million in bonds or bond anticipation notes. Such a funding mechanism can be formally protested by the public. Tim OBriant, the citys development director, in a memo to City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh this month said the millions of dollars would defray the costs of assembling, acquiring, and improving real estate in the downtown area of the city, and to include site preparation and infrastructure. And it is the belief of the Aiken Municipal Development Commission that any property acquisitions will return the investment many times over, grow Aiken County and City tax revenues and keep the vibrancy of essence of our Parkway District area intact, Bedenbaugh wrote in a separate memo to City Council members. City staff has recommended moving forward with the funding, documents show. If the money is appropriated and things go as smoothly as hoped, development projects could be on the board by the end of the year, city officials suggested. City Council created the Aiken Municipal Development Commission in 2019. The commission has been described as a catalyst a body with standalone powers that can fast-track proposals, work with businesspeople and developers, and battle blight citywide. City Council meets Monday night at the downtown Municipal Building, 214 Park Ave. S.W. City Council meetings are also livestreamed on the citys YouTube page. Moncks Corner, SC (29461) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. A few clouds. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. A few clouds. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Get the SC business stories that matter. Our newsletter catches you up with all the business stories that are shaping Charleston and South Carolina every Monday and Thursday at noon. Get ahead with us - it's free. A former Mount Pleasant restaurant will be converted to a mixed-use office development after the building changed hands recently for $3.2 million. Mark Volkmann, CEO of MassageBook, a massage-industry version of the online restaurant-booking site OpenTable, bought the former 10,051-square-foot home of Liberty Tap Room & Grill at 1028 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. through an affiliate. Volkmann, whose online business helps independent therapists compete against larger chains, now rents a small space across town in an upstairs office, above the Kickin' Chicken restaurant on Coleman Boulevard. He doesn't expect to move into the newly acquired location until June, after it's upfitted. "I wasn't actively looking, and I saw the space," Volkmann said. He said MassageBook, founded in 2013, is not widely known, but he's aiming to raise its profile. "The goal is to create a little bit more awareness in the new space," said Volkmann, who started in the industry as a therapist and later founded and sold an online product distributor called MassageWarehouse. He plans to convert a portion of the former main dining space and bar near a pond to office space. He'll leave the kitchen and another restaurant space open for a possible culinary tenant. Volkmann now employs a staff of about 18 but expects to beef up the payroll after the move. "We are aggressively growing," Volkmann said. "The goal is to have 25 folks in that building." He called the newly acquired building "a great fit for the company" with plans to preserve the bar area and use a long table for employee gatherings. "The beauty of that space is the wood in there and the beautiful columns and open ceiling with exposed wood and the view over the water," Volkmann said. "I buy the team lunch every Wednesday, and we shoot the breeze," he said. The long table, Volkmann added, "will be our social gathering space for the team." The vacant restaurant is near Anna Knapp Boulevard and the Publix-anchored Queensborough Shopping Center. It's has been mostly idle since the spring of 2019, after operating for 10 years as Liberty Tap Room. Previously, the building was home to TBonz Gill & Grill for 13 years. Blair Hines and Edward Oswald of the commercial real estate firm Oswald Cooke & Associates, handled the sale for the buyer. Bradley Baker and Joseph Tecklenburg of Clement Crawford & Thornhill represented the seller, M.J. Properties of South Carolina LLC. Seaside sales The most expensive home sale ever in the Charleston area helped boost Kiawah Island's real estate sales to a record for the first six months of the year. The gated seaside community reported its best first half of the year ever with $466 million in sales through 378 transactions. That comes out to just over $1.23 million per sale, including the region's record $20.5 million sale in June of the Vanderhorst Mansion. Subtracting the Vanderhorst sale, the average price comes out to $1.18 million during the first six months of 2021. Both average sales figures above $1 million are about 3 times more than the median sales price of just under $340,000 for homes in the Charleston area during the year's first half. Sign up for our real estate newsletter! Get the best of the Post and Courier's Real Estate news, handpicked and delivered to your inbox each Saturday. Email Sign Up! Dollar volume for all Kiawah sales was up 189 percent while transactions jumped 161 percent year over year. In the second quarter alone, Kiawah Island saw $261 million in sales across 201 transactions. That was 200 percent higher in dollar volume and 145 percent more in number of closings compared to the second quarter of last year. The island also witnessed a 340 percent leap in the number of residences fetching more than $2.5 million. Also, the number of home sites selling between $1 million and $2 million skyrocketed 1,200 percent. Low housing stock is a problem across the nation, and the island is no different. Inventory of all available property types is down to 121, or just 2.5 percent of the total properties on the island. During the past three years, the number of available properties dropped by 76 percent. Kiawah Island Real Estate, which handles the majority of sales at the coastal enclave, including the Vanderhorst transaction, also reported record-breaking sales volume. The firm handled more than $342 million in closed transactions during the year's first half. That's up 257 percent from the same period last year and 30 percent higher than the previous record high during the past 16 years. On the home front D.R. Horton has lassoed more land in the Wildcat Tract next to Cane Bay Plantation. The Texas-based homebuilder paid $8.6 million for 92 lots in Cane Ridge Phase 2 off of Fairwinds Boulevard close to Cane Bay Boulevard. An affiliate of Gramling Brothers Real Estate & Development bought the 2,031-acre Wildcat Tract in 2016 for $21 million. Charleston-based Gramling is the developer of the adjacent 4,500-acre Cane Bay property, where up to 10,000 homes could be built. Another 5,700 have been approved by the county for the Wildcat site, where D.R. Horton paid $25.2 million for 604 acres about two years ago. More multifamily A new apartment development is on its way to Nexton near Summerville. Charlotte-based Terwilliger Pappas plans to build a 320-unit multifamily project called SOLIS Nexton on an 11-acre site on the southwest corner of Pace and Front streets between Sigma Drive and Brighton Park Boulevard. The one- to three-bedroom units will be located in nine three- and four-story buildings. Garages also will be offered for lease. The development will be within walking distance to Nexton Square retail center. "This is exactly the type of location weve been searching for a walkable location with access to restaurants and other amenities desired by our future residents," said Tom Barker, regional CEO for Terwilliger Pappas. Completion is expected in the fall of 2022. COLUMBIA Minority-owned businesses across South Carolina have won more than $1 million worth of work this year in one of the Midlands largest school districts, and officials have renewed a longstanding commitment to ensure those firms can compete for future projects. Trustees at Lexington District One the states sixth biggest by enrollment unanimously approved extending a minority business enterprise plan designed to balance economic and community growth. District leaders allocate one-half of 1 percent of its annual budget for procurement of supplies, services and construction to minority-owned businesses. "Efforts will be directed towards establishing procedures designed to result in awarding contracts and subcontracts to minority businesses in order to enhance minority capital ownership, overall State economic development, and reduce dependency on the part of minorities, the plan states. This year, the goal was to award $657,243 to those enterprises. Through July 1, the district has invested more than $1 million in them through its competitive bidding process, Chief Operations Officer Jeff Salters said. We have been fortunate in the past two or three years that we've made that goal. In years past, we haven't hit that goal. Its always been our stance that we always take the lowest price, Salters told board members on June 22. Among its recipients: Lexington-based Pine Press, a printing and sign company that got more than $19,500 in business from the district between July 2020 and March, according to monthly expenditure reports. Putting money into businesses as the nation emerges from a crippling economic shutdown has many minority owners on edge about their futures, a recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce survey of 500 business owners found. Fears over obtaining loans, falling further behind competitors and permanent revenue reductions all are higher among minority business owners, an August 2020 report concluded. Alonzo Avents, who ran a janitorial franchise from 2017 through 2019 that served the district, praised its policy. I think its a great idea. Overall, I thought it was beneficial to have those opportunities, he said. To see that process grow and expand, Im looking forward to it. Salters said minority-owned businesses arent given preferential treatment when bids go out, as the district always accepts the lowest offer. But staff monitor and post contracts to the states minority vendor list to ensure they get maximum exposure. Through our construction processes and so forth over the past few years, a lot of our firms are minority-owned, so that helps us meet the goal every year, Salters said. For some, they're objects of fear night creatures that invade homes and apartments across the Charleston area carrying filth and disease. Experts agree that bat intrusions into homes are a growing issue in the Lowcountry. Driven by a changing environment and encroachment into their natural habitat, these nocturnal mammals seek shelter where they can find it, including in houses. But for wildlife experts, bats are not animals to be feared. They're critical parts of the ecosystem that need to be saved and treated with respect. The Post and Courier reached out to experts on what to do if you find a bat in your home and for advice on how to keep them from entering in the first place. As the region continues to grow and new communities are built in previously undeveloped areas, bats' natural habitats are being replaced by subdivisions, said David Adams, South Carolina manager of Alpha Wildlife, a company that specializes in safe bat removal. "The natural habitat is trees, caves and overhangs," Adams said. "They have nowhere else to go, and adapt to living in our homes. It is a growing issue." Bats are nocturnal mammals that prefer to roost during the day in caves, cliffs and tree hollows, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. They can also be found in attics, roofs, roof overhangs, walls and abandoned or unfrequented buildings. Seasonal bat activity varies, but in general, sightings are more common from mid-June to November, DHEC said. For state health officials, the main concern regarding bat-human interaction is the risk of rabies, a disease that's nearly 100 percent fatal once symptoms emerge. "Although most bats do not have rabies, (it) is still a very real and fatal disease," DHEC said. "More people die from rabid bat exposures than from any other rabid animal. A bat that is active by day, found where bats are not usually seen, or unable to fly is far more likely to be rabid. However, there is no guarantee that a rabid bat will behave any differently than a healthy bat." The state health agency defines bat contact and exposure as: Waking up to find a bat in your room. Finding a bat where children, pets, intoxicated people or people with intellectual disabilities have been left unattended. Anytime a pet or person that has been in direct contact with a bat. DHEC officials recommend the public take the following steps from preventing bats from entering their building: Contact their local wildlife control operator through the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and schedule an inspection. Carefully look around their home for holes that bats might use to enter, and seal any openings larger than a quarter-inch by half-inch. Seal electrical and plumbing holes. Ensure all doors to the outside close tightly. Cover outside entry points in attics and buildings. Bats also are frequently found in terracotta roofing tiles, DHEC said. Anyone with this roof type should consider sealing the gaps created by each tile. If anyone sees a bat in their home, they should immediately contact their local DHEC Environmental Affairs office if they or someone else in the home has been exposed to the bat, according to Terri McCollister, rabies prevention team lead for the health agency. The bat should not be allowed to leave the house because authorities might need to test it for rabies. Residents should isolate the bat in a closed room without touching the animal and call their local DHEC office, McCollister said. Contact information is available at www.scdhec.gov/EAoffices. Sign up for the Charleston Hot Sheet Get a weekly list of tips on pop-ups, last minute tickets and little-known experiences hand-selected by our newsroom in your inbox each Thursday. Email Sign Up! "Bats have very small teeth and bites can go unnoticed," she said. "For this reason, (we take) reports of bats very seriously." After a possible rabies exposure, DHEC medical staff evaluate each patient's risks and determine whether vaccination is necessary, according to the agency. Getting the rabies vaccine shortly after exposure is the only known method of preventing the fatal disease. Once symptoms surface, there is no known successful cure. All bat exposures should immediately be reported to DHEC, McCollister said. Although exposure to bats needs to be taken seriously, experts agree that they are not inherently dangerous animals. They're delicate animals that are easily injured by humans, Adams said. The wildlife removal expert said it's important for homeowners and renters to keep an eye out for signs of bat intrusion, such as guano bat droppings on the ground. Guano should be cleaned up right away because breathing it in can make people sick, he said. "Don't sweep it," Adams said. "You have to spray it down with water and get it out of your walking path." If a homeowner or renter sees or hears bats, or sees guano accumulating in areas under the eaves of their home, they should immediately call a professional wildlife removal company like his so they can do an inspection and nighttime observation, he said. Once that's complete, crews will come back to conduct any necessary repairs and seal all but one point of entry and exit for the bats. Leaving one opening ensures professionals can funnel the bats out before fully sealing the space, Adams said. "They are a federally protected animal," he said. "There's no need to kill bats. You just want to safely exclude them from your house so they can go live somewhere else." Besides hearing noises and seeing guano on the ground, homeowners and renters should look for brown staining along their rooflines by the eaves, Adams said. The staining comes from the bats' oils that get rubbed on and around the entry point into the home. All South Carolina bats eat insects, said Jennifer Kindel, a wildlife biologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. They serve critical roles in the environment by protecting valuable crops like coffee, pecans and cotton from pests, and pollinating others, Kindel said. Homeowners and renters who wish to prevent bats from entering their residence should be wary of any holes or cracks in the structure, she said. Bats can squeeze into spaces as small as a half inch, she said. "The key is to keep the exterior of the building sealed as much as possible using screening or caulking to prevent bats from gaining entry," Kindel said. "For example, a common place for bats to enter a building are through attic vents, so putting up and maintaining screening from the inside would keep them out. Other exterior openings to consider, especially those above 10 feet, are expansion joints, cracks, holes or crevices." To learn more about bats and the role they play in South Carolina, visit dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/bats. From health crises to political and cultural divides, faith communities have long had to grapple with the unique ways these issues impact houses of worship. The new bishop of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina will have his plate full when he assumes leadership of the diocese's 53 congregations in 2022 amid a backdrop of COVID-19, racial and political divides nationally and locally, and an ongoing decline of church affiliation. Nonetheless, the diocese is confident that all of its three candidates for bishop are up for the job. That assurance has a lot to do with the fact that the South Carolina diocese believes its next religious leader has already been selected by God. "We went into this without an agenda," said the Rev. Jason Collins, rector for St. Paul's Church in Conway and head of the diocese's search committee. We felt like the Lord has already chosen our next bishop. The final three candidates for the top clergymen position are: The Very Rev. Charles F. Chip Edgar III. Edgar is the planting pastor, rector and dean of The Cathedral Church of the Apostles (Diocese of the Carolinas) in Columbia, where he has served since 2004. During that time, Edgar oversaw the growth of the church from a core group of 25 to an average Sunday attendance of nearly 400. He also served as the rector of St. Marks Episcopal Church in Glen Ellyn, Ill. 1997-2004. Edgar has been married since 1989 and has five children. The Rev. Robert C. Rob Sturdy. Sturdy has been the Anglican chaplain to the Corp of Cadets at St. Albans Anglican Chapel at The Citadel since July 2017. He served as associate rector at St. Andrews in Mount Pleasant from 2012 to 2017 and served as the rector at Trinity Church in Myrtle Beach from 2008 to 2012. The Rev. Christopher S. Chris Warner. Warner has been the rector of the Church of the Holy Cross, Sullivans Island and Daniel Island, since 2015 and served as associate rector from 2002 to 2007 and from 2011 to 2015. He successfully led Holy Cross in a transition from a seeker model church to a relational and discipleship model church. He has been married since 1993 and has three children. The candidates were chosen during a long search process that began with the initial diocesan approval at the Diocesan Convention in 2020. The committee sought a candidate that reflected New Testament Scriptural standards that call bishops to serve as shepherds, good stewards and godly managers, Collins said. The search committee, a mixture of clergy and laity, was chosen by a diocesan election during the winter of 2020 and has met regularly by Zoom and quarterly in person. Sign up for the Charleston Hot Sheet Get a weekly list of tips on pop-ups, last minute tickets and little-known experiences hand-selected by our newsroom in your inbox each Thursday. Email Sign Up! The next step in the process is to host a series of walkabouts in mid-September at various locations throughout the diocese for candidates to meet and greet parishioners. The diocese's Special Electing Convention is scheduled for Oct. 16 at Christ Church in Mount Pleasant. Afterward, the College of Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America would need to approve the election at the College of Bishop's winter meeting in Jan. 2022. The new bishop coadjutor will be consecrated at the Diocesan Convention March 2022. The selected person will spend a "season" with the diocese's Bishop Mark Lawrence, the current bishop, before officially becoming the diocese's next bishop. Our process is very democratic," Collins said. The future top clergyman of the diocese will have to find effective ways to communicate the Gospel amid changing times, said the Rev. Shay Gaillard, rector of St. Helenas in Beaufort and head of the diocese's Standing Committee. This becomes particularly important when considering the decline in the number of people attending houses of worship. In 2020, 47 percent of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque, according to a Gallup poll. That number is down from 50 percent in 2018. The Anglican Diocese has been working to plant new churches in growing metropolitan areas in the state, Galliard said. That must continue if the diocese wants to be positioned to continue sharing God's love, he said. GREENVILLE Years in the making, the vision for a conference center in downtown Greenville is becoming a reality as the city presents early plans to the public. On Aug. 16, the city will host two open house meetings at the Greenville Water System headquarters a few blocks north of where the center is planned on seven acres along the banks of the Reedy River. The meetings are designed to "learn more about the proposed Downtown Conference Center, to provide feedback and to discover how greenspace, mobility and inclusivity will be addressed," according to a city announcement. The $100 project, billed as the South Carolina Art and Cultural Center, recently received an additional $19 million in state funding. The allocation through the state Legislature's "earmark" process for special allocations within lawmakers' respective districts fulfills the final part of a financial plan that has the city of Greenville, Greenville County and the state contribute $26 million each. The funding will capitalize on a land donation of seven acres of prime real estate next to RiverPlace along South Academy Street. The land, valued at $25 million, is being donated by prominent Greenville developers Bo Aughtry and Phil Hughes. Two years ago, plans for the conference center surfaced when state Rep. Bruce Bannister of Greenville announced $7 million in state funding for the project. The developers presented renderings of the project in public meetings to secure local funding. Sign up for our Greenville development newsletter. Get all the latest updates on the Upstate real estate market, more openings and closings, exclusive development news and more in your inbox each week. Email Sign Up! The vision rendered for the center since that time isn't clear and will be revealed in the meetings that will take place 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The city currently is performing "due diligence" on options for the site and financial feasibility of what can be accomplished, city spokeswoman Beth Brotherton said. The project would be a hybrid conference center and museum, with art from the Greenville County Art Museum and Bob Jones University featured. Once built out, the leaders of the effort have said it would yield a $300 million overall investment. The movement comes at a time when the massive Greenville Convention Center off South Pleasantburg Drive continues to lose money, as it has for years. Recently, the city has subsidized the center with $1 million to cover losses. Now, the city and the county are in discussions about how to proceed with the convention center that is far from the downtown area. One possibility is either a donation or sale to the county, which would then operate it, County Council Chairman Willis Meadows said. Five years ago, a consultant hired by the city to determine the feasibility of a downtown convention center suggested closing the former textile hall that houses big trade shows and other events. The consultant suggested that the city could follow a model different from centers in other inner cities, which calls for a center to be attached to a central hotel. Instead, the consultant said that Greenville could build a center and use a network of hotels in its easily walkable downtown. GREENVILLE A former parishioner has accused the pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in West Greenville of using his position to manipulate her into a sexual relationship, according to a lawsuit filed this week. Following the allegations, the Diocese of Charleston placed Fr. Wilbroad Mwape on leave, according to a statement from the Support Network for those Abused by Priests (SNAP), which has expressed support for the plaintiff. The lawsuit states that Mwape met the plaintiff while he was a priest at Holy Trinity in Orangeburg, where he served for about five years, and where she was a member. Mwape provided the plaintiff with counseling during that time, the complaint said. Mwape, who the complaint states was aware of the plaintiff's marital issues through his position as her priest, was transferred to St. Anthony's in the summer of 2020. According to the lawsuit, he invited the former parishioner to St. Anthony's rectory following the transfer, where he made a sexual advance which she rejected and "expressed that this behavior was wrong." Soon after, the two began a sexual relationship that continued into 2021 in which the plaintiff spent the night in the rectory and met Mwape at motels during monthly trips he took to Columbia. The suit states the sexual relationship was an abuse of power that seriously impacted the plaintiff. "Plaintiff admired, trusted, revered, and respected Mwape as a holy man, authority figure, advisor, role model, and counselor," the complaint states. "As a result, Plaintiff entrusted her personal safety to Mwape, shared with Mwape her most confidential information, and she took direction from him." The lawsuit also states that the Diocese of Charleston and its Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone, who are also named as defendants, were negligent in their failure to prevent Mwape from engaging in a sexual relationship with one of his former parishioners. None of the defendants have filed a response to the lawsuit, which was filed Aug. 2. Dr. Kent Stock dashes into a hospital unit for patients who are coming and going from intensive care. Its 10 patient rooms, wrapped like a horseshoe around a cramped nurses station, are full this morning, their doors closed. Every patient inside has COVID-19. A week ago, the unit had only three. Bon Secours St. Francis is not one of the first hospitals within its larger system to get COVID-19 patients. When they come here, it means the others are filling. Stock, an infectious disease doctor and COVID point man, stands outside a patient room to begin the mornings rounds with a team of masked doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists. It is Aug. 5, a Thursday. In Room 211, an otherwise healthy 69-year-old was admitted the previous day. He is unvaccinated. Next door, an 84-year-old man was admitted Tuesday. His wife, daughter and daughter-in-law all tested positive. He is unvaccinated. Nearby, a 61-year-old is maxed out on the oxygen he can get without going onto a ventilator. He caught the virus from a friend. His friend is fine; he is not. His friend got a vaccine; he did not. Hes struggling, Stock says. As the team moves along, they discuss how the delta variant is propelling a wave of patients who dont look like the previous ones. Delta is more aggressive and more virulent. And its striking younger, healthier people. Stock says he has seen more COVID-19 patients in the 40- to 65-year-old range, including those who die. Across town, in a lab at the Medical University of South Carolina, researchers have been testing positive cases to see what variants are showing up. Delta, which appeared in their data in mid-June, now accounts for more than 92 percent of all positive tests. At the bedside, Stock says, we are definitely dealing with a different animal. Yet, this unit did send a patient home during the week. She was 80, had cancer and was on chemotherapy, a prototype of who COVID-19 used to kill. The difference? She is vaccinated. In room 215, a corner room, Brenda Langley is not. 'All the vulnerability' Before entering Langley's room, nurse Kristen Moody wraps herself in seemingly every form of plastic and latex, then slips inside quickly. The room is cramped, the window hazy with humidity. The Golden Girls plays on TV as the 69-year-old patient lies on her stomach to help expand her lung function. Although her family and boss reach out often, she spends the long hours of every day feeling scared and lonely. Amanda Snipes, a respiratory therapist, arrives to examine a high-flow nasal tube that delivers substantial amounts of oxygen, which so far is keeping her off a ventilator. Going on one is Langleys biggest fear, aside from dying. Im not going to give in to this, she says. Im going to whip it. She adds, And then Im going to get a vaccine. Langley arrived here three days ago after languishing all weekend in the emergency department at Roper St. Francis Berkeley Hospital in Summerville. Beds for COVID-19 patients had become, very suddenly, full. On Sunday, while she waited for one, Gov. Henry McMaster went on FOX News. He called COVID-19 concerns an exaggeration. I believe a lot of our national experts are engaging in frightening hyperbole," McMaster said. He acknowledged that rates were rising but assured, "The house is not on fire again." The governor urged vaccinations, adding that they aren't for everyone. Langley had thought the same thing. Throughout the pandemic, the Summerville resident worked full-time at Publix. She figured that if she hadnt gotten COVID-19 yet, after all those months on the frontline of a grocery store, she was pretty safe. She also has Hashimoto's thyroiditis, an autoimmune disorder, and worried the vaccines effects might be worse than catching the virus. Her doctor highly recommended getting the vaccine. Langley procrastinated. About a week ago, she started sneezing, then coughing. After testing positive, she arrived at St. Francis with a diagnosis of pneumonia. She tells Moody, her nurse, that she is now urging everyone she knows to get a vaccine and plans to get one herself. Hopefully, we wont grow tails! she laughs. And coughs. Moody smiles back. I havent yet. For medical workers like her, its hard to hide the frustration. Langley is like so many in this new surge of cases. They arrive unvaccinated, get very sick, and then become vaccine champions. Much convincing remains. South Carolina ranks 46th in the nation for vaccinations. In the tri-county area, which feeds patients to St. Francis, only 43 percent of residents are fully vaccinated, and that doesn't include children under 12 who aren't eligible. Langley tears up explaining the vulnerability, the fear of death, the shock at being here fighting COVID-19. "Put the fear away, and trust the system," she says. "Trust God that He is in control, and He gave us medicine for a reason. He gave us this vaccine. As her voice quivers, Moody sets a hand onto hers, a reassuring gesture, one wrapped in two layers of purple latex. Hope unrequited Across the country, new daily hospital admissions for COVID-19 patients shot up 40 percent over the past week to more than 7,700 new patients a day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those big numbers become real, individual people in local hospitals. Over the past two weeks, the Roper St. Francis Healthcare system went from 25 to 65 patients with COVID-19. At St. Francis, it started a week ago, mostly with patients arriving from rural areas of Dorchester and Berkeley counties, which have lower vaccination rates. It can seem like a vague and generalized threat. Unless you are someone like Dr. Stock, once again rounding in units filled with COVID-19 patients. 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! There was a time this spring, when the air warmed and the azaleas bloomed and Stock got the vaccine, and he and his colleagues felt so hopeful. Now, that's been replaced by scenes like the one last week in which a man screamed at him in his office. You cant tell me what to do. I dont trust the government. Theres not enough safety data. The vaccine will make me sick. Stock finishes rounds and heads for the intensive care unit. 'Anger is the best word' As he speed-walks to the ICU, numbers careen through Stock's head. A day earlier, about 300 people in the tri-county area had tested positive for the virus. He'd read a study that showed at least 15 percent of infected people will get sick enough to require hospital care. Thats 45 new patients coming down the pike to local hospitals from one day's new cases. And each day, the number is rising. As a result, St. Francis has become a microcosm for what is happening here and across the country. The ICU is full. It has three COVID-19 patients, and its other beds are filled with its usual types of critically ill people. Normally, the hospital keeps one room open for an emergency need. But not now. On this shift, the unit also is short two critical care nurses. Nationwide, the nurses have come under enormous demand, their ranks burned out from prior COVID surges and thinned by the bigger money they can make as traveling nurses elsewhere. As a result, two nurses working today have three patients when the level of care typically demands only one or two per nurse. Even the rapid response nurse, who normally rushes to emergencies around the hospital, has a patient. Stock greets fellow physician David Handshoe, a pulmonologist whose partner has been working at Summerville Medical Center, a hard-hit hospital. In just the past week, two of her patients with COVID-19 died one was 28 years old, one 27. Neither were vaccinated. The doctor, Leslie Wilke, recalls that when COVID-19 patients died last year, she often spoke with distraught children of the elderly patients. This time, she is talking to parents of younger adults, and there is something so different about a parent burying a child especially from something preventable, she says. Like many doctors, she feels like a broken record playing music in the background of everyone elses back-to-normal lives. Anger is the best word, honestly, Wilke says. Thats been the overwhelming theme among staff in the ICU this week. I dont want to sound crass, but if they had all been vaccinated, we wouldnt be dealing with this. Handshoe heads into a large ICU room with two beds. Both patients have COVID-19. Both are on ventilators. One is a 64-year-old woman. She was vaccinated back in April but takes medications that block the same receptors the vaccine tries to reach. Her husband sits alone outside the glass windows to the room, wondering if someone who isn't vaccinated gave it to her. Beside her is a 36-year-old man. He isnt vaccinated. Next door, neither is Brandon Scott, who is 33. Message from the ICU Scott didnt get vaccinated because he figured he was young and healthy. If he caught the virus, surely he wouldnt get very sick. He arrived at St. Francis last weekend short of breath, then deteriorated rapidly. His oxygen needs escalated, although so far, he has avoided going on a ventilator and today appears stabilized. On Tuesday, crews navigated him into this ICU room, alone, away from his family. Visitors can only come when someone is dying. Even then, they must wear full protective gear, rendering them something like an astronaut stepping into the strange space of their loved ones hospital room. The two TVs in his room sit dark and quiet, turned away from him, toward the room's only window. The silence, the seclusion create a womblike atmosphere. When Scott rouses, one hand feels around the spaghetti pile of tubes across his chest, and he tries to speak. A plastic mask muffles his words. Just get it, he says in a whisper. He stops, laboring to inhale. I wish I had got it. Inhale. Do the right thing. Before closing his bloodshot eyes, he manages to thrust out a few more words. Do what youve got to do. Get that shot. His nurse, Mike Benson, quietly moves around the room. He wears a camouflage scrub cap and normally sports a beard. But to get an N95 respirator to fill snuggly enough to protect him, he arrives in Scott's room freshly shaven. He jokes that he feels like Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog, because with every COVID-19 surge, he has had to nix the beard. When you see my chin," he says, "it means six more weeks of COVID. Benson chuckles then at the dark humor, so common here because it sure beats crying. Charleston, SC (29403) Today Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 76F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 76F. Winds light and variable. MYRTLE BEACH Chris Diorio's parents are prepared to stay in Myrtle Beach one more night after a week-long family vacation is culminating with a not-so-reliable Spirit Airlines flight back to New York. They have just been really stressed out," Diorio said. "They see on the news about all of the cancellations and worrying about if they are going to be able to get out of here (Aug. 7) or not." This summer has been scorching hot for travel at Myrtle Beach International Airport and tempers for passengers of Spirit Airlines the airport's largest carrier were equally as hot as delays and cancellations caused by airline operational challenges left hundreds of passengers stranded throughout the week. The airline has blamed delays that started in July cascaded into staffing problems at a time when more people were traveling as COVID restrictions were relaxed. Aug. 6 marked the sixth day for delays and canceled flights for Spirit out of Myrtle Beach, the state's top tourist destination. Spirit canceled 22 flights originating out of Myrtle Beach airport on Aug. 6 while another eight were delayed, according to tracking service FlightAware. And 23 flights were canceled arriving into Myrtle Beach on Aug. 6 with 11 delayed, per FlightAware. Spirit Airlines says recovering from the flight disruptions with cancellation rates shrinking. Company leaders said normal operations should resume by the middle of next week. "While we never want to cancel flights and inconvenience our guests, this is a step in the right direction," Erik Hofmeyer, director of communications for Spirit, in an email. Spirit CEO Ted Christie has blamed this weeks cancellations on a months worth of bad weather and its associated delays, which led to more crew members getting dislocated and being unable to fly their assigned trips. Also travel had picked up as COVID restrictions eased earlier this year. He apologized to customers in an email provided to Post and Courier Myrtle Beach. "Ultimately, the number of crews facing those issues outpaced our crew scheduling departments capacity for getting them back in place," Christie said. Our primary objective right now is taking care of our guests and team members and getting our operation back to where we want it to be." More than 2,000 Spirit flights were canceled nationwide this week, according to multiple media sources. It was unknown how many passengers are still stranded in Myrtle Beach. "Spirit continues to take care of guests impacted by cancellations using a combination of options, including re-accommodations, flight credits, refunds, hotel vouchers and meal vouchers," Hofmeyer said in the email. The Myrtle Beach airport referred all questions to the airline, but issued a statement saying, "We empathize with affected passengers and are committed to assisting Spirit as they work to resume normal operations at (the airport). Passengers are strongly encouraged to monitor their flight status prior to arriving at the airport and to contact the airline directly to resolve any flight schedule issues." The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, the region's main tourism promoter, has been monitoring the Spirit situation to make sure passengers are getting the help they need. "Our thoughts are with those who have been impacted by the flight cancellations here and across the country," the chamber said in a statement. More Coverage Stranded at the Myrtle Beach International Airport. Several flights by @SpiritAirlines are being canceled and delayed hours and hours. No one provides information or updates. This should be a crime. Murilo Gomes (@muriloogps) August 3, 2021 Spirit Airlines is, by far, the largest carrier at Myrtle Beach International Airport, carrying 45 percent of its passenger volume in and out of the airport. As of the end of June, Spirit Airlines had 302,767 passengers board planes in Myrtle Beach in 2021, with American Airlines in a far second with 138,235. When major delays and cancelations occur, airlines have contracts with different hotels throughout the Grand Strand to house stranded passengers. Spirit Airlines cancels flights Screenshot of departures that were scheduled to leave Myrtle Beach International Airport, but were canceled by Spirit Airlines due to operatio Jeffrey Wisniewski and his wife Patricia live in the Myrtle Beach area but recently had an experience trying to get home from Pennsylvania on Spirit. The Wisniewskis had no issues leaving Myrtle Beach on July 29, but trying to get home on Aug. 1 was a different story. Their return flight was originally scheduled to fly out of Latrobe on 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 1, but after multiple emails by Spirit and cancellations later, they drove to Pittsburgh, spent a few days there, booked a flight to Philadelphia and eventually made it home to Myrtle Beach Aug. 4 via American Airlines. Wisniewski said while it was a minor inconvenience, they made the most of those three days by exploring Pittsburgh and even sampled some wine at Philadelphia International during a layover there. Was it inconvenient? Yes, he said. Was it the end of the world? Absolutely not. It happens and we just decided to make the most of it and have fun with it, he said. "Granted, we werent traveling with young kids. We were coming home as opposed to those people who were coming here, and it was impacting the start of their vacation, and I feel for them. Passengers using the Myrtle Beach can check their flight status at flymyrtlebeach.com/flight-information. MYRTLE BEACH A group of Myrtle Beach residents have succeeded, for now, in halting a proposed 7-Eleven gas station near their subdivision after seeking a court order. Residents will now get their chance to speak out against the 24-hour, 16-pump gas station slated for the corner of 82nd Parkway and North Kings Highway at a Myrtle Beach Board of Zoning Appeals meeting Sept. 9. The station could have won final approval on Aug. 5 at the city's Community Appearance Board meeting, but objections by neighborhood residents, including filing a request for the restraining order, got the debate moved to the Board of Zoning Appeals. Some residents of a subdivision with 200-plus homes behind the proposed station, Living Dunes, are part of the Myrtle Beach For Healthy Neighborhoods Coalition. The group filed the injunction request against the city of Myrtle Beach, its Community Appearance Board and the station's developer, WMG Development. Residents have argued that the 7-Eleven would lower the value of their homes, harm residents' health and increase traffic around their homes. They also told Myrtle Beach City Council that the gas station is not compatible with zoning plans for the surrounding area. That's the issue they want to address with the city's Board of Zoning Appeals. The Myrtle Beach For Healthy Neighborhoods Coalition has asked Myrtle Beach City Council to pass an ordinance preventing gas stations from opening within 500 feet of homes. 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! Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune said last month the city it is not violating any ordinances by allowing construction of the 7-Eleven, citing an opinion from the city attorney. Bethune added a final decision on the station is not up to city council. That rests with the Community Appearance Board. I understand the concerns of the residents, however this decision is outside of the decision of council, Bethune said. When the development was still on the agenda for the appearance board's Aug. 5 meeting, the residents filed an injunction request on Aug. 3 to get their case sent to the Board of Zoning Appeals. The city agreed to send the debate over the gas station to the appeals board because of objections from residents, city spokesman Mark Kruea said. He did not cite residents' decision to take the city to court. Geoffrey Kay, who was among the residents trying to stop the station being considered by the appearance board, called the city's decision a victory for Living Dunes' homeowners, since they wanted the chance to make their case to the board of appeals. An input session for the new public safety headquarters will be held Aug. 12 at 6 p.m. in the Palmetto Room at the North Augusta Municipal Center. This was part of a list council gave to city staff to complete before voting on a new headquarters location. Mayor Briton Williams is encouraging residents to come out and voice their concerns. We have gotten questions and this input session will be the opportunity for all of those questions. We will have our contractors, JLA and all of our folks there to get specific questions you have. It will be a chance to voice good things and bad things, your views at that session, Williams said. After the citizen input session, all information will be brought to council for deliberation. We set very firm guidance of what (City Administrator Jim Clifford) needed to do, and he has been working through that, and at this point we are still gathering information, Williams said. The city also accepted the donation of an electric bike from Pedego Electric Bikes in Aiken for the North Augusta Department of Public Safety. The bike, which can go up to 20 mph with about 56 miles per charge, is worth approximately $5,000. It comes with a siren, flashing lights, two batteries, a cooler on the back and pedal assist. On these bikes, what theyve (Aiken Department of Public Safety) told me is that when they are out there, they can hear things and see things and smell things that you dont see when youre in your patrol car, Coker Day, the owner of Pedego Aiken said. And also it gives you a chance to be more one on one with the community versus being in a car. Theres a lot more personal interactions that take place when you are on a bicycle and they are not as quite as intimidating when they come up on a bike. We picked North Augusta because we hear a lot of our bikes are used on the Greeneway and we want to be supportive of the community, Day said. Most of our competitors are online bike dealers and we try to be a little different. Pedego has also donated bikes to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the Aiken Department of Public Safety. North Augusta is looking forward to using the bikes along the Greeneway and around town at high-capacity events like the Jack OLantern Jubilee. I want to thank Mr. Day and his staff for their kindness and generosity. It will come to good use, NADPS Chief John Thomas said. It's a great community tool, Thomas said. Kids love this kind of thing and they will stop and take a look at that bike and we will know what to use it for. Council member Kevin Toole was not in attendance at the Aug. 2 meeting. The full agenda can be viewed online at northaugusta.net. Other business City council unanimously passed the first reading for the annexation of 14.3 acres of land near Edgefield Road for a QuikTrip. This would allow the corporation access to roads, utilities and more. I think it is going to add some extra benefit there on Exit 5, on the south side of Exit 5 and it's not just going to benefit the city of North Augusta residents. I think it is going to benefit Aiken County and potentially Edgefield County residents as well, City Administrator Jim Clifford said. Meet the Mayor will be held Aug. 3 at SRP Federal Credit Union at Exit 5 at 6 p.m. Council members Jenafer McCauley and Kevin Toole will also be in attendance. Council members Bob Brooks and Kevin Toole were recognized by the Municipal Elected Official Institute of Government Graduates for 2021. They join council member David McGhee as a graduate of the program. Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations. I applaud Sen. Lindsey Graham for acting responsibly this week regarding his COVID-19 diagnosis. I appreciate Graham getting tested after experiencing symptoms, his quick public acknowledgment and setting the right example by saying he is isolating himself to protect others. I also see a silver lining in his recent COVID-19 diagnosis. First, its another leading GOP lawmaker to acknowledge that COVID-19 is real. Second, and perhaps more importantly, Graham confirms he received the vaccine, stating, I am very glad I was vaccinated. Perhaps this will pause some of the anti-vaccine talk. Unfortunately, its likely going to take more people of Sen. Grahams stature contracting COVID-19 for the unvaccinated crowd to take heed and get the vaccine. Get well soon, senator. ANDREW KIEL Golden Bell Drive Rock Hill Think beyond ambitions How sad that Gov. Henry McMaster and many of our legislators are willing to jeopardize the welfare of teachers and students by following their political calculations instead of scientists and health professionals as well as common sense. I wish that South Carolinas politicians could think beyond their own ambitions. ANNE DUNCAN Coburg Road Charleston Be aware of policies The Charleston County School District is using cultural competency teams and culturally responsive teaching to disguise meanings and intimidate district parents, as the district pursues its Mission Critical program begun in 2019. 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! About 1,000 teachers have participated in training on implicit bias and racial equality. This teacher training has started off voluntarily, but that could change. The district is using $12 million from the Department of Education to help fund the initiative. Also, $353,000 from the districts general fund will cover the rest of the cost as well as the salary for Brandi Blake, the new director of intercultural development. According to a July 21 Post and Courier article, the district has no intention of adopting critical race theory into its curriculum, as a state budget proviso forbids it. But the proviso allows for professional development teacher training related to issues of addressing unconscious bias, which is included in the districts cultural competency plans. The district has declared that to be an effective educator, one must recognize that various sets of values and practices are indigenous to certain people. The districts student population is 49% white, 34% black and 12% Hispanic, but black students make up only 9% of Wando High. With its teachers being 83% white, 15% black and 2% Hispanic, the district is looking at a program that would allow adults to earn classroom certification without going back to college. Are these changes you want to see occur at the school district? Stay aware of the districts policies. JOAN CHARD Swinton Court Mount Pleasant Pace of change slow Twelve score and five years ago ... Our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. I recently heard a discussion on a TV talk show about how some are impatient with the slow pace of progress toward that aspirational goal. It takes a long time to turn a battleship, longer to turn the ethics and mores of mankind. For example, it was 12 generations from the beginning of slavery in the American colonies to the Emancipation Proclamation, four more to the Civil Rights Bill and two more to bring us to the present day. The nations founders brought forth a completely new concept in governance, an exceptionally free government of the people, by the people and for the people. Were still a work in progress. MOULTRIE D. PLOWDEN Wade Hampton Avenue Walterboro This Epoch Times story is headlined: Fight Social Media Censorship by Suing for Discrimination, Think Tank Head Urges. Reporter Matthew Vadum interviewed me for the article earlier this week, and he quotes me extensively. Regular readers will be familiar with the points I made to Mr. Vadum: The best way to fight social media censorship is to promote model state legislation all across the country that gives users the right to sue when a tech platform engages in discrimination, John Hinderaker, president of Minnesotas Center of the American Experiment, told The Epoch Times in an exclusive interview. *** Hinderaker writes that the basic idea behind his right-to-sue model legislation is to ban discrimination in the moderation of content on social media sites on the basis of race, sex, religion, or political orientation. *** These tech companies cannot afford to keep getting sued, particularly if some of the major states like Texas and Florida pass the right kind of legislation, Hinderaker told The Epoch Times in the interview. I really think its the one thing that could cause the tech companies to just give it up. One of the many advantages of this approach is that existing discrimination law could readily be imported, so that, for example, a plaintiff could investigate how the tech company treats other users who have posted similar materials, with a view toward showing that the grounds for censorship asserted by the social media platform were pretextual. The interview also includes some discussion of my view that the antitrust laws could properly be interpreted to apply to non-economic misuse of monopoly power, for example by attempting to unduly influence elections. This is potentially another way to rein in tech companies that may well turn out to be natural monopolies. Kevin Roche has the perfect complement to John Tierneys City Journal essay The panic pandemic. The Star Tribune has just published Kevins column The vaccines work. Panic is a contagion we dont need. As usual, Kevin describes himself in the tag on his column as a health care investor and consultant [who] writes the health care policy and research blog the Healthy Skeptic. Kevin wrote the column a week or two ago. This morning Kevin follows up on his column with the Healthy Skeptic post An Updated Big Picture on the Epidemic. As in his Star Tribune tag, Kevin frequently undersells his expertise. In his post he comments that his column should have been written by a physician and I dont know why someone hasnt stepped up to provide better education to the public and better expectations. Uncharacteristically, Kevin adds: [L]et me just say that my background includes 50 years of experience in health care, including working as a nurses aide and running multi-hundred million dollar businesses. I understand health care data and analytics. I have been reading health research for 40 years and writing a blog on health care research and policy for over ten years. So I know how to read and understand and critique data sets and research. With the help of Dave Dixon and others, we have been able to provide more insight into the course of the epidemic in Minnesota and nationally and give people easy to understand graphical representations of that course. Among the areas I have become familiar with in the course of my career are epidemiology and immunology. So when the epidemic began and I saw the horrific public response, I felt well prepared to try to provide people with information that would help keep them balanced and rational. And yes, some of my commentary is biting, even harsh, but also I believe adds a little humor to a dark situation. Hopefully the blog has met that objective. And once again, let me express the deepest possible appreciation for readers, every one of you, including those who often disagree with me. As always, highly recommended if it is understanding that you seek. Blessing Iwuofor, doubles as a farmer and an agriprenurer in Abuja, but leases land in the neighbouring Nasarawa State for her farming. She is a graduate of Economics. She cultivates maize and produces beans and plantain flour. In this episode of our Women in Agriculture, Ms Iwuofor shares her experience. PT: Can you put us through your journey in Agriculture? Iwuofor: I never had any interest in farming as a child, but during my service year in 2012, I leased a farm where I cultivated yam, groundnut and maize. I had 500 heaps of yam but it was late planting. After my service year, I did not continue, I was hoping to get a white collar job but it wasnt coming so I went into food processing. I will say my journey is still short, but it started for my quest to go into agro processing. My desire to add value to agricultural products got me into becoming a farmer but not the traditional way of becoming a farmer. I produce plantain, beans and grains I have converted them into flour like cereals for shallows. I package garri. Then other healthy meals for pregnant women, babies and children. I hope to begin other products over time, currently I will not be able to do so. I also cultivate maize and rice. PT: Looking at certain policies or assistance that comes from the government, they basically require that each farmer belongs to an association, do you belong to any association? Ms Iwuofor: Yes, I belong to the Community Allied Farmers Association of Nigeria and Nigeria Women Agro Allied Farmers Association. As an agri-based association, they help to source funds for members. They also help women farmers get land. They help women farmers lease land, through cluster farming. The heads of the association often go out to source for land. They look out for communities with large expanses of land. The farmers pay, you pay per hectare. Once the farming season is over, its either you renew the deal or take your hands off it. PT: How do you think this method of cluster farming for women farmers has affected productivity? Ms Iwuofor: It has positively affected our productivity. If not for the method introduced by the association, most of us will not have access to what we have now. For someone like me, I dont know anyone here, so how will I own land in Nasarawa? If not for the association I will not be able to own lands like here. With them, it makes it easier for women to have access to land. PT: The location of this land is pretty far from your base, how do you care for the crops? Do you also use machines on them? Ms Iwuofor: Well we use tractors,we do the planting manually or hire people to do it. Some part of the activities will be done with machines. We pay heavily for these machines. We pay per hectare, there is no fixed amount. We also pay labourers per hectare too. PT: How are you able to manage yourself as a young woman in agriculture, what does it feel like? Ms Iwuofor: Farming has gone beyond the traditional methods like I said earlier. Now people farm in clusters, it makes it easier, your presence might not be needed daily on the farm. With cluster, the farm visitation is divided into groups, so in a month you may only visit once or twice. You will see that it has helped you reduce the stress of farming. What we do is that, we have someone who takes care of the farm ( an indigene of this community). PT: Tell us about your processing firm, how are you able to get raw materials for the produce? Ms Iwuofor: I buy from the market, for the plantain, I buy from the farmers. In terms of funding, I fund it with my money. I started with my savings. I started in 2019. I dont have the machines I need. I outsource, I dont have a dehydrating machine so I sun dry. I have to sit and watch the materials because I am conscious of what I give out to the public. It takes my whole time because each time I have to sun-dry, I dont go out or do anything else. After drying, I ground it. But I have to come back and sieve it. This is very tedious. I have a scaling machine to measure the weight. PT: Do you employ people for the processing like you do for farming? ADVERTISEMENT Ms Iwuofor: Yes I employ people, for peeling of plantain because it is very stressful, I pay them based on the hourly wage. Sometimes I do two or three because I join them. But I package the products. PT: Have you failed in any of the business? Ms Iwuofor: I would say yes, I have failed. In fact, last year I lost everything I cultivated, the person in charge of the crops didnt take proper care of them . In the processing I have also lost. PT: What will you say are your basic challenges that the government can solve? Ms Iwuofor: I need funds, without it I wont go far. I need to buy necessary equipment. The National Assembly is currently amending the 1999 constitution. This would be the fifth alteration to the main Nigerian law. Lawmakers in both the Senate and the House of Representatives committees on constitution review had in May and June organised public hearings across the countrys six geopolitical zones, as part of the amendment process. Many agencies, institutions, groups and individuals submitted memoranda and appeared before the panel to make or defend their submissions. Major recommendations were raised at the hearings; ranging from state police, restructuring and devolution of powers, robust electoral reforms, gender inclusiveness and financial autonomy for the judiciary and local governments. While some have condemned the entire process, describing it as a waste of time and resources, other Nigerians said it is timely and long overdue. Here are some of the key proposals made by Nigerians at the public hearings: A new constitution This is perhaps one of the most mentioned recommendations at the hearings by different individuals and groups. Many who demanded a new constitution explained that the current one is outdated. One of such people is the Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, who told the Senate panel that new laws for the country had become necessary in view of inherent flaws in the 1999 Constitution. He called for an insertion of a clause to pave the way for a rewritten constitution, which would continue to be in operation until a fresh one is ready. A former presidential candidate, Oby Ezekwesili, also made a similar call when she said the current constitution, which has been altered four times, is outdated. She asked the National assembly to accept referendums for a new constitution to be made. Devolution of powers Participants across the country also called for devolution of powers at the public hearings as they demanded that more powers be given to state and local governments. The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is one of the many who made this call. This, he said, is necessary because the existing structure overburdens the federal government with too many responsibilities which it cannot handle efficiently. And that each state of the federation should decide the model of democratic local government that best suits it. In the same vein, he called for state policing as well as the autonomy of the judiciary in states. Creation of new states The creation of new states is another demand that came up at different hearings. Many also sought the creation of new local governments. Different groups who asked for more states gave several reasons for their demands like their population, landmass, economic viability, natural resources, and industrial development potentials among others. ADVERTISEMENT A group from Wukarri in Taraba State sought the creation of Kwararrafa State out of present-day Taraba with Wukari as its capital. Manzuma Mammah from Kwara State proposed creation of Edu state from Niger and Kwara states. Some stakeholders from Adamawa State also called for the creation of a new Gongola State. A group, Chamba Cultural Development Association (CCDA), which also demanded a new state, asked for three additional local government areas to be created for them. In the same vein, Yakubu Haruna sought the creation of additional 15 local government areas in Kogi State. These are a few of the many calls for creation of states and local governments. Women inclusiveness Nigerian women and women groups were also present to make their submissions, most of which was about women inclusion in government and public offices as well as gender balance in the crafting and language of the constitution. Some women asked for special seats in the Senate, House of Representatives and state Houses of Assembly for women. They asked that each state and Abuja reserve one senatorial seat for women as well as the House of Representatives and House of Assembly. They also called for 37 senatorial seats, 74 House of Representatives seats and 108 state House of Assembly seats to be reserved for women. Others proposed that words like she/her be added to words like he/him/his in the constitution. Legislative, judiciary, LG autonomy Many groups, including the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), made a case for autonomy for the legislature, judiciary and local governments. Some state governors did so too. The NLC had told the Senate panel in Abuja to not only give autonomy to the arms of government but to the other levels of government as well especially the local government so that they can be more efficient. In a similar demand, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad, asked the National Assembly to confer the control of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on the National Judicial Council (NJC). If this is done, he said, the judiciary will exercise control over the Tribunal. Other major recommendations are; Calls for the prioritisation of the enforcement of human rights and gender equality in the constitution by religious leaders. Leaving labour and minimum wage on the Exclusive List, where it is. And removal of immunity from political office holders to allow for prosecution of criminal cases, demanded by NLC. Scholarships for Fulanis, by the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Kogi Chapter. Renaming Nigeria as United African Republic. Independent candidacy, age limit for political office contestants, separation of the office of the Attorney -General of the Federation from the office of the justice minister, Land Use Act, referendum, increase in derivation allocation, impeachment clause, among others. Although the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, promised that the report from the committees will be ready by July, the lawmakers have since embarked on summer break and the consideration of the panels report will be done later in the year. The leadership of the National Assembly has, however, assured that the propositions will be considered and inputs made where needed. They have also assured that committees will revisit failed proposals in previous amendment exercises. The National Assembly has been altering the 1999 constitution since the fifth Assembly. And while some amendments were successful, many others failed but kept appearing in new proposals. ADVERTISEMENT In a trend that began on Monday, Nigeria on Friday recorded three additional fatalities from COVID-19 complications, raising the total deaths in four days to 32. A total of 565 new cases were also recorded within the last 24 hours, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said in an update on its Facebook page Friday night. According to the update, the new infection figure raised Nigerias total infections to 177,142 while the fatality toll stands at 2,181. The increase in deaths and infections has been attributed to the fast spreading Delta variant of the disease, and experts are of the opinion that the situation could get worse if an ongoing doctors strike continues and Nigerians dont adjust their lifestyles. The nationwide strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) entered the sixth day on Saturday with services paralysed in tertiary hospitals across the country. Resident doctors constitute the largest percentage of physicians manning Nigerias health facilities. Breakdown About 16 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) contributed to Fridays 565 new cases. The NCDC data revealed that Lagos, the epicentre of the disease, recorded the lion share with 348 new infections. Rivers State came second on the chart with 70 cases while Akwa Ibom State followed with 45 and Oyo State ranked fourth with 36 cases. The FCT recorded 24 while Ekiti State recorded 15 infections, and Kwara and Ogun States reported seven new cases each. Gombe State reported three cases while Anambra and Kaduna reported two cases each. Bayelsa, Cross River, Edo, Plateau, Kano and Sokoto states recorded the lowest figure of one infection each. Meanwhile, according to the NCDC data, of the over 177,000 total cases, 165,409 people have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals across the country. The centre added that Nigeria has tested more than 2.5 million samples out of its estimated 200 million population. Active cases in Nigeria have jumped to 9,066, according to the NCDC. ADVERTISEMENT The Kaduna State Government has announced an indefinite postponement of the resumption of schools in the state earlier scheduled for August 9. The state government had earlier denied ordering the postponement after newspapers widely reported Governor Nasir El-Rufai announcing it at a meeting with stakeholders in the sector two weeks ago. The state commissioner of education, Muhammad Shehu, had then said the government was standing by the earlier announced date of August 9. But in another twist on Friday, the government through a statement jointly signed by the the Commissioner of Internal Security and Education, Samuel Aruwan, and Mr Shehu, said following the review of the security situation in the state, the government has approved the suspension of schools resumption until further noticed. Kaduna is one of the states most affected by banditry. Hundreds of people including students have been kidnapped for ransom in the state in recent months. Read the statement by the Kaduna officials below. Military operations delay school resumption, slow infrastructure projects in high-risk areas The Kaduna State Government commends the military and police high commands for the ongoing security operations against armed bandits across the state. The government praised the doggedness and courage of officers and troops carrying out air and ground operations around the Kaduna/Niger/Katsina/Plateau and Zamfara boundaries. KDSG has also requested the military and police high commands to expand the operations to newly identified hideouts. As the security operations proceed, the Kaduna State Government has been advised to postpone the resumption of schools, previously scheduled for 9th August 2021, and to pause the continuation of infrastructure projects and construction in high-risk areas, while awaiting further assessments by the security agencies. The Kaduna State Government has accepted the security advisory, and hereby directs total compliance by all schools, and agencies involved in delivering infrastructure projects in high-risk areas. New dates for school resumption will be announced based on security assessments. While wishing the military and security agencies resounding success against the bandits, KDSG appeals for the understanding of all citizens for any inconvenience and urges all residents to be patient and to report any security issues to the security agencies. Signed Shehu Usman Muhammad Commissioner of Education Samuel Aruwan Commissioner of Internal Security & Home Affairs Tragedy struck on Friday morning at the Federal Government College, Keffi in Nasarawa State, as two students drowned in a nearby river. Sources at the school said three male students on Friday morning breached the school rule by going to the river to swim while their colleagues were at the assembly hall. How it happened Narrating how the incident happened, a school official, who does not want to be quoted for not being in a position to speak to the media, said; Three male students of the Federal Government College in Keffi, Nasarawa State, went to swim in a nearby river. One of them dived into the river and was drowning. Then his colleague went to rescue him, but he too drowned because they both didnt know how to swim. It was the third student who ran back to the assembly hall to break the tragic news to his friends. Meanwhile, a teacher at the school who also pleaded anonymity to avoid sanction by the school management, told PREMIUM TIMES that the school fence that was washed away by flood allowed students to stray from the school compound unnoticed. Poor management Before the Friday incident, many parents and guardians had accused the school authorities of poor administration. They said in 2020, a part of the female dormitory was razed, reportedly leading to the death of a student. One of the parents, who also does not want to be quoted, told PREMIUM TIMES that; We pay N5,000 per student every term as Parents Teachers Association (PTA) fee. This fee has been on for a long time now but there is no visible sign of what the PTA and the school authorities use this fund for. This is because students welfare, facilities and discipline remain a huge challenge as students reportedly break bounds frequently. Confirmation Meanwhile, the schools principal, Ahmed Isah, did not respond to enquiries by this reporter as several calls to his mobile phone were not answered. But the director of press and public relations at the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) in Abuja, Bem Goong, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with our reporter on Saturday. Similarly, the chairman of the schools PTA, Kefas Kaura, also confirmed the development to PREMIUM TIMES on the phone. He said; Two SS3 students went to have their bath or so during the school assembly. They drowned in the river on Friday morning. This set of SS3 students are the most stubborn we have ever produced in the history of this school; they dont attend prep, only the female students do. He explained that a parent to one of the deceased students who hailed from Jos, Plateau State, had arrived the school on Saturday morning to collect the remains of his son. The school management gave the father of the student that died a bus and some staff to convey the corpse to Jos this morning (Saturday). While the remains of the other student who was a Muslim were interred yesterday (Friday) in Keffi, the PTA chairman disclosed. Blame game Meanwhile, the PTA chairman decried what he described as the poor attitude of some parents to their children and wards upbringing, accusing them of abandoning their responsibilities for the school. ADVERTISEMENT He said the school had de-boarded some wayward students as a disciplinary measure. Most parents dont have time for their children. So, when they become wayward, these parents push the responsibility of managing them to the school. That is wrong, Mr Kaura said. ADVERTISEMENT The leader of Cameroons separatist movement, the Interim Government, has distanced the group from a reported alliance with the Indigenous People Of Biafra and their leader, Nnamdi Kanu. Samuel Sako, who spoke during a Zoom meeting Friday, said the claim was propagated by opponents who intend to place a wedge between their movement for an independent nation and the Nigerian government. I especially thank the governors of Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Taraba who have shown our people unparalleled hospitality since the beginning of this war, said Mr Sako, 65, who noted that the Interim Government is the governing authority over the people of Southern Cameroon, also known as Ambazonia. Mr Sako said there was a reported alliance last April between IPOB and a so-called Ambazonian Governing Council. He described it as an evil deception orchestrated by the Cameroonian government and, possibly, the French Secret Service to serve as the bogeyman to cow the Nigerian state into an unholy alliance against the legitimate aspiration of the people of Southern Cameroon. Over the past few years, the Nigerian government has waged violent suppression against the IPOB members in the countrys southeast. A new report released by Amnesty International said at least 115 people were killed by Nigerian security forces in the southeast between March and June this year. Mr Kanu, the IPOB leader who was a fugitive before he was arrested in Kenya and returned to Nigeria, is currently facing trial for treason. I challenge the civil society and the journalists in Nigeria, this is the authority that speaks for the people of Southern Cameroon. We have not and we will not endorse Biafra, thats the position we have taken. We recognise the right to self-determination of people of the world according to the laws even of Nigeria, Mr Sako said. Verify for yourselves because somebody is telling a lie here which is costing us so much in the suffering of our people in Nigeria. Nigeria should continue to treat our refugees according to international law. they are desperate, they are hungry, many without shelter, many without education, many without hope. please, in the name of God, continue to treat them with love and care. they are not security threats to the territorial integrity or security of the nation of Nigeria, and they will not be. We have a legitimate fight, we are not breaking somebodys country. if we have the right to join, then that right to join also includes the right to go our separate ways, especially where there is not even an agreement binding the two sides. Brutal annexation Since 2017, the southern part of Cameroon has been locked in a battle with the central government in Yaounde over its quest to have an independent nation. The resultant humanitarian crisis has rendered, at least, half a million of the people of Southern Cameroon homeless. A year earlier, the citizens from the southern part who are English-speakers began to protest their alleged marginalisation by the government in the majority-French country. In response, President Paul Biya ordered a violent crackdown of the protesters. Mr Sako said the southern Cameroonians voluntarily elected to join French Cameroon in 1961, but after the failed experiment, the latter began a forceful annexation of their territory. For 60 years, we the people of Southern Cameroon have been raped economically, culturally, and politically. We are under a brutal annexation, in what is supposed to be a union of two states of equal status, he said. In early 2018, Nigerias secret police, the State Security Services, arrested at least seven leaders of Cameroons separatist movement at a hotel in Abuja. They were subsequently deported and handed over to the Cameroonian government where a military court sentenced them, including their leader Ayuk Tabe, to life imprisonment for rebellion and terrorism. Since that incident, the relationship between the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Nigerian government and the Cameroonian separatists have been largely strained, Mr Sako said. Its not best that we would have loved it to be, the Ambazonian leader said of his relationship with Mr Buhari. From the time our leaders were arrested, we dont know if we come to Nigeria, that case will be the same thing that will happen to us. So we are treading carefully. But, first of all, we seek understanding, so there will be a good relationship because we are neighbours forever. From 1960 we have always shared the same borders, so we seek a better relationship. Harder times await Nigerians who need medical attention at the nations public tertiary health facilities as striking doctors members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) and the labour minister, Chris Ngige, have held on to their stance. The minister on Friday while appearing on a Channels Televisions programme Politics Today said he had invoked the no work, no pay rule, against the striking doctors, saying they were taking the country for a ride. Mr Ngige also threatened that the doctors would be sacked by their various employers if the seven-day ultimatum he issued them expires. The ultimatum, according to the minister, expires on Monday. But in his reaction, the NARD President, Okhuaihesuyi Uyilawa, said the strike will continue until their demands are met. Mr Uyilawa, who spoke in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday, said his members are unperturbed by the ministers threat. Let him sack all of us, we are not begging him. He is just the minister of labour and not President Muhammadu Buhari. Hes not even the first to sack doctors. Onyebuchi (Chukwu), the health minister between 2010 and 2014 sacked doctors during his time. The only thing that happened was that it brought the sector down. When Ngige does the same thing, it will only appear in his legacy as the labour minister that sacked doctors because they are demanding their wages and welfare packages. Ministers threat The minister, during the TV programme, highlighted a timeline of resolutions and engagements with the doctors to resolve their demands. He, however, said despite the engagement and efforts to resolve pending demands, the doctors remained adamant about embarking on strike. Next week Ill escalate this issue because reconciliation has failed, the minister said, adding that I wont meet them anymore because I have other things to do. I did two conciliations yesterday. Am I going to be wasting my time with them? The minister said there are other tools within the labour laws that he would use against the striking doctors. I invoked Section 43 of the labour laws this afternoon. I have communicated it to NARD. They will not receive money for the period they are on strike and it will never count as a pensionable period in their career. Even the International Labour Organisation supports it because they render essential services. They are not supposed to go on strike without notifying me 15 days before the day of the strike. As we speak, I have not received any notification and that is why I am invoking Section 43 of the Labour Act on withdrawal of services, right to strike and the right to protect the employer and their patients. He said things will happen next week, and told the public to just fold their arms and watch, saying the doctors are playing with lives. My children are medical doctors and I have warned them not to be part of this nonsense strike, the minister added. ADVERTISEMENT Mr Ngige said after the seven-day ultimatum, he would invoke other things applicable by law. Asked what he meant by that, the minister said, I will ask their employees to replace them. You can call it sack or whatever you want but that is what I will do. I have no other options. Well go elsewhere The NARD president blamed the rapid migration of Nigerian medical professionals abroad on the poor treatment and welfare in the health system. It is patriotism to Nigeria and our parents that is making us keep practising in the country, Mr Uyilawa said. He accused the minister, also a medical doctor by profession, of paying little or no attention to the plight of the healthcare workers in the country. The doctors said most of the 12 issues listed on their associations demands are yet to be comprehensively addressed, and that the development has left many of them dejected and unhappy. Claims, counterclaims Speaking on the governments response to the doctors demands, the minister had claimed that the majority of the 12 demands have been met. On medical and life insurance for frontline doctors, the minister claimed the government has released N9.3 billion for payment of premium. He said many families of the 19 doctors that died from COVID-19 have been cleared for payment and that the government only asked the NARD to identify them on the list submitted to the government. But the NARD president described the ministers claim as false, noting that none of the 12 demands has been met. He said none of the families of the 19 doctors who died on the frontline has received the life insurance benefits. None of them has received any payment. We have the names of the doctors and their next of kin and we check for updates which is not even the job of the doctors or NARD. It is the job of the Chief Medical Directors (CMDs), the NARD president said. On hazard allowance, Mr Ngige said about N37.5 billion has been released for all health workers, a claim countered by Mr Uyilawa, saying money released is not money paid. Up till now, we still receive the initial hazard allowance of N5,000 monthly, he noted. The NARD president also listed unpaid minimum wages; shortfalls in doctors salaries of 2013, 2014 and 2015; non-capturing of doctors under the IPPIS platform among the unmet demands. Backstory The NARD on Monday resumed indefinitely the strike it had suspended earlier in April, saying having observed things for more than 100 days, the union realised that the government was taking its members for granted. The doctors grievances are contained in a Memorandum of Action (MOA) endorsed in April by both the striking doctors and the government representatives including Mr Ngige. The doctors had demanded amongst other things, the immediate payment of COVID-19 inducement allowance to some of its members in federal and state tertiary institutions. They also demanded the review of hazard allowance for health workers due to the risk associated with their profession. The association also decried the undue hardship its members on GIFMIS platform are facing due to the delays in payment of their salaries ranging from three to seven months. A communique issued at the end of the NARDs national executive council meeting which held in Abia State, South-east Nigeria, had read in parts; The NEC noted that despite Government promise to migrate her members from the GIFMIS to the IPPIS platform, they are still stuck on the GIFMIS platform which is laced with payment irregularities. The NEC noted with grievous concerns the circular from the Head of Service of the Federation removing House Officers from the scheme of service and the consequent implementation by the Lagos State Government. The association also claims that some house officers, who are fresh graduates from medical schools, are still owed between one to two months salaries, and that the NEC noted that bench fee for outside postings by resident doctors has been abolished, however some Chief Medical Directors have renamed the bench fee as training fee causing hardship for our members. Consequences The NARD, which is the association of certified doctors undergoing residency to become consultants, is also the body with the largest membership of physicians in Nigerias health sector The strike has since paralysed the nations health sector with many patients hurriedly discharged during the week without full recovery. This is happening at a time Nigeria officially declared the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, with a record number of about 32 deaths in four days. But in his response to the prevailing circumstances and the plight of many Nigerians in need of medical services, Mr Uyilawa said the unions demands are also a matter of life and death. Our demands are so pressing and it is a matter of life and death. Many of our members have died. Until the demands are met we are not calling the strike off, he said. While the doctors strike continues in Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari is still in the UK where he is receiving medical attention. The president is expected back in Nigeria next week. The Police in Ekiti State on Saturday confirmed a gun attack on travellers in the state Friday night. The Police spokesperson, Sunday Abutu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ado-Ekiti, that the gunmen shot the driver of the vehicle, a LEXUS 330 SUV, dead. They took the two other occupants of the vehicle away, he added. The attack took place between Ewu-Ekiti and Aiyetoro-Ekiti, neighbouring communities in Ilejemeje and Ido/Osi Local Government Areas of Ekiti State. Mr Abutu told NAN that the police, in conjunction with local hunters and operatives of Amotekun Corps, were already combing the forest around the area to rescue the victims and arrest the gunmen. Witnesses, however, told NAN that there were five occupants in the vehicle and they were attacked by suspected herdsmen while returning from a social function in the area. The witnesses also confirmed that the driver was shot dead and the other occupants of the vehicle were abducted. The vehicle, with registration number LAGOS KRD 264 GV, was left at the scene facing the bush with the deceased inside it. The identities of the victims had not been ascertained at the time of filing this report. NAN reports that Fridays incident occurred four days after gunmen, also suspected to be herdsmen, shot and killed a man, Ademola Afolayan, on a poultry farm in Ikere-Ekiti on Monday, August 2, around 5 p.m. NAN sources said the gunmen, numbering about five, invaded the poultry farm located at Eselemo Farm, Igbo-Oka area close to Akure Road, shooting sporadically and in the process, killed Mr Afolayan. Two persons were said to have narrowly escaped the Monday incident. Also, former Ekiti State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Clement Adekola, escaped death by the whiskers when his vehicle was attacked on August 3, also around 5 p.m. The gunmen opened fire on Mr Adekolas vehicle as he was travelling along Ikere-Igbara Odo Road, in Ikere Local Government Area of Ekiti State. Recently, kidnappers allegedly abducted some travellers in three commercial buses on Akure/Ikere-Ado Ekiti road in Ekiti State. It was gathered that the gunmen swooped on the travellers vehicles while navigating through the bad portions of the road. NAN gathered that one of the drivers narrowly escaped the incident that took place between the Iju community in Ondo State and Ikere-Ekiti in Ekiti State. A witness said the vehicles were left in the middle of the road, a situation which attracted members of the public, who raised the alarm. ADVERTISEMENT (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT A civil society group, ActionAid Nigeria, has pledged to monitor the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to increase the budget for the countrys education sector by as much as 50 per cent over the next two years and by 100 per cent by 2025. Mr Buhari, who made the pledge in a document titled; Heads of State Call To Action on Education Financing, said the step would ensure that Nigerias investment in the sector meets up with a globally acceptable standard of 20 per cent budgetary allocation to education. The forum was the global education summit in London which was co-hosted by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, and the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta. The summit sought to give opportunities for leaders to make five-year pledges to support global partnership for education (GPEs) work to help transform education systems in up to 90 countries and territories The commitment, if implemented, will form a clear departure from the Buhari administrations consistent poor budgetary allocation to education since he was sworn in for the first term in 2015. About the commitment The Nigerias Presidents declaration reads in part; I join my brother, His Excellency, Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya to affirm our commitment to improving learning outcomes in our respective countries by ensuring equitable access to quality and inclusive education for all our citizens, with particular emphasis on the girl child. We fully endorse the call for more efficient use of resources and to significantly increase investment in education by strengthening institutions, promoting greater adoption of technology, building the capacities of our teachers, and mobilizing additional financial resources through legal frameworks and deliberate intervention on a sustainable basis. In this regard, we commit to progressively increase our annual domestic education expenditure by 50 per cent over the next two years and up to 100 per cent by 2025 beyond the 20 per cent global benchmark. Let us, therefore, raise our hands in solidarity to build a more secure and prosperous future for our children. Budgetary allocations to education since 2016 Though Mr Buhari was sworn in for the first term of four years in 2015, his first budget was prepared and presented to the National Assembly in the year ahead of the 2016 financial year. But unlike the presidents new commitment, ActionAid noted that its analysis of Nigerias budget prepared by Mr Buharis administration has shown a consistent decline in the overall allocation to the education sector with only 7 per cent allocated to the sector in 2016. According to the organisation, whereas the size of the nations budget has increased since 2016, the amount allocated to education has been on the decline, with 5.61 per cent in 2020 and 5.68 per cent in 2021. ActionAid, however, noted that the 2021 allocation was still lower than the mere 7 per cent that the president allocated to the sector in 2016, 2018 and 2019. Walk the talk But in a statement signed by ActionAid Nigerias country director, Ene Obi, a copy of which was made available to PREMIUM TIMES, the group called on relevant individuals and organisations to ensure that the president does not default in his pledge. According to the organisation, it is important to ensure that the president takes the necessary steps and actions to back the commitment. The statement reads in part; Nigeria is a signatory to many international instruments on the delivery of quality education, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as such, we expect to see a directive to all relevant government Ministries, Departments and Agencies to prioritise and commence the process of incremental budgeting to actualise the commitment. We are particularly delighted that the commitment responds to the call for governments to take actions to increase the SHARE of funds allocated to and spent on free, quality, inclusive public education. This is very critical for the transformation of the sector and will help in placing the country on the path to sustainable education for all. The group said it is unfortunate that even before the coronavirus pandemic that has disrupted teaching and learning in schools, and the increased insecurity across the country, Nigeria has been a host to more than 10.5 million out-of-school children. Finally, the government must ensure it works with relevant organisations to enable greater scrutiny of future allocations by publicly publishing education budget and expenditure. To attain the SDG for education, it would be critical to not only increase the funding for education but also ensure that it is targeted at projects and programmes that are aimed at addressing the out-of-school phenomenon especially for girls and other marginalised children, improve learning outcomes and increase the nations stock of human capital that can be transformed into job creation. We want to encourage that there has to be quality provision of gender responsive public service facilities in all schools, Mrs Obi added. The newly appointed Force Commander, Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), Abdul-Khalifah Ibrahim, a major-general, has on taken over the command of the force from erstwhile commander, Jeleel Ogunlade, a major-general. The Chief of Military Public Information for MNJTF, Muhammad Dole, disclosed this in a statement issued in Ndjamena, Chad and made available to journalists in Abuja on Friday. The outgone force commander, Mr Ogunlade, said that the successes and milestones achieved together were the result of the mutual respect, collaboration and cooperation of all the stakeholders. Mr Ogunlade commended the contributions and outstanding performance of the officers and men of MNJTF for exhibiting professional skills in the course of their duties. He urged the Military Staff Officers (MSOs) at the headquarters to extend same support and cooperation to his successor and to always remember and support the gallant forces in the field. He acknowledged the support from the strategic partners of MNJTF such as the European Union (EU) and Centre for Coordination and Liaison (CCL) towards attainment of operational objectives in the field. In his remarks, the new FC, Mr Ibrahim, extolled the command and leadership qualities of Mr Ogunlade, whom he described as a distinguished teacher and an accomplished general, with tremendous track records of achievements. Mr Ibrahim said that he felt honoured to take over the command of MNJTF from an accomplished and seasoned infantry general like Mr Ogunlade. Mr Ibrahim said that the time had come to redouble efforts and employ new strategies to end the menace of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in Lake Chad region. He called for more cooperation, teamwork , purposeful leadership and innovation as key elements towards realising the mandates of the MNJTF. The new commander expressed readiness to consolidate the exploits and unprecedented successes recorded by the previous distinguished generals who commanded MNJTF with distinction. According to him, through these successes, the situation in the Lake Chad region has improved tremendously, though there is still some work left to be done. He expressed gratitude to the government and people of Chad for providing safe and conducive working environment for the MSOs at the HQs in NDjamena. While decorating the outgoing Force Commander with the MNJTF Medal, the Head of Mission of MNJTF, Mamman Nuhu, commended Mr Ogunlade for his outstanding contributions in restoring peace and security in the region. Mr Nuhu added that even though Mr Ogunlades tenure was short, he significantly and diligently piloted the MNJTF towards attaining its mandates. He commended his frequent operational field visits to troops location, which kept him abreast with the situations in the field. Mr Nuhu also welcomed the new commander and assured him of his total support and cooperation to discharge his duties. According to him, Mr Ibrahim is coming with enormous operational knowledge and field experience being a previous General Officer Commanding 7 Division and Commander Sector 1 in the theatre of operations. ADVERTISEMENT This makes him familiar with the terrain and operational environment, he said. (NAN) As part of efforts towards achieving zero hunger in Nigeria by 2030, six young Nigerian entrepreneurs have received N120 million to support their ideas. The beneficiaries, whose innovations are targeted at improving food production, packaging and distribution, among others, were winners of a competition organised by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). The competition was also in partnership with Nigerias Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, with support from private investors. According to a statement issued on Friday by the UN agency, the competition was tagged zero hunger sprint and shared with PREMIUM TIMES by its national communications officer, Kelechi Onyemaobi. The winners include Jerry Oche, with his Zowasel product, an online marketplace and crop testing service that connects smallholder farmers with premium buyers. He was rewarded with N42 million. The next big winners were Adepeju Jaiyeoba, Tosin Ayodele and Ayoola Dominic, who won N21 million each. Ms Jaiyeobas Colourful Giggles, described as a natural affordable and readily available baby food company; Mr Ayodeles Agrorite, a company that helps smallholder farmers to access credit and data-driven advisory services; and Mr Dominics Koolboks, an eco-friendly refrigeration solution powered by solar energy and equipped with payment technology, won them the cash prizes. Meanwhile, Luther Lawoyin Principally, a digital food cooperative enabling families or small businesses to share bulk food items or buy food in bulk directly from farmers or wholesalers, and Michael Ogundares Crop2cash, which creates reliable credit scores and risk profiles for farmers to unlock finance for improved productivity and income, were rewarded with N10 million and N5 million respectively. About zero hunger sprint The head of WFP Nigerias capacity strengthening and policy coherence unit, Fabienne Moust, described the initiative as a platform for empowering existing social innovators with additional resources to accelerate their ideas to eliminate hunger in Nigeria. In a piece shared on WFPs website, she said if well handled and supported by stakeholders, it is our best chance to reach zero hunger by 2030. She said; The Zero Hunger Roundtable is a platform facilitated by WFP Nigeria and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs in Nigeria, where we bring everyone together the private sector, development agencies, Government to look at collective solutions that can contribute to zero hunger in the country. It was created as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it goes way beyond that. There are lots of sustainable solutions needed for Nigeria. That became the big thinking behind the Zero Hunger Sprint; a competition calling on Nigerias innovators to bring forward concrete ideas that help us find solutions to hunger. Nigerias landscape for entrepreneurship is very unique, which is what inspired this initiative. Meanwhile, according to WFPs statement, the funding for the competition was provided by five large corporations who are passionate in supporting innovative ideas in the food security and nutrition sector, under the zero hunger roundtable. The five corporations are listed as Promasidor, Guinness Nigeria, TGI, Nigerian Breweries and Tolaram Group. Endorsements Speaking on the innovation, the corporate affairs director of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Sade Morgan, said the sprint pitch confirmed that Nigeria has abundant innovators and young entrepreneurs in the agriculture and food processing sector. Nigerian Breweries Plc is committed to supporting the selected start-ups to provide exciting and sustainable solutions that will boost the agricultural value chain in line with our sustainability agenda, she said. Also, Promasidors chief executive officer, Bruno Gruwez, said his firm is proud to partner WFP on the project, saying; As a leading food company, this forms part of our efforts to bolster backward integration initiatives and accelerate local food production in Nigeria. Earlier, the country director of WFP Nigeria, Paul Howe, said; What we saw at the Zero Hunger Innovation Sprint was amazing. The pitch showcased the incredible talent, energy and dynamism of young Nigerian entrepreneurs and the Zero Hunger Roundtable is trying to harness this energy in a way that is socially beneficial and sustainable in addressing hunger challenges. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Saturday, commissioned a N67.4 million Conference Centre at the Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State. Commissioning the project at the institutions premises, in Ota, Ogun State, Mr Obasanjo described the upgrading of the building from a multi-purpose hall to a conference hall as a remarkable feat. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference hall was renovated and upgraded by the 2020/2021 Executives of the Bells University Parents Forum (BUPF). Mr Obasanjo commended the BUPF for building a world class conference centre for students, to learn in a conducive environment and also for the benefit of humanity. The former president said that improving the quality of education and moving education forward was everyones responsibility, describing the facility as an effort towards making Bells University one of the best tertiary institutions in the country. Education is the collective responsibility of everybody and by bringing resources together it would help the nation accomplish sustainable national development, he said. The Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Jeremiah Ojediran, commended the BUPF for the project and also for making themselves available to assist the institution in infrastructure development. Mr Ojediran promised to interface with the forum for various purposes, while announcing that the institutions forthcoming Matriculation and Convocation would be held at the centre. We shall use the multipurpose centre judiciously for human development, he said. The BUPF Chairman, Rotimi Dosunmu, commended the management of the University and parents for their support, which, he said, was not taken for granted. The efforts of the BUPF could not be over-emphasised on various projects and interventions within the university with a view to improving the learning condition and welfare of our children, Mr Dosunmu said. The chairman said that the executives of BUPF spent over N75, 559, 346 on various projects within the last nine months, listing some of the projects to include reading rooms in all the halls of residence, facemasks, sanitisers and handbags for all students. Other projects were the roofing of the students sport pavilion and the renovation and upgrading of the conference centre. (NAN) The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) traded blames over alleged thuggery and intimidation during Saturdays runoff election in Agege Ward F in Lagos. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the runoff election was held because the July 24 councillorship poll did not produce a clear winner in the area. The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) Chairman, Ayotunde Phillips, had said that the runoff was necessitated by the tie between councillorship candidates of the APC and PDP. However, Sakiru Akinwande, the PDP councillorship candidate, decried alleged intimidation of his supporters by security operatives in the poll. Mr Akinwande, who noted that he was not impressed with the process, commended his supporters for standing by him. If the institution that is supposed to protect us, guide our votes and make things in order are still the one being used to intimidate the opposition party, it is disheartening. We have our supporters and people that want to vote still in police custody. For how long are we going to do this? The police should do things the way it should be done because of posterity The police should try and be neutral in all things they are doing. They should not be partial and sentimental, Mr Akinwande said. In his reaction, Aransiola Yusuf, the APC councillorship candidate in the ward, who described the process as peaceful, also alleged that the PDP supporters were intimidating APC supporters. Mr Yusuf alleged that the PDP supporters were moving around with thugs wielding sticks and guns. He, however, commended LASIEC for timely arrival of polling officers and materials without any disruption. NAN reports that voting, sorting and counting have ended in most of the 43 polling units in the ward. Results are already trickling into the Collation Centre, situated at Sango Senior Secondary School, Agege, where the winner will be returned. Low turnout The Chairman of Agege Local Government, Ganiyu Egunjobi, and some political party agents, decried voter apathy at the runoff election. Mr Egunjobi, in his assessment, told journalists that in spite of sensitisation, voters refused to participate. He said: Concerning the low turnout, we cannot expect less than what we have witnessed today, because it has been a habit of our people. This is because the electorate do not take the chairmanship and councillorship elections very serious. ADVERTISEMENT However, we will continue to sensitise the electorate on the need to come out to exercise their franchise during elections, he said. Mr Egunjobi described the poll as peaceful, credible and violence-free. He, however, said that some miscreants made attempts to disrupt the exercise, but he had to call on security operatives to restore peace. Also speaking , Babatunde Ogunleye, the APC agent at polling unit 040, situated on Adedosu St., noted that though the exercise had been cool and calm, the turnout was not impressive. Mr Ogunleye attributed the apathy to lack of political enlightenment and education. There is a very low turnout. I am not even sure people are aware of the runoff. People are not particular about the election, they are going about their businesses. They dont feel concerned, he said. Olubunmi Adedapo, the PDP agent at the same polling unit, said the electorate showed little concern for the exercise, probably because they had lost trust in the electoral process. Biodun Alogi, PDP Supervisory Agent for polling unit 039, said the turnout was low because there was no restrictions on movement. (NAN) 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 on pros and cons of prevalent pricing models. Methods to help engage with the right suppliers and discover KPI's to evaluate incumbent suppliers. Get a free sample report for more information Insights into buyer strategies and tactical negotiation levers: Several strategic and tactical negotiation levers are explained in the report to help buyers achieve the best prices for the Environmental and Sustainability Advisory Services market. The report also aids buyers with relevant Environmental and Sustainability Advisory Services pricing levels, pros, and cons of prevalent pricing models such as volume-based pricing, spot pricing, and cost-plus pricing and category management strategies and best practices to fulfil their category objectives. For more insights on buyer strategies and tactical negotiation levers, www.spendedge.com/report/environmental-and-sustainability-advisory-services-procurement-market-intelligence-report Key Drivers and Trends Fueling Market Growth: The pressure from substitutes and a moderate level of threat from new entrants has resulted in the low bargaining power of suppliers. Price forecasts are beneficial in purchase planning, especially when supplemented by the constant monitoring of price influencing factors. During the forecast period, the market expects a change of 3.00%-5.00%. Identify favorable opportunities in Environmental and Sustainability Advisory Services TCO (total cost of ownership). Expected changes in price forecast and factors driving the current and future price changes. Identify pricing models that offer the most rewarding opportunities. Some of the top Environmental and Sustainability Advisory Services suppliers listed in this report: This Environmental and Sustainability Advisory Services procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies. AECOM ERM Group Inc. Oranjewoud NV Cardno Ltd. To get instant access to over 1000 market-ready procurement intelligence reports without any additional costs or commitment. Subscribe Now for Free 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 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 Now! About SpendEdge: SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions. Contacts SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us SOURCE SpendEdge Related Links http://www.spendedge.com/ ATLANTA, Aug. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Liberty Defense Holdings Ltd. ("Liberty" or the "Company") (TSXV: SCAN) (OTCQB: LDDFF) (FRANKFURT: LD2), a leading concealed weapons and threat detection solutions company, is pleased to announce that it has added Linda L. Jacksta to its board of directors. Jacksta has 35 years of experience with U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), the largest law enforcement agency in the federal government. At CBP, Jacksta led efforts to manage threats to border security while also resolving operational challenges. She established an enterprise data analytics organization by enhancing partnerships with the intelligence community, creating CBP's National Use and Force Control Board. Her most recent role was serving as the Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner for Operations Support where she directed CBP intelligence, forensics, incident management, and international affairs functions. As Executive Director for the Cargo System Program Office, she led modernization efforts inside CBP's multi-billion-dollar import/export system. "Ms. Jacksta is an excellent addition to Liberty Defense's Board of Directors given her specialized experience leading vital security operations with CBP, particularly as Liberty continues to develop technology to service the aviation security sector and other points of entry, including seaports," Liberty Defense CEO Bill Frain said. "Throughout her decorated career, Linda has built an impressive network and incredible depth and breadth of expertise relating to border security operations and a strong understanding of the industry priorities from the perspective of the federal government." Jacksta is currently the President of the J2 Consulting Group and studied at Thomas Edison State University. She also completed the Senior Executive Fellow program at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in Boston and received the prestigious Presidential Rank Award, Meritorious Executive, for her leadership contributions to the U.S. federal government. "I am pleased to have the opportunity to provide my expertise to Liberty Defense, which is developing a number of technologies that have the potential to enhance the success of security operations in both the private and public sectors, to keep more people safe, while also optimizing the experience itself," Jacksta said. "Technology has evolved rapidly in the past several years, and we now have the tools to advance the way that we handle security operations. I look forward to working closely with Liberty Defense to guide them as they engage with projects in my sphere of expertise." On Behalf of Liberty Defense Bill Frain CEO & Director About Liberty Defense Liberty Defense (TSXV: SCAN, OTCQB: LDDFF, FRANKFURT: LD2) provides multi-technology security solutions for concealed weapons detection in high volume foot traffic areas and locations requiring enhanced security such as airports, stadiums, schools, and more. Liberty's HEXWAVE product, for which the company has secured an exclusive license from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as a technology transfer agreement for patents related to active 3D radar imaging technology, provides discrete, modular, and scalable protection to provide layered, stand-off detection capability of metallic and non-metallic weapons. Liberty has also recently licensed the millimeter wave-based, High Definition Advanced Imaging Technology (HD-AIT) body scanner and shoe scanner technologies as part of its technology portfolio. Liberty is committed to protecting communities and preserving peace of mind through superior security detection solutions. Learn more: LibertyDefense.com FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS When used in this press release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Although Liberty believes, in light of the experience of their respective officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate, that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and information in this press release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the parties can give no assurance that such statements will prove to be correct. Such statements and information reflect the current view of Liberty. There are risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information. 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. There are a number of important factors that could cause Liberty's actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. Such factors include, among others: currency fluctuations; limited business history of the parties; disruptions or changes in the credit or security markets; results of operation activities and development of projects; project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; and general development, market and industry conditions. The parties undertake no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of their securities or their respective financial or operating results (as applicable). Liberty cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. When relying on Liberty's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Liberty has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Liberty as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Liberty does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. SOURCE Liberty Defense Holdings Ltd. Related Links www.libertydefense.com NEW YORK, Aug. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Concho Resources Inc. (NYSE: CXO) between February 21, 2018 and July 31, 2019, inclusive (the "Class Period") of the important September 28, 2021 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased Concho securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Concho class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2133.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than September 28, 2021. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) the well spacing at the Dominator Project ("Dominator"), consisting of 23 wells in the Delaware Basin, part of the larger Permian Basin, was aggressive and highly risky, and premised on no reasonable basis to believe it would work as intended; (2) Concho's practice of implementing tighter well spacing was not relegated to a handful of "tests" and therefore more widespread than the market was led to believe; (3) it was known or recklessly disregarded that any measures to mitigate well spacing risks were non-existent and/or impossible; (4) these risks had manifested during the Class Period, causing underground well interference and permanently decreasing production, forcing Concho to scale back production targets and adopt more conservative spacing measures in its other projects; (5) it would take multiple quarters to unwind the impacts of the widespread well spacing failure; and (6) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the Concho class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2133.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.rosenlegal.com SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A. Related Links www.rosenlegal.com SHANGHAI, Aug. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BioShin Limited announced today that China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has approved the investigational new drug (IND) application for Troriluzole (BHV4157), BioShin 's new glutamate modulator. The approval allows to initiate the clinical development of Troriluzole Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) program in China, which include a International Multi-Center Phase III Clinical Trial (BHV4157-303) in patients with OCD and a Pharmacokinetic Trial (BHV4157-110) in Chinese healthy subjects. OCD is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts or repetitive behaviors, often interfering with all aspects of the patients' life. Lifetime prevalence rates of OCD range from 0.8% to 3% worldwide. OCD is a common disease in China, which is more likely to be found among women, with an average age of onset from 19 to 35 years old. More than 80% of OCD patients concurrently suffer from at least one other mental disorder.[1] Troriluzole is a new chemical entity that modulates glutamate, the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the human body. Troriluzole increases glutamate uptake from the synapse, by augmenting the expression and function of excitatory amino acid transporters located on glial cells that play a key role in clearing glutamate from the synapse, in order to reducing synaptic levels of glutamate. "Currently, drugs are still the main method of treatment for OCD," said Dr. Karl Lintel, CEO of BioShin. "However, the effective rate of drug treatment and behavioral therapy for OCD is only between 40-50%. This means it is imperative to find new ways to alleviate patients' mental burden and satisfy their other unmet medical needs. As a leading biopharmaceutical company in the industry, BioShin is committed to the discovery, development and marketing of world leading novel life-improving treatments for patients with neurological diseases in China and Asia-Pacific countries. The accelerated acceptance of the IND filing for Troriluzole in China marks an encouraging start, as Troriluzole's research and development in China enters a critical stage. I believe that in the near future, we will be able to introduce safer and more effective treatments to Chinese patients with OCD, providing them with new therapeutic opportunities." About BioShin Based in Shanghai, BioShin Limited is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel, life-improving treatments for patients with neuro-immune diseases in China and the Asia-Pacific region. BioShin has a proven and established, late-stage portfolio from its strategic partner, U.S.-based Biohaven Pharmaceuticals Inc., and is poised to quickly launch novel medicines for patients in need. Beyond its current research and development portfolio, BioShin's strategic vision also includes partnering with biopharmaceutical companies, inside and outside China, that seek to discover, develop, and commercialize assets in the region. By bringing together promising assets and a diverse management team with international expertise, BioShin is growing a nimble organization with an entrepreneurial spirit to serve patients throughout the region. For more information, please visit www.bioshin.com. [1] Guide to the Prevention and Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in China. 2016 (Edited Edition). Chin J Psychiatry. 2016;49(6):353-66 SOURCE BioShin Limited Impact of COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic continues to transform the growth of various industries, however, the immediate impact of the outbreak is varied. While a few industries will register a drop in demand, numerous others will continue to remain unscathed and show promising growth opportunities. The industry is expected to have a positive impact due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. the market will have a direct impact due to the spread. Frequently Asked Questions: Based on segmentation by-product, which is the leading segment in the market? Based on Segmentation by- Product the Packaged flavored coconut water is the leading segment in the market. Based on Segmentation by- Product the Packaged flavored coconut water is the leading segment in the market. Who are the top players in the market? All Market Inc., Amy & Brian Naturals, C2O Pure Coconut Water LLC, Chi, GraceKennedy Ltd., National Beverage Corp., PepsiCo Inc., Purity Organic LLC, Taste Nirvana International Inc., The Coca Cola Company are a few of the key vendors in the packaged coconut water market. All Market Inc., Amy & Brian Naturals, C2O Pure Coconut Water LLC, Chi, GraceKennedy Ltd., National Beverage Corp., PepsiCo Inc., Purity Organic LLC, Taste Nirvana International Inc., The Coca Cola Company are a few of the key vendors in the packaged coconut water market. What are the key market drivers and challenges? Key drivers such as the increasing awareness about the health benefits of coconut water are notably supporting the packaged coconut water market growth. However, one of the foremost factors impeding market growth is the availability of substitutes. Key drivers such as the increasing awareness about the health benefits of coconut water are notably supporting the packaged coconut water market growth. However, one of the foremost factors impeding market growth is the availability of substitutes. What are the key markets for the packaged coconut? US, Canada , UK, China , and Brazil are the key markets for the packaged coconut. Related Reports on Consumer Staples Include: Bioplastic Packaging Market Report -The projected valuation of the bioplastic packaging market by 2025 is 468.11 thousand tons. The growth momentum of the market is expected to accelerate at a CAGR of 7.40%, during 2021-2025. Get a Free report Now! Date Palm Market Report - The date palm market has the potential to grow by USD 7.14 billion during 2021-2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 5.81%. Get a Free report Now! Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free. View market snapshot before purchasing The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. All Market Inc., Amy and Brian Naturals, C2O Coconut Water, Chi, Dabur India Ltd., Ducoco, GraceKennedy Ltd., green coco Europe GmbH, Harmless Harvest Inc., and JAIN AGRO FOOD PRODUCTS Pvt. Ltd. are some of the major market participants. In a bid to help players strengthen their market foothold, this packaged coconut water market forecast report provides a detailed analysis of the leading market vendors. The report also empowers industry honchos with information on the competitive landscape and insights into the different product offerings offered by various companies. Technavio's custom research reports offer detailed insights on the impact of COVID-19 at an industry level, a regional level, and subsequent supply chain operations. This customized report will also help clients keep up with new product launches in direct & indirect COVID-19 related markets, upcoming vaccines and pipeline analysis, and significant developments in vendor operations and government regulations. Packaged Coconut Water Market 2021-2025: Segmentation Packaged Coconut Water Market is segmented as below: Product Packaged Flavored Coconut Water Packaged Plain Coconut Water Geography North America APAC Europe South America MEA To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR43456 Packaged Coconut Water Market 2021-2025: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. The packaged coconut water market report covers the following areas: Packaged Coconut Water Market Size Packaged Coconut Water Market Trends Packaged Coconut Water Market Industry Analysis This study identifies the new product launches as one of the prime reasons driving the packaged coconut water market growth during the next few years. 52% of the market's growth will originate from North America during the forecast period. The US and Canada are the key markets for packaged coconut water in North America. Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Technavio's in-depth research has direct and indirect COVID-19 impacted market research reports. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Packaged Coconut Water Market 2021-2025: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025 Detailed information on factors that will assist packaged coconut water market growth during the next five years Estimation of the packaged coconut water market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the packaged coconut water market across North America , APAC, Europe , South America , and MEA , APAC, , , and MEA Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of packaged coconut water 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 Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition Market Segmentation by Product Market segments Comparison by Product Packaged flavored coconut water - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Packaged plain coconut water - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Market opportunity by Product Customer landscape Geographic Landscape Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Key leading countries Market opportunity by geography Market drivers Market challenges Market trends Vendor Landscape Overview Vendor landscape Landscape disruption Vendor Analysis Vendors covered Market positioning of vendors All Market Inc. Amy and Brian Naturals C2O Coconut Water Chi Dabur India Ltd. Ducoco GraceKennedy Ltd. green coco Europe GmbH Harmless Harvest Inc. JAIN AGRO FOOD PRODUCTS Pvt. Ltd. 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 focuses 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: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio Related Links http://www.technavio.com/ LOS ANGELES, Aug. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kelly Morgan Commercial Group (KMCG) & KW Commercial are pleased to announce the sale of a 95 Unit Portfolio located in Winnetka, California. The properties located at 19916 - 19926 - 19950 Roscoe Blvd consisted of three multifamily properties on the same block. The sale was completed for $21,090,000 amounting to $222,000 per unit. The KMCG team also completed another large 96-unit transaction mid-Pandemic for $19,232,375 in the Van Nuys submarket of the San Fernando Valley. "The pandemic has of course affected the real estate market. Fortunately, our team has been putting in the extra work to get the job done for our clients," stated Kelly Morgan, President of KMCG. Both large 90+ unit properties were bought by a San Diego based investor looking to the future after the pandemic. KMCG acted in a dual-agent capacity and both properties were sold off market. "With the help of our large database of clients and experience, we are the right team to take on these large deals," said Kelly. The team again acted in a dual agent capacity to close a 57 unit, $11MM property in Panorama City this past month. This transaction was more complicated than most but KMCG's experienced team were able to navigate the difficulties and bring the deal to a smooth completion. About Kelly Morgan Commercial Group With over 20 years of focused exploration and experience in capital markets such as Equity, Debt and Real Estate combined with Advertising and Marketing, Kelly Morgan Commercial Group brings a unique and unparalleled approach to the marketplace. We have dedicated ourselves to the deep understanding of the Southern California real estate market by taking the time to walk, examine, and analyze our landscape of submarkets. Our client's best interest is our priority. Real estate marketing intelligence infused with financial planning has allowed us to help our clients make informed decisions about their real estate investment options. Our educated agents work hard to get our sellers the highest price. Relationships and expertise are keys to creating Investment Property Wealth. CONTACT: Kelly Morgan Commercial Group (KMCG) Aaron Barnhardt [email protected] 818-579-2978 SOURCE Kelly Morgan Commercial Group Related Links https://www.kellymorgancommercial.com/ BRUSSELS, Belgium and ATLANTA, Aug. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- UCB, a global biopharmaceutical company, announced today new interim data from BE BRIGHT, an open-label extension (OLE) trial to assess the long-term safety, tolerability and efficacy of bimekizumab, an investigational IL-17A and IL-17F inhibitor, in adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.1,2 These results were presented today during a platform presentation at the 2021 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Summer Meeting, Tampa, Florida, U.S. Data presented showed that the majority of patients who achieved complete or near complete skin clearance after 16 weeks of bimekizumab treatment maintained these responses through to two years with continuous maintenance dosing, every four weeks (Q4W) or every eight weeks (Q8W).1 The efficacy and safety of bimekizumab have not been established and it is not approved by any regulatory authority worldwide. "These interim results from the BE BRIGHT study highlight the potential of bimekizumab to provide lasting skin clearance to adults living with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis," said Mark Lebwohl, MD, Dean for Clinical Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Chairman emeritus, Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology and Presenting Author of the data at the AAD Summer Meeting. "These data are meaningful for the dermatology community and further add to the clinical evidence we have from the bimekizumab Phase 3 clinical program." "Given the chronic nature of psoriasis, physicians and patients value treatment options that can offer long-term disease control," said Emmanuel Caeymaex, Executive Vice President, Immunology Solutions and Head of U.S., UCB. "We are pleased to share the first presentation of bimekizumab data from the BE BRIGHT study highlighting the potential of bimekizumab to provide complete skin clearance that can last through to two years in adult patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis." Results shared today report on the maintenance of the Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) of Clear or Almost Clear skin (IGA 0/1), Body Surface Area (BSA) 1%, and Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 100 through to two years of bimekizumab treatment.1 Analyses included patients randomized to bimekizumab 320 mg Q4W who exhibited a response at week 16 in one of the pivotal Phase 3 studies (BE READY, BE VIVID, BE SURE), received bimekizumab 320 mg Q4W or Q8W maintenance dosing from week 16, and continued with the same maintenance dosing in the open-label BE BRIGHT study, i.e., Q4W/Q4W/Q4W or Q4W/Q8W/Q8W.1 Initially, 989 patients were randomized to bimekizumab Q4W. At week 16, 87.5 percent achieved IGA 0/1, 74.9 percent achieved BSA 1% and 62.7 percent achieved PASI 100. Among week 16 IGA 0/1 responders, over nine out of 10 patients maintained IGA 0/1 to week 48 in the OLE trial (94.4 and 96.2 percent with continuous Q4W and Q8W maintenance dosing, respectively).1 Similarly, among week 16 BSA 1% responders, over nine out of 10 patients maintained BSA 1% to week 48 in the OLE trial (90.7 and 92.5 percent with continuous Q4W and Q8W maintenance dosing, respectively). Over eight out of 10 patients who achieved complete skin clearance (PASI 100) at week 16 maintained response to week 48 in the OLE trial (80.7 and 86.1 percent with continuous Q4W and Q8W maintenance dosing, respectively).1 In BE READY, BE VIVID and BE SURE, the most frequently reported treatment-emergent adverse events in bimekizumab-treated patients were nasopharyngitis, oral candidiasis, and upper respiratory tract infection.3,4,5,6 Bimekizumab is currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults. On June 25th, 2021, the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a positive opinion recommending granting a marketing authorization for bimekizumab for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy. The final decision of the European Commission on marketing authorization is expected within approximately two months of the CHMP opinion. About BE BRIGHT2 BE BRIGHT (NCT03598790) is an ongoing, multicentre, open-label extension study assessing the long-term safety, tolerability and efficacy of bimekizumab in adult patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Patients who completed one of three bimekizumab Phase 3 studies, BE READY, BE VIVID and BE SURE, were eligible to enroll in the BE BRIGHT study. More details can be found at ClinicalTrials.gov. About bimekizumab Bimekizumab is an investigational humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody that is designed to selectively and directly inhibit both IL-17A and IL-17F, two key cytokines driving inflammatory processes.4,5,6 Selective inhibition of IL-17F in addition to IL-17A has been shown to suppress inflammation to a greater extent than IL-17A inhibition alone.4,5,6 The efficacy and safety of bimekizumab have not been established and it is not approved by any regulatory authority worldwide. About Psoriasis Psoriasis is a common, chronic inflammatory disease with primary involvement of the skin.7 This skin condition affects men and women of all ages and ethnicities.7 Psoriasis signs and symptoms can vary but may include red patches of skin covered with silvery scales; dry, cracked skin that may bleed; and thickened, pitted or ridged nails.8 Psoriasis also has a considerable psychological and quality-of-life impact, potentially affecting work, recreation, relationships, sexual functioning, family and social life.9 Unmet needs remain in the treatment of psoriasis. A population-based survey identified that approximately one in three psoriasis patients reported that their primary goals of therapy, including keeping symptoms under control, reducing itching and decreasing flaking, were not met with their current treatment.10 About UCB UCB, Brussels, Belgium (www.ucb.com) is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative medicines and solutions to transform the lives of people living with severe diseases of the immune system or of the central nervous system. With approximately 8,400 people in nearly 40 countries, the company generated revenue of 5.3 billion in 2020. UCB is listed on Euronext Brussels (symbol: UCB). Follow us on Twitter: @UCB_news. Forward looking statements UCB This press release may contain forward-looking statements including, without limitation, statements containing the words "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "plans", "seeks", "estimates", "may", "will", "continue" and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on current plans, estimates and beliefs of management. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including estimates of revenues, operating margins, capital expenditures, cash, other financial information, expected legal, arbitration, political, regulatory or clinical results or practices and other such estimates and results. By their nature, such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions which might cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of UCB, or industry results, to differ materially from those that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Important factors that could result in such differences include: the global spread and impact of COVID-19, changes in general economic, business and competitive conditions, the inability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals or to obtain them on acceptable terms or within expected timing, costs associated with research and development, changes in the prospects for products in the pipeline or under development by UCB, effects of future judicial decisions or governmental investigations, safety, quality, data integrity or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, product liability claims, challenges to patent protection for products or product candidates, competition from other products including biosimilars, changes in laws or regulations, exchange rate fluctuations, changes or uncertainties in tax laws or the administration of such laws, and hiring and retention of its employees. There is no guarantee that new product candidates will be discovered or identified in the pipeline, will progress to product approval or that new indications for existing products will be developed and approved. Movement from concept to commercial product is uncertain; preclinical results do not guarantee safety and efficacy of product candidates in humans. So far, the complexity of the human body cannot be reproduced in computer models, cell culture systems or animal models. The length of the timing to complete clinical trials and to get regulatory approval for product marketing has varied in the past and UCB expects similar unpredictability going forward. Products or potential products which are the subject of partnerships, joint ventures or licensing collaborations may be subject to differences disputes between the partners or may prove to be not as safe, effective or commercially successful as UCB may have believed at the start of such partnership. UCB' efforts to acquire other products or companies and to integrate the operations of such acquired companies may not be as successful as UCB may have believed at the moment of acquisition. Also, UCB or others could discover safety, side effects or manufacturing problems with its products and/or devices after they are marketed. The discovery of significant problems with a product similar to one of UCB's products that implicate an entire class of products may have a material adverse effect on sales of the entire class of affected products. Moreover, sales may be impacted by international and domestic trends toward managed care and health care cost containment, including pricing pressure, political and public scrutiny, customer and prescriber patterns or practices, and the reimbursement policies imposed by third-party payers as well as legislation affecting biopharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement activities and outcomes. Finally, a breakdown, cyberattack or information security breach could compromise the confidentiality, integrity and availability of UCB's data and systems. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on any of such forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labelling in any market, or at any particular time, nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be or will continue to be commercially successful in the future. UCB is providing this information, including forward-looking statements, only as of the date of this press release and it does not reflect any potential impact from the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, unless indicated otherwise. UCB is following the worldwide developments diligently to assess the financial significance of this pandemic to UCB. UCB expressly disclaims any duty to update any information contained in this press release, either to confirm the actual results or to report or reflect any change in its forward-looking statements with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, unless such statement is required pursuant to applicable laws and regulations. Additionally, information contained in this document shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. For further information, contact UCB: Corporate Communications Laurent Schots, Media Relations, UCB T +32.2.559.92.64 [email protected] Investor Relations Antje Witte, Investor Relations, UCB T +32.2.559.94.14 [email protected] Brand Communications Eimear O'Brien, Brand Communications, UCB T +32.2.559.92.71 [email protected] Allyson Funk U.S. Communications, UCB T +1 770 970 8338 [email protected] References 1 Strober B, Asahina A, Mrowietz U, et al. Bimekizumab response maintenance through two years of treatment in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who responded after 16 weeks: Interim results from the BE BRIGHT open-label extension trial. Abstract presented at AAD Summer 2021 2 ClinicalTrials.gov. Available at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03598790 Last accessed: August 2021. 3 UCB Data on File, July 2021. 4 Reich K, Papp KA, Blauvelt A, et al. Bimekizumab versus ustekinumab for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (BE VIVID): efficacy and safety from a 52-week, multicentre, double-blind, active comparator and placebo-controlled phase 3 trial. Lancet. 2021;397(10273):487-498. 5 Gordon KB, Foley P, Krueger JG, et al. Bimekizumab efficacy and safety in moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (BE READY): a multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised withdrawal phase 3 trial. Lancet. 2021;397(10273):475-486. 6 Warren RB, Blauvelt A, Bagel J, et al. Bimekizumab versus Adalimumab in Plaque Psoriasis. N Engl J Med. 2021;385(2):130-141. 7 National Psoriasis Foundation. About Psoriasis. Available at: https://www.psoriasis.org/about-psoriasis/. Last accessed: August 2021. 8 International Federation of Psoriasis Associations. Available at: https://ifpa-pso.com/our-cause. Last accessed: August 2021. 9 Moon HS, Mizara A, McBride SR. Psoriasis and psycho-dermatology. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2013;3(2):117-130. 10 Lebwohl MG, Kavanaugh A, Armstrong AW, et al. US Perspectives in the Management of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis: Patient and Physician Results from the Population-Based Multinational Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (MAPP) Survey. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2016;17(1):87-97. SOURCE UCB Related Links http://www.ucb.com Yu Xuan's parents, Mr Kwek Wee Liang and Mdm Wong Mei Ling (Mrs Kwek), are Singapore permanent residents working in Singapore. They had initially intended to deliver Yu Xuan in Malaysia and reunite with their first child, a four-year-old residing in Malaysia. However, due to preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy), Mrs Kwek was admitted to the National University Hospital (NUH) and underwent emergency caesarean section at 24 weeks and 6 days of gestation instead of the average 40 weeks. Yu Xuan was admitted in the NUH neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and remained there for 13 months, making her the longest staying baby there. Her stay in the NICU was not always smooth sailing. Yu Xuan had to rely on multiple treatments and machines for survival, and she responded positively to the medical care and treatment. She was active, cheerful and responsive during her hospitalisation at NICU where staff from the Department of Neonatology of Khoo Teck Puat National University Children's Medical Institute (KTP-NUCMI), NUH, took care of her and monitored her condition round the clock. Now, Yu Xuan has grown to about 6.3kg and was discharged well on 9 July 2021. Yu Xuan's health and development have been progressing well with the unconditional support from her parents as well as the larger community and donors. She currently has chronic lung disease and pulmonary hypertension two conditions commonly associated with extreme prematurity. She is expected to get better with time. Mrs Kwek benefited from the Ronald McDonald House at NUH, which provides caregivers and families of young patients a temporary place of respite closer to their children at no cost. She was able to work remotely on her computer while at the hospital during Yu Xuan's hospitalisation. Mrs Kwek said: "We are very grateful to the doctors and nurses of the NUH NICU team for the attentive and wonderful medical care and treatment of Yu Xuan. In addition, we would like to express our thanks to the crowdfunding platform and donors, as well as our relatives, friends, colleagues and the landlord of our residence for their care and encouragement." Associate Professor Zubair Amin, Head and Senior Consultant, Department of Neonatology, KTP-NUCMI, NUH, said: "The NICU team is thankful to Yu Xuan's family for the trust that they have placed in us to care for Yu Xuan. It was a difficult journey for Yu Xuan and we greatly appreciate the concerted effort and benevolent support from our colleagues, donors as well as the larger community who have contributed to her survival and growth. This was a team effort that embodies the spirit of care and compassion." Based on the Tiniest Babies Registry managed by The University of Iowa (https://webapps1.healthcare.uiowa.edu/TiniestBabies/index.aspx), Yu Xuan is possibly the world's lightest baby born and discharged well to home. The previous smallest survivor in the world was born 245 grams in the United States as reported by BBC in May 2019 ('World's smallest' surviving premature baby released from US hospital https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48458780). NUH Home Equipment Loan Programme The Kwek family also received assistance from the NUH Home Equipment Loan Programme, which was introduced in August 2020. The programme aims to help families who are unable to afford medical equipment that is critical to their children's needs for home treatment. The medical equipment, with formal training provided on its use, is loaned to beneficiaries for free, for the duration of the child's need. Funded through seed funding from the NUH Productivity and Innovation Fund and further augmented by the generosity of donors including former caregivers and families of patients, the loan programme has benefited eight families so far including Yu Xuan, and it is expected to help more young patients and their families. Under the programme, the Kweks received an oxygen concentrator, home ventilator and oxygen saturation monitor, and other ancillary equipment to help support Yu Xuan for as long as she needs. For media enquiries, please contact: JUSTINE LAI Communications Office National University Health System Email: [email protected] About the National University Hospital The National University Hospital is a tertiary hospital and major referral centre with over 50 medical, surgical and dental specialties, offering a comprehensive suite of specialist care for adults, women and children. It is the only public hospital in Singapore to offer a paediatric kidney and liver transplant programme, in addition to kidney, liver and pancreas transplantation for adults. The hospital was opened on 24 June 1985 as Singapore's first restructured hospital. Each year, the Hospital attends to more than one million patients. As an academic health institution, patient safety and good clinical outcomes are the focus of the Hospital. It plays a key role in the training of doctors, nurses, allied health and other healthcare professionals. Translational research is pivotal in the Hospital's three-pronged focus, and paves the way for new cures and treatment. A member of the National University Health System, it is the principal teaching hospital of the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and the NUS Faculty of Dentistry. SOURCE National University Hospital YUBA CITY, Calif., Aug. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- U-Haul is offering 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box container usage at five facilities across two states to residents impacted by the ongoing wildfires in California. More than 18,000 Californians are under evacuation order. The Dixie Fire has destroyed more than 100 homes and is the largest single wildfire in California history. "Many residents are fleeing northern California and heading to Reno," said Chris Watson, U-Haul Company of Northeast California president. "People leaving their homes may need storage for their personal belongings." "U-Haul is standing by, ready to help our neighbors in need," added Chris Piedra, U-Haul Company of Northern Nevada president. People seeking more information about the U-Haul disaster relief program or needing to arrange 30 days of free self-storage should contact: CALIFORNIA U-Haul Storage of Pleasanton 5555 Sunol Blvd. Pleasanton, CA 94566 (510) 632-6828 U-Haul Moving & Storage at Sunrise Avenue 333 Sunrise Ave. Roseville, CA 95661 (916) 797-1026 U-Haul Storage of Santa Clara 2121 Laurelwood Road Santa Clara, CA 95054 (408) 660-3108 U-Haul Moving & Storage of Woodland 1600 Tide Court Woodland, CA 95776 (530) 419-5223 NEVADA U-Haul Moving & Storage of Spanish Springs 11425 Digital Court Sparks, NV 89441 (775) 425-3876 In addition to its 30 days free self-storage disaster relief program, U-Haul is proud to be at the forefront of aiding communities in times of need as an official American Red Cross Disaster Responder. As an essential service provider, U-Haul continues to serve communities during the COVID-19 recovery while offering contactless business programs and enhanced cleaning protocols, including added steps for sanitizing equipment between customer transactions. U-Haul products are used daily by First Responders; delivery companies bringing needed supplies to people's homes; small businesses trying to remain afloat; college students; and many other dependent groups, in addition to the do-it-yourself household mover. About U-HAUL Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 23,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 176,000 trucks, 126,000 trailers and 46,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 825,000 rentable storage units and 71.6 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S., and continues to be the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry. U-Haul has been recognized repeatedly as a leading "Best for Vets" employer and was recently named one of the 15 Healthiest Workplaces in America. Contact: Andrea Batchelor Jeff Lockridge E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 602-263-6981 Website: uhaul.com SOURCE U-Haul Related Links www.uhaul.com Srinagar, Aug 7 : An encounter has started between terrorists and security forces at Mochwa area in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district on Saturday, officials said. "Encounter has started at Mochwa area of Budgam. Police and security forces are on the job," police said. The firefight between terrorists and security forces took place after a joint team of the police and the army cordoned off the area and launched a search operation on the basis of specific information about presence of terrorists. As the security forces zeroed in on the spot where terrorists were hiding they came under a heavy volume of fire that triggered the encounter. New York, Aug 7 : For anxious parents of school going kids in the US -- especially the under 12s -- it's like 2020 all over again. The highly transmissible delta variant is a huge wild card, Covid-19 cases in children are up 84 per cent in the past week, with 72,000 kids testing positive for the virus, and the battle lines are getting redrawn, once again, between schools, government and communities. Doctors are raising the alarm. "I will say what I'm hearing from my pediatrician colleagues and particularly in areas where infection rates are high is that they are seeing very sick kids," Lee Savio Beers, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said in public comments Friday. The new infections among children were recorded in seven days leading up to July 29, up from 39,000 the week prior, according to a study out from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The troubling data are coming in as US schools are readying to open their doors for the Fall term. There's no Covid-19 vaccine yet for kids below 12 years, mask mandates are a patchwork of 50 states' political calculus, and the Delta variant is surging among the unvaccinated. The US is now averaging over 109,000 new daily cases. That's the highest it's been since February this year. These numbers are coming on top of robust vaccination numbers: At least 70 per cent of those above 18 have got at least one dose; 60 per cent of adults are fully vaccinated. But nothing has changed for the under-12 cohort. There's no shot for them yet. Pfizer's senior vice president of vaccine development said in a video interview today that the company is likely to file for an emergency use authorization for the under-12s only by October. Until then, masks are the only armour for students under 12 years. Public policy remains complicated. California, Louisiana, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington state either plan to or have already announced that they would require universal masking on campus for students and teachers regardless of vaccination status. But there are nearly a dozen states that have gone in the other extreme direction and banned masks requirements in public schools. "What are the harmful effects of putting a kindergartener in a mask for seven hours? Have they talked about the emotional, the academic, the physiological? Why isn't CDC studying that?" asks Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, clashing routinely with White House guidance. For a full year ending January 2021, CDC data showed children 15 and under had the lowest infection rates. That has changed now. School-age children between the ages of 5-11 and 12-15 have infection rates higher than adults 50 and older. "We failed our kids all along. We're failing our kids all over again," emergency physician Leana Wen told Deadline White House. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Srinagar, Aug 7 : One terrorist has been killed in an ongoing encounter between terrorists and security forces at Mochwa area in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district on Saturday, officials said. "One unidentified terrorist killed. One AK-47 rifle and one pistol recovered. Search going on," a police officer said. Earlier, the firefight between terrorists and security forces took place after a joint team of the police and the army cordoned off the area and launched a search operation on the basis of specific information about presence of terrorists. As the security forces zeroed in on the spot where terrorists were hiding they came under a heavy volume of fire that triggered the encounter. New Delhi, Aug 7 : Happy at a permanent commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas for better co-ordination, research, identification, and resolution of problems surrounding the air quality index, experts are also wary of the the fact that mere regulations would not help in the long run. The Lok Sabha on Wednesday and the Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the Bill that will help constitution the Commission on Air Quality Management for the Delhi NCR and surrounding areas. Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav had said the Commission will have administrative and environmental experts associated with this process along with the representatives of the states surrounding the Delhi-NCR region. The Centre had earlier brought out an ordinance for setting up the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas in 2020 but it had lapsed in March this year. A similar ordinance was promulgated on April 13, 2021, and now, this Act replaces it paving the way for a permanent Commission. Delhi being the landlocked state, the sources of air pollution comprise factors beyond the local municipal and local government limits. Agricultural activities, majorly straw burning, brick kilns, thermal plants, transport, and industry apart from construction in Delhi and NCR areas all contribute to the air pollution but several of these are non-local sources. Apart from Delhi-NCR's own sources of emissions, a major contributor especially in winters is the burning of agriculture waste by the farmers in Punjab and Haryana. There were a lot of critical comments on the clause 14 and 15 of the Act especially from the farming organisations and opposition. As per clause 14, any violation of the provisions/orders under this Act are punishable by imprisonment for a term of up to five years or a fine of up to Rs 1 crore or both, provided that these provisions shall not be applicable to any farmer for causing air pollution by stubble burning or mismanagement of agricultural residue. Opposition leaders had claimed on Thursday that the clause 15 empowers the Commission to levy and collect environmental compensation from farmers who burn stubble or agro-waste. This compensation will be prescribed by the Central government. Even when Yadav had said that the clause 14 seeks to decriminalise the entire process and that no penalty would be levied on farmers who burn stubble or agricultural waste, the farmers are not taking it. "The Act as it stands today has to be revoked as the farmer continues to be under the penal provisions. Clause is an omnibus clause, clause 15th hardly matters," said secretary of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, Avik Saha. "Our demand as it was when it was an ordinance remains the same. We want complete repeal of the Act or amendment in the clause 14 and 15," Saha told IANS. Executive director of Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Dr. GV Ramanjaneyulu echoes that the air pollution crisis that Delhi NCR faces has a lot linked to the rice-wheat cropping system. "Unless the rice-wheat cropping system changes, nothing else is going to help. The decisions have to be taken at a much larger scale to change the ecosystem and not just by regulation," Ramanjaneyulu said. For the uninitiated, rice-wheat system means, the farmers from Punjab and Haryana that growing rice in kharif and wheat in rabi season hardly get time to remove the stubble from rice before sowing wheat and hence they prefer to burn it. The gap between these two actions -- removing the stubble after cutting rice crop and sowing the wheat crop -- is very less, labour availability is coming down and cost wise, removing the stubble is not economical for farmers. "So, if these three are not going to change, the regulation won't work. The rice-wheat cropping system should change. Only rice and wheat are procured, there is free power, there is huge fertilizer subsidy and huge machine subsidy. All this contributes towards growing (only) paddy and wheat. You are incentivising to grow rice and wheat and saying, 'don't grow it'," he said. What is needed is to look at how this entire policy will be changed as it is an inter-ministerial thing and has "a lot to do with the mindsets of the bureaucrats", Ramanjaneyulu added. Agreed Saha. "Government has to tell us what to do? We don't stop burning stubble because we like burning stubble. This is a government policy. You give us water one month late, the only crops you buy are wheat and rice. We are growing because you are buying and not paying enough for other crops," Saha added. The problem of farmers burning the agri-waste apart, there are umpteenth sources of pollution from across the Delhi-NCR and there are several agencies in the play. The Commission is an attempt at an umbrella body which replaced the NCR's Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority -- EPCA. The provisions of the Act will remain supreme in case there is some conflict between either the state governments or the pollution control bodies. Now, it will remain to be seen if the Commission will be able to really pool in all the agencies from different states for checking pollution in Delhi NCR and surrounding areas. The ordinance had earlier and now the Act takes into cognizance the 'air shed' approach as the government realised that Delhi's air cannot be managed by activities confined to Delhi, it must be an air shed approach. And therefore, this unified body for the entire Delhi-NCR and surrounding areas, which are geographically contiguous landmass in the air shed (on the lines of water shed) beyond state/district boundaries. Ramanjaneyulu appreciated the airshed approach is always good compared to looking at political boundaries as "air travels beyond political boundaries and the crisis also happens beyond political boundaries." But the question is, how can the western disturbances that affect the atmospheric change over entire north-west India and have a major bearing on the region's weather be accounted for in this regional air shed model? Meteorologists describe 'Western Disturbance' as something that originates outside the tropics, in the Mediterranean region, and travels from western to the eastern direction to the area with reduced air pressure. In northwest India, WD are associated with rainfall in winters, snowfall in the hills and fog in entire northern Indo-Gangetic plains. These affect the weather system in Pakistan and north-west India. India Meteorological Department's former Director General (Meteorology) K J Ramesh, who was also the member of the erstwhile Commission, said: "When you deal with the air quality model, the atmospheric circulation is always accommodated in such model. For example, IMD is running a SILAM model for daily air quality forecasts, the atmospheric circulation is already embedded in it." SILAM, short for System for Integrated modelling of Atmospheric composition is an air quality forecast model used by IMD by incorporating various changes in existing models such as improved emission inventories, Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) and improved assimilation of various observational data. SILAM was further improved by implementing global emission inventories. Not just WDs but even those coming from east or from Arabian Sea, everything is inbuilt in this SILAM model, Ramesh said. The wait now will be to know when the Commission gets notified. (Nivedita Khandekar can be reached at nivedita.k@ians.in) Wellington, Aug 7 : New Zealand's Fox Glacier has long been an internationally renowned tourism attraction. But the Covid-induced border closure has badly impacted the remote destination. Located on the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand, Fox Glacier township, as well as the nearby Franz Josef, own spectacular scenic views of snow mountains, glaciers and temperate rain forest, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday. Around three to four-hour drive from renowned Queenstown and Wanaka makes the remote town always ski tourists' alternative for winter adventure and relaxation. The local economy is extremely reliant on tourism, especially international tourists. Rob Jewell, CEO of Fox Glacier Guiding, is deeply concerned about the cancellations of booking after the eight-week pause of Trans-Tasman travel bubble implemented in late July, usually the peak season for businesses of Fox Glacier township. Jewell told Xinhua that 97 per cent of his revenue came from international tourists before the Covid-19 pandemic. To date, the remote township witnessed four times more domestic tourists coming in the past half year. The operating capacity of Jewell's company, however, remained only 10 per cent of the pre-Covid period. "This year, we cannot see any good signs before October due to new Covid outbreak in Australia," Jewell said. A survey launched by the Glacier Country Tourism Group, a regional marketing group in Westland, shows that in the past year, 73 per cent of 103 businesses in the Group reduced their staff. All together 519 jobs were reported lost. At least 68 businesses and an additional 195 jobs will likely be lost in the next six months if there is no changes on the border control or no additional support from the government. Before the pandemic, Fox Glacier township had around 250 residents. Now the number plummeted to 160. Jewell still holds an optimistic view on his business in a long run, however. "I am on rebuilding strategy of my business. Maybe the year of 2022, maybe later, the border will reopen and tourists will come back. We need to be ready for that." Buenos Aires, Aug 7 : Argentine President Alberto Fernandez has unveiled a plan to "responsibly and cautiously" emerge from lockdown and resume activities in step with the ongoing vaccination drive against the Covid-19. "The vaccine is the pandemic's exit door, each month we are all closer to passing through it. We are responsibly going to live the life we want again," Xinhua news agency quoted the President as saying in an address to the nation on Friday. "In August we will apply more than 7 million second doses. In addition, we will continue to apply the first doses to adolescents aged 12 to 17 who have been prioritized," he said. As part of the plan, starting Saturday the number of people who can gather together will be expanded "little by little", leading to the eventual reopening of schools, "another collective achievement", he added. According to Fernandez, "the Argentine economy is growing", and is expected to see around 7 per cent growth in 2021 and 4.5 percent in 2022. "The vaccine is the best economic policy. Thanks to the vaccination, we are recovering," the President added. Since the onset of the pandemic early last year, Argentina has registered 4,989,402 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 107,023 deaths from the disease. The country has administered more than 33.82 million vaccines since December 2020. Washington, Aug 7 : The unemployment rate in the US dropped to 5.4 per cent in July amid a resurgence of Covid-19, but there was also an addition of 943,000 jobs, the Labour Department reported. The latest data followed upwardly revised job growth of 938,000 in June and upwardly revised increase of 614,000 in May, according to the report released on Friday by the Department's Bureau of Labour Statistics. In July, job gains were notable in leisure and hospitality, in local government education, and in professional and business services, Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying. Employment in leisure and hospitality increased by 380,000, with two-thirds of the job gain in food services and drinking places, the report said, but noting that the figure was down by 1.7 million, or 10.3 per cent, from its pre-pandemic level. The unemployment rate fell by 0.5 percentage point to 5.4 per cent, after unexpectedly rising by 0.1 percentage point to 5.9 per cent in the previous month. The measure was down considerably from its recent high in April 2020, but remained well above the pre-pandemic level of 3.5 per cent. The number of unemployed persons decreased by 782,000 to 8.7 million, still well above the pre-pandemic level of 5.7 million, according to the report. Among the unemployed, the number of persons on temporary layoff fell by 572,000 to 1.2 million in July, but still 489,000 above the February 2020 level. The number of permanent job losers, meanwhile, declined by 257,000 to 2.9 million in July, 1.6 million higher than in February 2020. The labour force participation rate was little changed at 61.7 per cent in July and has remained within a narrow range of 61.4 per cent to 61.7 per cent since June 2020, according to the report. Dhaka, Aug 7 : Police in Bangladesh have released television play director, Chayanika Chowdhury after interrogating her for being "well-acquainted" with arrested actress Pori Moni. She was released at around 12 a.m. on Saturday after being in questioned for over three hours. On Friday evening, Chowdhury was picked up from Panthapath in the capital and taken to the Detective Branch (DB) for interrogation, Hafiz Akhtar, additional commissioner (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told IANS. The intimacy between Shamsunnahar Smrity, popularly known as Pori Moni, and Chowdhury is widely known to the Bangladeshi media. The actress addresses the director as her 'mother'. During a recent press conference, Chowdhury was seen beside the actress while the latter claimed that she was abused. Pori Moni was detained by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Wednesday night following a four-hour raid in her residence at Banani in Dhaka. Prior to her detention, the RAB had claimed they recovered drugs and liquor from her possession during the raid. Pori Monio had claimed that she was assaulted on June 8 by Nasir Uddin Mahmood, former president of the Boat club and also director of Gulshan All Community Club, a businessman and politician. "We have found from the beginning of the investigation that various activities including drug business were going on to destroy the children of upper-middle-class families. We found more names after interrogating Pori Moni. One of them was her costume designer Junayed Karim Jimmy," Harun Or Rashid, joint commissioner of the detective branch of the police, said. "Everybody was asking for 'why Pori Moni's so-called mother'Chayanika Chowdhury was not being interrogated'. At the end of the interrogation, we will hand her over to her family for the time being. We will call her later if we need to question her again." He said during the interrogation, Pori Moni made huge allegations against Chowdhury, Rashid said. "She was released after interrogation on a condition that she would come whenever she would be called for." August 07 : Nushrratt Bharuccha has been following a hectic work schedule. After she wrapped up Chhori, she started shooting for Luv Ranjan's untitled film in Mumbai, where she fell sick as she suffered from a vertigo attack and was rushed to Hinduja Hospital. Nushrratt plays the lead Luv Ranjan's untitled film. She was shooting in Mumbai, when she fell ill at the sets. Reportedly, the Pyaar Ka Punchnama actress was not keeping well for the last few days, and it aggravated at the sets when she was taken to the hospital directly from the set. The actress reportedly told a publication that she was staying in a hotel close to the set while shooting for the film. In todays times, I felt that this would be good as it would save the time I would take to reach the set from my house. One day, after about three weeks of shooting, I felt very weak and I excused myself from the shoot, she said. After the actress was rushed to the hospital, she was reportedly advised bed rest for 15 days. The actress felt that she would feel better in a day or two so she reported to work when her health deteriorated. The actress reportedly said that her blood pressure dropped to 65/55. Her parents were informed, who arrived at the hospital. The actress she did not get hospitalised. She has returned home and will take medicines and rest for seven days. Her doctor has advised her 15 days of complete rest. Nushrratt was shooting for the last 24 days, and she said that the doctor said that it perhaps happened due to stress. The shoot of the film has been halted for the time being. Meanwhile, on the work front, Nushrratt was last seen in Chhalaang opposite Rajkummar Rao. She has completed filming Chhori, and has started shooting for Luv Ranjans film, which was kept under wrap. Chinese President Xi Jinping was on a surprise 'inspection tour' of central and southern Tibet from July 21-23. Xi, who had succeeded Hu Jintao in 2012, had visited Tibet as Vice-President in 2011. He went to Lhasa after a gap of ten years, when he came as head of the Chinese governments delegation to mark the 60th anniversary of the 17 Point Agreement. Hence, the recent tour was therefore his first in central Tibet in nearly a decade. However less than two months ago, Xi went to Gangcha county in Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (TAP) in Qinghai province. For China, it has to be seen in the context of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) 100th anniversary and the 70th anniversary of the controversial 17 Point Agreement, a document which as falsely claimed by China marks its "peaceful liberation of Tibet". However, the Dalai Lama has renounced it as an agreement which was made under duress. President Xi had first landed at Mainling airport in Nyingchi, southeast Tibet, located not far from the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, on July 21. He also addressed a public gathering there. Ten years ago when Xi had visited to mark the 60th anniversary of the 17 Point Agreement, he had gone to Lhasa first. However, this time, he came to meet the people in Nyingchi first and told them that not a single ethnic group must be left behind in the efforts to fully build a modern socialist China. On the morning of July 22, Xi came to Nyingchi Railway Station to learn about the overall planning of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway and the construction and operation of the Lhasa-Nyingchi section, and then took a train ride to Lhasa. On July 22, Xi was reported to have visited the Drepung Monastery, Barkhor Street and the Potala Palace square in Lhasa. Hr also addressed a gathering in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, where he said that "as long as we follow the Communist Party and long as we stick to the part of socialism with the Chinese characteristics, we will surely realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as planned". This should be seen in the context of his call for Tibetan Buddhism to be adapted to socialist society under the ongoing Sinicization campaign. Significantly, Xi met with the representatives of the Tibet Military Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) on the last day of his visit. On July 23, Xi called on ethnic Tibetans and other minority groups to help defend the country. He stressed that the local troops should fully strengthen the work of training soldiers and war preparation, and contributes positive strength to promote the long-term stability and prosperity of Tibet. No report by Chinese State Media According to the various news media including Chinese and Tibetan news portals like International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) and others, Xi made an unannounced visit to Tibet. While heavy security is expected for a visit by the Chinese President anywhere, it is highly unusual that even Chinese state media has not reported about his visit to Lhasa and Nyingchi, even though after two or three days since he arrived. A surprise visit by the Chinese President to Tibet There were monitoring movements and unusual activities before Xi's visit to Tibet, which further indicated the visit of an important leader. eople also reported receiving calls from security officials and checking on their activities for no apparent reason. Roads in several sections of Lhasa were also blocked, and the city authorities had announced the banning of drones or kites in Lhasa from July 21. Both Nyingchi and Lhasa were put under a near curfew like lockdown during his visit. People except a select crowd which was brought to greet him with well-orchestrated costume dances and handshakes in front of China's national TV cameras in both cities were ordered to stay indoors. For the whole time, Xi was in Tibet, the streets remained under physical control of the Public Security Bureau (PSB) and under the close scrutiny of thousands of security cameras. Though the visit was kept a State secret, videos started circulating on social media on July 22 in the evening. Video clips which were shared on the Chinese social media on July 22, showed the President addressing the people in Nyingchi and coming out of a shop in the Barkhor area in Lhasa. The President was also seen giving remarks to the public while facing the 'Monument to the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet' in front of the Potala Palace, a traditional winter residence of the Dalai Lama. Later, The People's Daily stated the objectives of the visit "to implement the party's strategy for governing Tibet in the new era and write a new chapter in long-term stability and high-quality development of the snow-covered plateau". This refers to the 7th Work Forum held in August 2020 which defined the development policies for Tibet for the five next years, particularly the Sinicisation of Tibetan Buddhism. The way Xi's visit was reported to the Tibetan people and the world community by the Chinese media two days after he landed in Nyingchi and then Lhasa, exposed the hollowness of China's persistent claims about Tibet being an "integral and inseparable part of China" or that the Tibetans are "happy" and "thankful" to China for "liberation" from the Dalai Lama's "feudal" rule. Although in his calibrated speeches during his two day visit to Tibet, Xi tried to send the message to the world that Tibet is under full control of China as "an integral part of China", yet he failed miserably in hiding his fear of ordinary Tibetan people's anger. Jinping's visit to Tibet: How can it impact India? The visit by the President came a month after China had inaugurated its first electric train service in Tibet between capital Lhasa and Nyingchi City, a week before the ruling CCP had celebrated its 100th birthday on July 1. The inauguration of the bullet train near India's border had already become an issue of concern for India. The train connects Nyingchi which is a prefecture-level city of Medog county which is adjacent to the Arunachal Pradesh border which China claims as part of south Tibet, which has always been firmly rejected by the Indian government. His desperation about the new railway line and other military preparations against India in Tibet too has exposed his anxieties and frustration in dealing with India. This first ever visit of a supreme Chinese leader to demonstrate his interest in the proposed mega hydro project on the Brahmaputra is also a no less an expression of his frustration at and arrogance against India. Even though India's policy on Tibet has been mindful of Chinese sensibilities, and recognised Tibet as part of China, with the recent stand-off between the two countries, India's stand on Tibet took a U-turn. The strategic significance of Xi's visit in the backdrop of the ongoing face-off between Indian and Chinese armies across the Ladakh border has been underlined in Indian media reports. It was certainly an important visit, and the policies/decisions taken in August during the 7th Work Forum will be implemented with more vigour after Xi's visit. It does not augur well for the Tibetans and India. United Nations, Aug 7 : An estimated 4.4 million people, including internally displaced, face critical food shortages in northeast Nigeria, a UN spokesman said. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns 775,000 of those people are at extreme risk of catastrophic food insecurity, Xinhua news agency quoted Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, as saying. "This is the worst outlook in four years. Without sustained funding, millions of people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states will struggle to feed themselves during the lean season due to conflict, Covid-19, high food prices and the effects of climate change," Haq said. The lean season across the Sahel is May to August, between harvests. This year, scarce rains reduced farmer's production, leaving the population short of crops to carry them to the September harvest, according to the spokesman. "Our colleagues tell us that 8.7 million people in Nigeria need urgent assistance, including 2.2 million displaced people," he said. The UN and humanitarian partners work with the government and local authorities to increase food distribution in high-risk areas. But a surge in violence targeting aid workers and assets has made it difficult. Boko Haram and other non-state actors are blamed for a resurgence in violence earlier this year. The UN humanitarian response plan for Nigeria seeks just over $1 billion. It is only one-third funded, OCHA said. Mumbai, Aug 7 : Actress Kajal Aggarwal has finished shooting her upcoming film titled 'Uma'. The film also features Tinnu Anand, Harsh Chhaya, Meghana Malik, Gaurav Sharma, Shriswara and Ayoshi Talukdar. Talking about the film, Kajal said, "I've had a fabulous experience working on 'Uma'. My director and all the artists and technicians were wonderful. There are certain characters that just stay with you and 'Uma' is going to leave me with a massive, beautiful hangover! This is one film which is all heart, I'm very excited about and will always cherish." 'Uma' is directed by Tathagata Singha, produced by Avishek Ghosh, and the film was shot in Kolkata in a start-to-finish schedule with all Covid-19 protocols. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Tehran, Aug 7 : Iran's new President Ebrahim Raisi has held a series of meetings with diplomats and officials from regional countries, where he called for the promotion of dialogue to solve issues. "If there is a problem or an issue among regional countries, it should be resolved through dialogue and interaction and no room should be allowed for foreign powers to interfere in the region," Raisi said when meeting Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah on Friday. Al-Sabah, who attended Raisi's swearing-in ceremony in Tehran on Thursday, said that Kuwait hopes a new chapter in bilateral ties would be opened under the new Iranian administration and is willing to join hands with the Iranian side to map out plans for developing relations, reports Xinhua news agency. On Thursday night, Raisi met a special representative of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and put forward the idea of a joint mechanism to develop bilateral ties with Abu Dhabi, local media reported, without revealing the name of the special envoy. "A joint mechanism should be created in order to accelerate the process of developing ties, using capacities and ways to strengthen relations and cooperation between the two countries in different spheres," he said. Raisi said Iran is "a true and sincere friend" of the UAE, and expressed "a spirit of heartfelt amity" towards it. In further remarks about regional issues, Raisi told the UAE envoy that the future of Yemen should be decided by Yemenis themselves, and added that such an approach would benefit peace and stability in the region, if shared by regional countries. Also on Friday, Raisi met Sahiba Gafarova, speaker of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan, vowing Tehran is determined to take major steps to develop all-out relations with Baku. Iranian companies are ready to cooperate in the reconstruction of Azeri war-torn areas, as well as in the implementation of joint projects in technical, engineering and infrastructure fields, the President said. Gafarova expressed her country's intention to develop ties with Iran under Raisi's administration. Lucknow, Aug 7 : Bharatiya Janata Party National President J.P. Nadda will be visiting Lucknow on Saturday, where he, along with the state government and the party organization, will discuss the strategy for the assembly elections due next year. He is also likely to review the performances of state ministers. Nadda could also assess the progress of 'tasks' he had entrusted to the ministers during his previous meeting. As per information, Nadda will address a convention of newly elected District Panchayat and Block Panchayat Presidents at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan. Following this, he will meet the in-charges of all the assembly constituencies and will provide them insights of booth and campaign managements in elections. The BJP President will hold a meeting of the core committee at the state BJP headquarters in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the party's state president Swatantra Dev Singh. Nadda will also hold a meeting of state government ministers and state BJP office bearers. After this, on August 8, Nadda will hold an election meeting of regional office bearers, district heads of Braj region in Agra to discuss poll strategy. The BJP president will also attend a Corona Warriors conference in Agra. With high stakes assembly polls approaching nearer, the visits of BJP's top leadership to the state has become more frequent. Recently, National General Secretary (Organization) B.L. Santhosh had held a meeting of the state and regional office bearers. The National President's visit comes as follow-up to this. Sanaa, Aug 7 : Yemen's internationally-recognised government has reported a new rise of the daily Covid-19 cases following a relative decline during the past weeks as the war-torn country's is also facing the worst humanitarian crisis. In the government-controlled Yemeni provinces, the health authorities officially recorded 27 new confirmed cases in the southern port city of Aden and neighbouring towns, Xinhua news agency reported. The Health Ministry said that 15 new cases were officially detected in Aden, five in Hadramout province, three in Shabwa province, two in Taiz province, and two in Lahj province, bringing the total confirmed cases to 7,131. It said that the medical teams recorded one death in the country's southeastern province of Hadramout, raising the death toll from the virus to 1,384. Last week, the UN warned that the Covid resurgence has triggered fears that the war-torn Arab country is facing the third wave of the pandemic. So far, just over 310,000 vaccine doses have been administered in Yemen, meaning that only 1 percent of its population have got their first dose. This takes place against a backdrop of dire humanitarian needs, conflict and the threat of famine, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). More than half of Yemenis face crisis levels of food insecurity, and 5 million people are one step away from famine. As the value of the Yemeni currency continues to plummet, more and more civilians are being pushed to the brink, it said. The $3.85 billion humanitarian response plan for Yemen is currently only 47 per cent funded and most of the money available will run out in September, said OCHA. "Additional and predictable funding is urgently needed so that people can continue receiving the lifesaving assistance." Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Tel Aviv, Aug 7 : Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has appointed Michael Herzog, an army veteran, as the country's Ambassador to the US. Taking to Twitter, Bennett announced: "Mike is the right person at the right time. During his 40 years of service in the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces), he served in a number of senior positions and over the years took an active part in many political negotiations. "His experience, skills and understanding of the security and political field will serve us in managing the relationship with our closest friend (US)." Herzog, 69, has served in several senior positions in the IDF, including the head of strategic planning, the Defence Minister's chief of staff, and military secretary, reports Xinhua news agency. After retiring from the army, he participated in political negotiations under several prime ministers and served as a special political envoy on behalf of the former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu between 2009 and 2014. He is the brother of Israeli President Isaac Herzog. "Prime Minister Bennett decided to appoint Herzog as ambassador due to his rich experience in the security and political arenas, and his in-depth knowledge of the strategic issues facing Israel, including the Iranian nuclear program," a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Offie said. Herzog will replace Gilad Erdan, who was asked to complete his role as Ambassador to the US two weeks after the inauguration of the new Bennett-led government in June. Erdan, who was appointed in January this year, will continue to serve as Israel's envoy to the UN. Washington, Aug 7 : US President Joe Biden's administration announced that it was extending the pause on federal student loans one last time through January 31, 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic. "The payment pause has been a lifeline that allowed millions of Americans to focus on their families, health, and finances instead of student loans during the national emergency," Xinhua news agency quoted Education Secretary Miguel Cardona as saying in a statement. "The Department believes this additional time and a definitive end date will allow borrowers to plan for the resumption of payments and reduce the risk of delinquency and defaults after restart," the statement said. Student loan payments in the country have been paused since Congress passed the CARES Act last year but were due to end in September. During the pause, borrowers do not need to make payments and interest will not accrue on their remaining balance. Collecting on the country's $1.6 trillion student loan bills is a daunting task even during normal times, local analysts said. Meanwhile, a number of Democratic lawmakers argued that the Biden administration doesn't go far enough on the student loan issue. "While this temporary relief is welcome, it doesn't go far enough. Our broken student loan system continues to exacerbate racial wealth gaps and hold back our entire economy," Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, progressive senator Elizabeth Warren and House Democratic lawmaker Ayanna Pressley said in a joint statement. The Biden administration has cancelled $1.5 billion in student loan debt in total, according to a The Hill report. United Nations, Aug 7 : The UK's UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward said that her country briefed the UN Security Council on the evidence it has about the attack against an oil tanker off the coast of Oman last week, which she said points to Iran. "That evidence is clear-cut. The UK knows that Iran was responsible for this attack. We know it was deliberate and targeted," she told reporters after the Security Council held closed-door consultations on the July 29 attack on Mercer Street, an oil tanker managed by an Israeli-owned company headquartered in London. Asked to elaborate on the evidence, Woodward said: "We know that Iran was responsible for this attack. And the evidence, we are confident, based on our assessment of the debris that was recovered from the MV Mercer Street, that the system used in the attack was an Iranian Shahed-136 UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), and these are manufactured only in Iran." There is no justification for what happened: a state-sanctioned attack on a civilian vessel passing peacefully through international waters, Xinhua news agency reported citing the envoy as saying. "Iran's activities, and its support to proxy forces and non-state armed actors, threaten international peace and security. The United Kingdom calls on Iran to stop these activities and calls on all parties to play a constructive role in fostering regional stability and peace," said Woodward. In response, Zahra Ershadi, the charge d'affaires ad interim of Iran's permanent mission to the UN, rejected the accusation and blamed Israel for destabilising the region. "We just heard a distorted statement about the Mercer Street vessel incident. We categorically reject the unfounded accusation of Israel on the Mercer Street vessel incident," she said. "The Israeli regime cannot whitewash its destabilizing practices and vicious policies by blaming and accusing others. "Immediately following this event, Israeli officials accused Iran of the incident. This is what they usually do. It is a standard practice of the Israeli regime. Its aim is to divert attention of the world public opinion from the regime's crimes and inhumane practices in the region. "To that end, they accuse others of wrongdoing. In almost all incidents in the Middle East, Israel accuses Iran. They do it immediately and provide no evidence. Playing victim, lying and deception are part of their toolbox. "This regime has been the main source of threat, instability and insecurity in the region for over seven decades... The Israeli regime also continues to brazenly threaten to use force against regional states. Again, its Defense Minister threatened to use force against Iran. Iran warns against any such adventurism and miscalculations. Yet, Iran will not hesitate to defend itself and secure its national interests," Ershadi added. The Security Council must prevent Israel's unbridled adventurism in the region and it must also prove that it is not trapped by Israel's deceptions and fabrications, she said. Mercer Street was attacked on its way from Tanzania to the United Arab Emirates. Two crew members -- a Romanian national and a Briton -- died in the attack. Washington, Aug 7 : Covid-19 community transmission is substantial or high in most of the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its latest update. Most US states and jurisdictions are experiencing substantial or high levels of community transmission of Covid-19 driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, Xinhua news agency quoted the CDC as saying. Covid-19 cases, hospitalisations, and deaths continue to increase, especially in communities with lower vaccination coverage, it added. The current seven-day moving average of daily new cases (89,977) increased 33.7 per cent compared with the previous seven-day moving average (67,274). The current seven-day average of new hospital admissions for July 28-August 3 was 7,707, 40.0 per cent increase from the prior seven-day average. The current seven-day moving average of new deaths (377) increased 34.8 per cent compared with the previous seven-day moving average (280). Substantial transmission means at least 50 new cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days, while high transmission is more than 100 cases per 100,000 people over the last week, according to CDC'S four-tiered system that measures the level of community transmission. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Srinagar, Aug 7 : The terrorist killed in an encounter with security forces at Mochwa area of Central Kashmir's Budgam district on Saturday refused to surrender and instead fired at the security forces triggering the encounter, officials said. Police said acting on a specific information about presence of terrorists in Mochwa Chadoora area of Budgam, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by Police, army's 50 RR and 181 BN of CRPF in the said area. "During the search operation as the presence of terrorists got ascertained, they were given opportunity to surrender, however, instead of surrendering they fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party which was retaliated leading to an encounter," police said. In the ensuing encounter, one terrorist of proscribed terror outfit Al-Badr was killed and his body was retrieved from the site of encounter. He has been identified as Shakir Bashir Dar of Goripora, Awantipora. As per police records, the killed terrorist was part of groups involved in various terror activities and several terror cases were registered against him. "It is pertinent to mention that Shakir Bashir was earlier working as a terrorist associate with proscribed terror outfit LeT and joined terror folds of proscribed terror outfit Al-Badr recently," police said. "Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including one AK-rifle with two magazines, 32 rounds, one Chinese pistol with two magazines, 16 rounds, one Bagpack and one Pouch were recovered from the site of encounter." Police said, while the said operation was in progress, it was learnt that while laying cordon, another terrorist managed to escape from the encounter site and the information was shared with Awantipora Police. "Awantipora Police while developing the lead further launched a cordon and search operation in Mantaqi Colony Khrew area along with army's 50 RR and 185 BN CRPF. During search, the escaped terrorist was tracked down and arrested while hiding in a truck bearing registration No JK13-2397. He has been identified as Shabir Ahmad Najar, resident of Wuyan Khrew linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT. The driver of the truck identified as Mohd Shafi Dar, resident of Gratwani Mohalla Khrew has also been arrested. Besides the said truck has also been seized," police said. Police said incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including one Chinese Pistol, one pistol magazine, seven pistol rounds, two AK-Magazines, 50 AK-rounds, one Chinese grenade, 5 Kgs IED (destroyed on spot) were also recovered from the site. Meanwhile, IGP Kashmir, Vijay Kumar has congratulated joint teams of Police and Security Forces for showing exemplary coordination in conducting successful operation in professional manner without any collateral damage and tracking down the escaped terrorist. Police have registered cases and further investigation is in progress. Chandigarh, Aug 7 : In a broad daylight murder, Youth Akali Dal leader Vicky Middukhera was shot dead here in Mohali in Punjab on Saturday. The police didn't rule out a strong possibility of gang war resulting in the crime. Four armed men fired around 10 bullets at the leader in Sector 71, killing him on the spot. The crime was caught in a CCTV camera. In the video, the victim was seen running away from the spot when two men fired at him. The assailants were waiting in a car parked near the victim's vehicle. As the victim came out from an office of a property consultant in a posh market and was about to sit in his SUV, the assailants fired at him. The victim came out of the vehicle and started running to save himself from the bullets. The attackers chasing at a certain distance. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital. Middukhera was a student leader and was once president of Student Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU) in Panjab University in Chandigarh. Later, he joined the Shiromani Akali Dal student wing -- Student Organisation of India (SOI). Ponduru, Aug 7 : Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday laid the foundation stone for a mass shed for Khadi workers at Ponduru village in Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam district. She also handed over a cheque for Rs 18 lakh to the Andhra Fine Khadi Karimikabhivrudhi (AFKK) Sangham, Ponduru, said a statement issued by her office. Sitharaman handed over the contract document for the new building to the khadi workers association coinciding with the National Handloom Day. The Finance Minister is on a two-day visit to the southern state and attended a programme organized by AFKK. During her visit, Sitharaman garlanded a statue of Mahatma Gandhi. Ponduru's location has an interesting connection with Gandhi, considering his halt at Dusi railway station which is just 10 km away from the village during his Dandi March as part of India's freedom struggle. "On his Dandi March, Gandhiji had stopped at Dusi railway station, just 10 km away from Ponduru, to inspect the khadi work done there, which is renowned across the country," said the statement. Mahatma Gandhi also sent his son Devdas to the village to study khadi work. "After staying for a week, he conveyed to Gandhiji how the women in the region spun on the single spindle chakra, a tradition that is still being followed in the area, one of the few areas to do so," said the statement. Meanwhile, multiple delegations, including Crafts Council of Andhra Pradesh, Laghu Udyog Bharti, Federation of Andhra Pradesh State Weavers Association and General Insurance Pensioners Association called on Sitharaman. Bharatiya Janata Party Rajya Sabha MP G.V.L. Narasimha Rao and state Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy were also present with her. Washington, Aug 7 : The US State Department has designated five leaders from three terrorist groups for "committing atrocities in Africa". Bonomade Machude Omar of the Islamic State (IS)-Mozambique; Sidan ag Hitta, Salem ould Breihmatt and Ali Mohamed Rage of the Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM); and Abdikadir Mohamed Abdikadir of al-Shabaab have been designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under Executive Order 13224, as amended, the Department said in a statement on Friday. According to the Department, Omar leads the Military and External Affairs Departments for IS-Mozambique and serves as the senior commander and lead coordinator for all attacks conducted by the group, as well as the lead facilitator and communications conduit. Hitta is a senior leader and commander responsible for the Kidal region in Mali within JNIM. He was among the group responsible for the January 20, 2019, attack on the MINUSMA base in Aguelhoc, Mali. He was also responsible for hostages in the Kidal Region, said the State Department. Breihmatt is a JNIM senior leader and emir of Arbinda and Serma in the Mopti region of Mali. He is also charged with the oversight of the group in Burkina Faso and is an explosives expert and instructor. Rage is al-Shabaab's spokesman and a senior leader of the group. He replaced Sheikh Mukhtar Robowas al-Shabaab's top spokesman in May 2009. Rage has been involved in attack planning that has targeted areas in Kenya and Somalia. Abdikadir is a facilitator and operational planner. As of November 2019, Abdikadirwas an al-Shabaab senior leader and served as the Head of Operations and Logistics. Taking to Twitter, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: "Today, the State Department designated five leaders from IS-Mozambique, JNIM, and al-Shabaab, terrorist groups that have committed atrocities in Africa. "The US is committed to disrupting terrorist financing, limiting their ability to conduct attacks against civilians." Agartala, Aug 7 : The Police arrested three youths belonging to affluent families on the charge of attempt to murder Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, officials said on Saturday. West Tripura district police chief Manik Lal Das told IANS, "The Chief Minister had a narrow escape on Thursday night after a private car which was going at a breakneck speed whizzed past him and his security entourage when Deb was on a night stroll and was returning to his official residence at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Lane here. The CM managed to jump aside as the vehicle whisked past him. However, one of his security personnel sustained minor injuries." The police official said that the incident took place during the Covid night curfew and the three youths not only violated the curfew rules but they also illegally overtook six police barricades and attacked a policeman when he tried to intercept the three drunken youths. He said that police immediately chased the Bolero car as the youths tried to escape, but ultimately arrested them late on Thursday night. The three youths -- Subham Saha (27), an engineer and working as business developer in a private farm, Aman Saha (25), a BBA degree holder and Gairik Ghosh (24), an unemployed graduate in Arts - belong to very affluent families. A case was registered in the West Agartala police station and various charges including rash driving, obstructing government servants on duty, willfully injuring public servants and attempt to murder the Tripura CM. Police have now seized the car and their mobile phones and is conducting raids in their houses and other places to obtain their antecedents. Bengaluru, Aug 7 : The BJP after successfully ensuring the smooth exit of former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa, has managed to expand the cabinet and allocate cabinet portfolios without giving any room for controversy and dissent. The party has also managed to keep Yediyurappa happy without giving in fully to his pulls and pressures. Cabinet berth was denied to his son BJP Vice-President B.Y. Vijayendra, who was allegedly a shadow of his father. At the same time, his loyalists were kept out of the cabinet, who went out of the way to support him at the time of Yediyurappa's exit. Anand Singh, BJP MLA from Vijayanagar was the only person to raise his voice on portfolio allocation. He has been given Ecology, Environment and Tourism ministry. "It is painful. I had expected a better portfolio. Will meet Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and express my concerns," he said. B. Sriramulu, a powerful backward class leader, is also believed to be upset with the allocated portfolio. However, Bommai explained that he has spoken to Anand Singh in this regard as he is a good friend. "The cabinet is being expanded to ensure changes in the administration. All are allocated with good portfolios," he maintained. The party and Bommai have also ensured the political management by allocating cabinet berths to most of the migrant MLAs (those who resigned from Congress and JD(S) to join BJP). At the same time the party gave plum posts to newly inducted cabinet ministers without disturbing senior party leaders. Expressing happiness over cabinet portfolio allocation, K.S. Eshwarappa, one among the top leaders in the state, said, "The portfolios are given as per the strengths and wishes of the candidates. The team is ready to perform and get results." Govind Karajol, minister for Water Resources, explained that his portfolio was earlier held by Chief Minister Bommai and he would take all guidance from him to deliver. C.C. Patil, the minister for PWD however said that he did not expect to get a prestigious portfolio. The party is gearing up to face long pending zilla panchayat and taluka panchayat elections which will be held shortly in the state. The BJP, with the cabinet expansion and portfolio distribution, is also preparing the ground for the next state assembly and Lok Sabha elections, party sources explained. Patna, Aug 7 : Politics on the basis of caste is not a new phenomenon in Bihar whether it is the ruling or the opposition parties which are speaking in one voice about implementing the caste-based census in the state. However, all parties in Bihar do not want to let go any opportunity to consolidate the 'forward caste' votes as well. If we look at all major parties in Bihar, there is an increase in the number of forward caste leaders inducted in every party. The trend of setting the right political and caste equations is not new to Bihar and has been followed in the past as well. If one looks closely, many major parties may be vocal about the caste census but the leaders from the forward castes control each party's topmost posts. Talking about the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), even though the party leadership is in the hands of Lalu Prasad as the party's National President but the party's state leadership is led by Jagdanand Singh, who belongs to the Rajput community. Though, the traditional vote bank of the RJD is considered to be of Yadavs and Muslims and it has long been associated with the politics of social justice. Looking at the ruling Janata Dal (United) in Bihar, the seniormost party leader and the current Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is considered to be an astute politician and an expert at 'social engineering' of getting caste equations right before elections. The 'Luv-Kush' equation is a political term used in the context of the politics of Bihar, to denote the alliance of the agricultural Kurmi and the Koeri caste, which together constitute nearly 15 per cent of the state's population. The alliance of these two caste groups has remained the traditional support base of Nitish Kumar along with a strong support base within the Extremely Backward Castes (EBC). The JD(U) has recently tried to woo the forward caste voters by appointing Munger MP Lalan Singh as the party's new President. The Congress is considered a party solely of forward caste voters in Bihar since its inception. Initially, the upper caste voters had remained loyal to the Congress but later, however, these voters drifted away from the party. Despite this, Madan Mohan Jha from the Brahmin community has remained the Congress state president. The Congress wants to send a clear message to the forward caste voters that they have always been an important voter base for the party and are still crucial to the party's consolidation. The BJP is recognized as a party whose politics is identified with support base among the forward castes. Lok Sabha MP Sanjay Jaiswal is the BJP state president, who is a Vaishya by caste. The BJP, however, has opposed a caste-based census in Bihar. Ajay Kumar, a well-known journalist from Bihar, says that there is no doubt that politics in Bihar is based on caste. After the resolution of many controversial political issues such as Ram Mandir, abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, Triple Talaq law etc parties with a socialist ideology are no longer left with burning issues. He said the identity of the BJP has been synonymous with a party working for the interests of forward castes. In such a situation, other parties are trying to send the message that people from the forward castes are also significant for them by giving plum posts to leaders from the forward castes. New Delhi/Dhanbad, Aug 7 : Three days after taking over the probe into the death of ADJ Uttam Anand in Dhanbad, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is questioning the two accused in connection with the case, who were sent to 5 days agency's custody. A court in Dhanbad remanded Lakhan Verma and Rahul Verma to five days CBI custody on Friday. A CBI source connected to the probe said, "We are questioning the two accused arrested from Jharkhand's Giridih." He said that the agency has got the case files, their mobile call records and their mobile location history from the Jharkhand Police's SIT that was probing the case earlier. The source added that the agency is examining the details of the location history and their call records at the time of the death of Uttam Anand. The source said that the agency is also analysing the call records of the two accused to check with whom they were in touch. The CBI had taken over the probe on August 4 on the recommendation of the Jharkhand government and further notification from the central government. A 20 member SIT team has been sent to Jharkhand to probe the case. Additional District and Sessions Judge Uttam Anand was killed on July 28 after an auto-rickshaw hit him while he was on a morning walk, and a case was registered by the police on a complaint from his wife against an unknown auto driver. After CCTV footage surfaced, the Jharkhand government had formed an SIT to probe the matter. But later, it recommended that the CBI probe the death. The source said that the agency sleuths have also verified the auto-rickshaw which had hit the ADJ during his morning walk. On Tuesday, the Jharkhand High Court directed the CBI to start the probe into the death of the judge at the earliest, so that no evidence is destroyed, and directed the state government to provide all logistics support and documents to it. The court also directed the Jharkhand DGP to ensure security to the judicial officers in the state. It also wanted to know, if the incident took place at 5.08 a.m., why the FIR was lodged at 12.45 p.m. The source said that the agency sleuths are planning to record the statement of Uttam Anand's wife in connection with his death. CBI's Superintendent of Police Jagroop S Gusinha from the special unit in New Delhi is also camping in Jharkhand to probe the case. Bengaluru, Aug 7 : In order to send a message to party workers across the state and take the cabinet out of the shadow of former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa, the Karnataka BJP unit has awarded important portfolios to new faces inducted on the insistence of the party into the cabinet. The much sought after portfolios such as Home, Mines & Geology, Energy, Education, have gone to the newly inducted ministers Araga Jnanendra, Achar Halappa Basappa, V Sunilkumar, B.C.Nagesh, Shankar Patil Munenakoppa. The move has come as a shock to the senior leaders of the party and opposition parties as well. Araga Jnanendra, a four time MLA from Thirthahalli constituency, was dropped by former chief minister Yediyurappa. Jnanendra did not utter a word of protest. The party has now awarded him the prestigious Home Ministry which is regarded as the second most powerful position after the chief minister. The portfolio was held by present Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in the previous Yediyurappa cabinet. There were allegations of interference by Yediyurappa's son B.Y. Vijayendra. Considering all this, the party wanted to put someone who is totally loyal to the principles of the party. V. Sunil Kumar, the minister for Energy, is a three time MLA from Karkala constituency. Known as a fierce proponent of the Hindutva agenda, his name has been on the priority list of the Sangh Parivar for a long time. The Energy portfolio was being eyed by many senior leaders. B.C. Nagesh, who is mostly seen in saffron attire, is a second-time MLA from Tipatur constituency in Tumkur district. Known as a dedicated worker of the Sangh and the party, he was allotted the Education portfolio previously held by veteran Sureshkumar, who was dropped from the cabinet. "I am ready to take up any job that the party assigns me. The Education department is directly connected to the 1.10 crore students of the state which comprises about 20% of the population. It is a huge responsibility. I will take the guidance of former minister Sureshkumar and address the issues of the Education department including the confusion on school fees," he said. Achar Halappa Basappa, a first time MLA from Yalaburga constituency, got the Mines and Geology ministry. Known as Halappa Achar, he is being preferred by the party as part of social engineering. Shankar Patil Munenakoppa, a two time legislator from Navalagunda constituency, has been given the Handlooms and Textiles ministry much to the chagrin of Aravind Bellad, a chief minister aspirant. Bellad also hails from the same region. Kolkata, Aug 7 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has alleged that states were not consulted properly before the initiation of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the Parliament and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "refrain from the initiation of the legislation" because it will hamper the interest of the larger section of the society. In a letter written to Prime Minister Modi, Banerjee said, "Power is too important a sector for such unilateral interferences, especially when 'electricity' as a subject is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution of India and any legislation on a subject in such a list needs serious prior consultation with the States. In the present case, there has been some tokenism of consultations, but no real exchange of views, which is antithetical to the federal structure of our polity". Registering her protest against the recent Central government's move to place the much-criticized Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the Parliament, the chief minister said, "Such a laissez faire approach would result in concentration of private profit - focussed utility players in the lucrative urban-industrial segments, while poor and rural consumers would be left to be tended by public sector DISCOMS". "In the name of market reforms, the State will give up its commanding height, state PSUs will become sick and ailing and yet forced to serve areas where no corporate body would focus. Allowing cherry-picking to select private entities cannot be the goal of public policies, particularly in a strategic sector like power," she alleged. The Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020 seeks to propose amendments to the Electricity Act 2003. The 2003 Act governs the power sector structure and policy. It recommends the generation, distribution, transmission, trading and use of electricity. Further, it also sets rules and regulations for regulatory authorities in the state and central departments of the power sector. The first few amendments introduced to the Act were in 2014. The 2020 amendment Bill has proposed the setting up of a National Selection Committee instead of a separate selection panel for the appointment of state electricity regulatory commissions (SERCs). Alleging the sweeping abdication of the State's pre-eminent role in the power sector in favour of unregulated and de-licensed private players, the chief minister wrote, "The avowed objective of the Bill is to provide plural choices to the consumers, even while actually the Bill will finally end up in profiteering by the new service providers through enhancements in tariffs and every sector of the society will suffer due to increased tariff". Mamata Banerjee said that the proposed Amendment strikes at the root of that federal architecture. "The reduction of the role of the state public utility bodies, the unchecked enhancement of the role of private corporate bodies, and the curtailment of the authority of the states in the power sector together imply a sinister design, whereby crony capitalism will get nourishment at the cost of the states, the public sector and the common people at large," she wrote. "The dilution of the role of the State Electricity Regulatory Commission and the State Distribution Companies implies a political design to demolish state bodies and domestic industries. Direct interference by the Central Government in activities involving distribution will not at all be helpful to take care of the interest of the common people and the States," she added. "I would like to request you to kindly refrain from the initiation of the legislation and to ensure that a broad-based and transparent dialogues on the subject is opened up at the earliest," she said. Gandhinagar, Aug 7 : Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said that he believes that within three years, the entire country will be provided with national highways parallel to the standards of the American highways. The minister was virtually present on the program on Saturday, celebrated as development day by Gujarat, marking the completion of five years of Chief ministership of Vijay Rupani. "Under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our national highways projects are gaining momentum. I believe that by the next three years, entire country will be provided with national highways parallel to the standards of the American highways. At one point of time, we used to construct only 2 kilometers roads per day, whereas now we are constructing 38 kilometers roads per day," said Gadkari. He said that Gujarat witnessed being a part of setting three world records in expressway road construction." "The 2.5 kilometers stretch of cemented four lane road on Vadodara-Mumbai expressway was completed in 24 hours. Similarly, on Solapur-Vijapur expressway, 26 kilometers stretch of Bitumen road was completed in 24 hours," said Gadkari. The union minister said that the ongoing works of Rs 8,711 crore for 125 kilometers expressway between Kim and Vadodara via Ankleshwar will be completed by December this year. This stretch of the expressway was part of the larger Delhi-Mumbai expressway. The stretch passes through seven districts of Gujarat, Dahod, Panchmahals, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Valsad and also Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Gadkari also said that the work of 85 kilometers eight lane stretch of Greenfield works of the Delhi-Mumbai expressway near Thandla will be awarded by October this year. "This expressway will be a 'Vardaan' (boon) for the tribal areas of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. It will attract industries and businesses and also benefit the farmers," he added. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, Aug 7 : A woman is fighting an intense legal battle seeking custody of her minor nephew from his Egyptian father, who allegedly sexually harassed and committed paedophilic acts with the child. The man absconded with the child from India in February 2020, and they are untraceable so far. The sister of the petitioner died on 17 April 2019, soon after the birth of the child in Pune. The petitioner moved to Egypt along with the man to provide care to the newborn child. In the plea, she alleged in August 2019, he made sexual advances on her, and also to her utter shock, found out he had paedophilic tendencies towards the 4-month-old baby. The petitioner along with the child returned to Pune in September 2019. She lodged a complaint in Pune stating she was sexually harassed by the Egyptian man, and he had also sexually harassed the child and also committed paedophilic acts on him. Later, the father filed a habeas corpus plea before the Bombay High court alleging that the maternal aunt and grandmother had illegal custody of his child. On January 30, 2020, the high court restored the custody of the child to his father and also allowed him to take the child to his working place in Abu Dhabi, after March 27, 2020. The woman and her mother moved the top court challenging this order and alleged that on February 16, 2020, they received an email from the man stating he had taken the child with him to Egypt. Petitioners said the man was required to bring the child to India as per high court's direction, four times in a year, but this has been breached. Also, the petitioners could not access the child via video conferencing. The petitioners submitted in the top court that child's father is highly temperamental, domineering and paedophilic and has several obsessive-compulsive disorders, and it is not safe to leave the child in his custody. The petitioners sought direction to the CBI to bring back the child to India. In March 2021, the top court issued a bailable warrant against the Egyptian man for violating custodial orders of his son passed by the high court. The top court also requested the Indian Embassy to use its good offices to ensure that access is provided to the petitioners on a video conferencing platform to converse with the child. Earlier this week after learning that man is still untraceable, a bench headed by justices D.Y. Chandrachud and M.R. Shah, said: "This is a heart-rendering case". Additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, informed the bench that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs is in contact with the Indian Embassy in Cairo and the Indian Embassy has contacted the Egyptian government to ensure that service of notice of bailable warrant issued by this court is effected on the man. "The Court has also been apprised of the fact that there is a treaty of 2008 for mutual legal assistance between the Government of India and the Government of Egypt", noted the bench, in its order passed on August 3. The top court has listed the matter for further hearing on September 15. (Sumit Saxena can be contacted at sumit.s@ians.in ) Hyderabad, Aug 7 : Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday said the state government is according utmost priority to the handloom sector and developing it. He made these remarks on the occasion of National Handloom Day, noting that Telangana's exclusive handloom craft mirrors Indian art and culture. "Under self-governance, the government is giving utmost priority to the handloom sector and developing it in tune with the changed times, the government is also extending a helping hand to the powerloom workers welfare," said Rao. With visionary approach and able administration of Minister K. Taraka Rama Rao, the Chief Minister said the handloom sector which collapsed under united AP rule is being revived within a short time. "The government has taken several measures to promote handloom products; the measures taken by the government for the handloom sector have weaned away handloom workers from committing suicide and instill confidence among them," said the CM. According to Rao, weavers' families are given assurance for their livelihood through Bathukamma and other programmes, including creating confidence and self-respect among them. Commemorating the handloom day, the state government is honouring handloom artisans by giving away awards under the name of Konda Laxman Bapuji. "The government is encouraging handloom sector by organizing exhibitions and fashion shows insurance facilities for handloom workers shall be implemented on par with the Rythu Bandhu," said Rao. The CM asserted that Telangana is the only state which is giving pensions to handloom workers, highlighting that its innovative schemes can be ideal for other states. "The government is successfully implementing several schemes for the handloom workers like loan waiver scheme, Nethannalaku Cheyutha, Chenetha Mithra and also providing government share to the handloom societies and providing subsidies for yarn, dyes and chemicals," said Rao. Expressing happiness over the positive results of these initiatives, the CM said the state has promoted the socio-economic, political and administrative interests of the Padmashali community. New Delhi, Aug 7 : Thousands of Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers in India live in fear and uncertainty as the Taliban intensified their attacks on Afghan government forces and seize more territory in the war-torn country, DW reported. Many Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers live in various neighbourhoods in Delhi, and they run restaurants, bakeries and confectionary shops, among others. Hundreds of Afghan families have made the neighbourhood of Khirki Extension their home over the past few years, after fleeing Afghanistan due to security concerns, the report said. But the latest reports of the Taliban advance have left them scared and worried about their relatives back home. For most Afghans residing in India, the ultimate goal is to resettle in the US or Europe, where they believe there are greater economic opportunities. But given the COVID pandemic, many countries have closed their doors to travel and migration. "I know my chances of going back to my homeland are dashed completely. All I wish is that my friends and relatives are safe," Rosana, a student, told DW. "It looks scary when we hear such news. I think of my parents who are still there in Panjshir Valley in northeastern Afghanistan. Though it is safe there at the moment, I do not want to watch history repeat itself," Naseem told DW. He arrived in Delhi three years ago and was hoping that he could also bring in his parents, which, however, is not possible under the current circumstances. Thousands of Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers, a majority of them belonging to either the Hindu or Sikh faiths that are religious minorities in Afghanistan, have made India their home over the past decade. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in 2019, there were approximately 40,000 refugees and asylum-seekers registered in India. And Afghans were the second-largest community, comprising 27 per cent of them. "We fled our war-torn country in search of safety and a better life. In spite of the struggles that come with abandoning our lives and homes, many of us have found small jobs or even opened businesses of own own," Adila Bhashir, who works for a travel agency, told DW. "But there is no security and there is no telling what can happen tomorrow," she added. Over the past few weeks, the insurgents have gained control of at least eight of 14 customs posts along Afghanistan's borders with Iran, Pakistan and Turkmenistan. Reports that the Taliban have taken over 12 districts in Helmand, one of the largest provinces in the south of the country, have some worried. "We hear reports that the Taliban are imposing harsh restrictions on women in the districts they captured and are even setting fire to schools. It is troubling and a flashback to the bad times," Wajmah Abdul, a pharmaceutical worker, told DW. Abdul moved with her brother, Bashir, to Delhi in 2014, but her aunt and uncle still live in Afghanistan. "I cannot stop worrying about them and the telephone lines have been down for such a long time now. These are very hard times," said Abdul. The fighting has also forced many people to flee their homes and around 300,000 Afghans have been displaced since the start of the year. "Many of the men in my village have been killed by the Taliban, and several are missing. The way the Taliban are advancing is very frightening and I feel completely helpless," Idris Hasan, a grocery store dealer in Delhi, who originally comes from Mazar-i-Sharif, told DW. "I have no way of knowing what's happening on the ground and I don't know what to believe. I am constantly living in fear," Hasan said. Lucknow, Aug 7 : While addressing a programme organised at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in state capital Lucknow on Saturday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President J.P. Nadda said all party office bearers should fulfil their responsibilities ahead of the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. "Our party workers should counter the opposition parties with facts to expose them and communicate the schemes of the Central and the state governments to the general public," Nadda added. He told district panchayat presidents and block chiefs that, "The people have elected you to your respective posts, you are not only a leader of the people but are the custodians of their faith. You must restore their faith." Speaking about the recent Uttar Pradesh panchayat elections, Nadda said, "The Yogi Adityanath government has done a commendable job of strengthening democracy by conducting the three-phase UP panchayat elections despite the Covid-19 pandemic. You will experience this only in India. This is the beauty of democracy here. The opposition parties should be countered on the basis of the work done by you (BJP workers)." Targeting the opposition parties, Nadda said, "The mindset of some opposition leaders is such that earlier they used to allege that the Covid vaccine is BJP's vaccine so we will not receive the vaccine jabs. But today they are getting vaccinated. How will leaders with such small mindset lead Uttar Pradesh? This is something to think about. Earlier, in UP there used to be a rule of a particular caste or community, there was never a rule of the country and society. Today in Uttar Pradesh, only Yogi ji's government has moved forward with the mantra of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'." The BJP President said Uttar Pradesh was earlier known for communal riots, today it stands at second position in the country in terms of the 'Ease of Doing Business'. No other party has done as much work for the farmers of the country as the Modi government, he said. During the UPA government, Rs 1.21 lakh crore was spent on agriculture while Rs 2.11 lakh crore was spent by the Modi government. Nearly 80 lakh houses have received electricity under the Saubhagya scheme in Uttar Pradesh and 2.62 crore houses have been electrified across the country, Nadda added. There are a total of 2.54 crore beneficiaries of 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme in Uttar Pradesh, of which 1.83 crore people have already benefited from it. The BJP President said, "Earlier governments promised to waive off the loans of farmers. Once the loans of some farmers were waived off after which they were neglected. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has disbursed three instalments of Rs 2,000 annually to more than 10 crore farmers under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana." Praising Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Nadda said today Uttar Pradesh is progressing rapidly under the leadership of Yogiji. For decades, there were many villages where electricity never reached but today under the leadership of Modi at the Centre and Yogi in the state, people's lives have been transformed. Earlier, rural women used to feed the family by burning traditional cooking fuels which caused health hazards but Modi has transformed the lives of such women with the implementation of Ujjwala scheme by providing smokeless chulhas. Modiji's resolve is to see that no person should be deprived of a pucca house. "All of you (BJP workers) should move door-to-door to fulfil his resolve," the BJP President added. Chennai, Aug 7 : The pensioners in the four public sector general insurance companies are worried a lot about the safety of their future pensions when the central government privatises one of them, said an official of the General Insurance Pensioners Association, Andhra Pradesh. The central government has decided to fully privatise one of its non-life insurers. The four non-life insurers are: National Insurance Company Ltd, The New India Assurance Company Ltd (already listed), The Oriental Insurance Company Ltd and United India Insurance Company Ltd. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had earlier said one of the unlisted non-life insurers will be privatised. The Lok Sabha has passed The General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021. "The Bill does not provide for the safety of the existing pension scheme. The pension fund is dependent on the contributions of the employees so that Pension Trust can pay the pensioners," P.V.Subbarao, General Secretary, told IANS. According to him the proposed amendments do not safeguard the existing provision. The association had recently met Sitharaman and submitted a memorandum. Subbarao said receiving the Memorandum Sitharaman told the delegation that the amendment bill deals only with the insurance business transfer. She said all other issues including the pension will be dealt in the gazette notification and administrative instructions that would be issued on implementing the amended law. According to Subbarao, presently pension is paid by buying annuities from Life Insurance Corporation of India and the new private owner may not buy annuities in the future. He said the pensioners are getting their pension after forgoing the company's provident fund contribution and the interest. He said Sitharaman told the delegation that unlike the earlier UPA government, the present BJP government does not neglect employees and pensioners. (Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in) Hyderabad, Aug 7 : Interventional Gastroenterologist Dr Yalaka Rami Reddy has bagged the patent for developing a unique surgical device which would make colonoscopy intervention process easier than its existing form. Composite Polypectomy Snare is easy to handle and also reduces the time taken to perform colonoscopy on complicated polyps. The government of India recently granted the patent to him for 'Polypectomy device for excision of polyps and method employed thereof'. Polypectomy is the surgical removal of a polyp. Colon polyps can be removed through open abdominal surgery, but more commonly it is performed during a colonoscopy. The endoscopist may snip off a small polyp with a forceps or remove a larger polyp with a snare that burns through the base of the polyp. A forceps-grasping device is an instrument used to either biopsy or completely remove small polyps. A snare device is an instrument with a wire loop, which can be tightened around the base of a polyp. Once it is closed around the polyp, one can transect/cut the polyp using this device. Dr Rami Reddy's innovation to these existing devices makes this entire process simpler and faster. "There are certain complexities in the existing devices used to snare polyps from inside the colon region in a human body, and the challenges I personally faced or many young or novice endoscopists face compelled me to innovate this device," said Dr Rami Reddy, Interventional Gastroenterologist at Gleneagles Global Hospitals, a leading multi-speciality healthcare provider in Hyderabad. "Controlling internal bleeding will be made easy using this innovation, which was a complicated affair in the earlier instances. This device will now undergo the rigours of testing by concerned authorities, and sometime soon it will hopefully be put to commercial use," said the doctor. The patent was filed last year and the same was awarded by the Government of India recently. "Our institution is proud to claim that we have an innovator who constantly works towards developing solutions to complex problems being faced by healthcare professionals. Innovations by Dr Rami Reddy will certainly redefine the approach gastroenterologists would take to surgical and non-surgical procedures in the times to come. The hospital and our parent organization, IHH Healthcare from Singapore, congratulate Dr Reddy and wishes him many more successes in the times ahead," said Gaurav Khurana, CEO, Gleneagles Global Hospitals - Lakdikapul. This is the second patent won by Dr Rami Reddy for his product innovations. Earlier, the senior gastroenterologist and therapeutic endoscopist developed a feeding pipe which will provide great relief to terminally ill patients suffering from esophageal cancer. This unique feeding tube will address current problems like complete blockage in the esophagus occurring due to cancers. This is an enteral feeding tube used in patients with Absolute Dysphagia. It is useful in patients with Esophageal Strictures involving the mid and lower third of the esophagus. It is extremely beneficial for patients with financial constraints who cannot afford metallic stents. Most of the time, terminally ill patients (Carcinoma Esophagus) are put on nasogastric tubes. This causes a lot of nasal discomforts and these patients cannot even taste anything due to absolute dysphagia. This improvised tube allows the patient to take feeds orally as well as by the tube. Dr Rami Reddy did his MBBS from Osmania Medical College. He did Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) (internal medicine) and Doctor of Medicine (D.M.) at Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh. An out of the box thinker, he is an All India top ranker in entrance exams. He is first author of 5 novel publications, and an innovator with 8 patent applications. New Delhi, Aug 7 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday carried out searches at seven locations in Karnataka in connection with DJ Halli and KG Halli Police Station attack case. An NIA spokesperson said that the agency has carried out searches at seven locations in Bengaluru at the premises of seven absconding charge sheeted accused persons in the case. The official said that during the searches various incriminating documents and electronic devices were seized from the premises of absconding accused persons. The official said that two cases were originally registered as of DJ Halli and KG Halli police stations respectively pertaining to an incident on August 11, 2020 when a mob, protesting against the alleged derogatory Facebook post about Prophet Mohammed by one Naveen, had turned violent and targeted the Police Stations. The mob had attacked the police personnel and also burnt police vehicles and damaged government and private properties in and around the two police stations. The NIA had later taken over the probe and filed a charge sheet on February 5 this year against 109 and 138 accused persons in both the cases respectively. New Delhi, Aug 7 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday carried out searches at nine locations in Uttar Pradesh in connection with a Rs 6,833 crore bank fraud case involving Kanpur-based Lakshmi Cotsyn Limited and its directors. The amount of the fraud is even more than the Punjab National Bank fraud case involving fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi. A CBI spokesperson said here that the agency had registered a case on the basis of a complaint from the Central Bank of India on behalf of 10 consortium member banks against Lakshmi Cotsyn Limited its directors Mata Prasad Agarwal (director and guarantor), Pawan Kumar Agarwal (director and guarantor), Devesh Narain Gupta (director), Sharda Agarwal (Director and guarantor), unknown public servants and unknown others, for causing an alleged loss of Rs 6833.82 crore to the lender banks. The official said that in the complaint, it was alleged that the company had reported inflated inventory records, its auction process was not fairly organised, and voluminous sale transactions were carried out with undisclosed related parties. The funds were allegedly siphoned off or diverted by the company, which amounts to fraudulent removal or concealment of property etc. to prevent distribution among the creditors. "The credit facilities granted to the accused were classified as fraud on July 20 last year by the Central bank Of India," the official said. The official added that the agency carried out searches at nine locations, including in Noida, Roorkee, Fatehpur and Kanpur. Bengaluru, Aug 7 : Karnataka City Crime Branch (CCB) police have busted inter-state illegal weapon dealers gang and arrested four persons in this connection. The police have recovered country made guns, rifles and bullets from the arrested accused persons. Sandeep Patil, Joint Commissioner, CCB stated that, the police have arrested the kingpin Ayaz Ulla (30) and recovered two country made pistols from him. After further investigations, the police have also taken Syed Siraj Ahamad (42), Mohammad Ali alias Shira (32) and Arun Kumara alias Long Kumara (26), who purchased guns from the accused. Three country made pistols, rifles and 19 live bullets were recovered from them. Ayaz Ulla procured country made guns from Shamli in Uttar Pradesh, Amritsar in Punjab, and Shirdi in Maharashtra. He sold the weapons and ammunition illegally to anti-social elements. He is also involved in a dacoity case. Syed Siraj Ahmad, Mohammad Ali alias Siraj and Arun Kumara, the accused persons who purchased guns, have police cases against them. Further investigation is underway. Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant has appreciated the work of CCB sleuths and stated that they have been appropriately rewarded for their work. New Delhi, Aug 7 : The US Embassy in Afghanistan has condemned the Taliban seizure of cities and said it is unacceptable. "We condemn the Taliban's violent new offensive against Afghan cities. This includes the unlawful seizure of Zaranj, the capital of Afghanistan's Nimroz province, the attack on Sheberghan, capital of Jowzjan province on Friday and Saturday, and continuing efforts to take over Lashkar Gah in Helmand and provincial capitals elsewhere", the US Embassy said in a statement on Saturday. US Embassy said these actions by Taliban are unacceptable. "These Taliban actions to forcibly impose its rule are unacceptable and contradict its claim to support a negotiated settlement in the Doha peace process. They demonstrate wanton disregard for the welfare and rights of civilians and will worsen this country's humanitarian crisis", it added. "We call for the Taliban to agree to a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire and to engage fully in peace negotiations to end the suffering of the Afghan people and pave the way for an inclusive political settlement that benefits all Afghans and ensures that Afghanistan does not again serve as a safe haven for terrorists", the US Embassy said. The US Embassy has also asked US citizens to leave Afghanistan immediately using available commercial flight options. Given the security conditions and reduced staffing, the Embassy's ability to assist US citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited even within Kabul, it said. The US Embassy can provide a repatriation loan for US citizens who cannot afford at this time to purchase a commercial ticket to the United States. The statement released in this regard stated the reduced staffing of the embassy which cannot assist even in the Afghan capital, Kabul. It comes only one day after the British embassy in Kabul released a similar alert asking its nationals to leave Afghanistan immediately using commercial means. Kabul-based US embassy reminded its citizens of the alert given by the state department on April 27 this year. Based on the alert, the US staff in the Kabul embassy was asked to leave Afghanistan due to crimes, kidnapping, Covid-19, armed conflict, terrorism, and civil unrest. "US citizens in Afghanistan are advised to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible using commercial flights and to not rely on US government flights." reads the statement. New Delhi, Aug 7 : US President Joe Biden has ordered B-52 bombers and Spectre gunships to target Taliban terrorists in Afghanistan who are advancing towards three key cities, Daily Mail reported. The Cold War-era strategic bomber first flew in the 1950s but is still used due to its 70,000lb payload and range of more than 8,000 miles. They are being supported by the AC-130 Spectre gunships which are armed with a 25mm Gatling gun, a 40mm Bofors cannon and a 105mm M102 cannon -- which can provide pinpoint accurate fire from the air. Reports said the B-52s and AC-130s are targeting insurgents around Kandahar, Herat and Lashkar Gar in Helmand Province. The B-52s are operating out of Qatar, while the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan is on deployment in the Arabian Sea. The nuclear-powered warship has a fleet of F/A-18 Super Hornets. The Afghan Air Force is equipped with some turbo-prop light attack aircraft such as the A-29 Super Tucano, though only 30 pilots have been qualified since 2015. The US Air Force continues to aid the Afghan air force's bombing of Taliban targets in southern Helmand and Kandahar provinces, as Afghan security forces try to prevent a Taliban takeover, the report said. The Taliban have been advancing across Afghanistan after the US-led coalition pulled out of the war-torn nation, leaving the country's struggling defence forces to deal with the terrorists. Earlier on Saturday, the Taliban captured Sheberghan city in Jawzjan. It was the second provincial capital to fall to the insurgents over the past 24 hours after Zaranj fell on Friday. A video has emerged on social media which appears to show prisoners fleeing Shiberghan after the Taliban managed to gain control of the prison. Similarly, another clip on Twitter appears to show something similar that had happened in Zaranj, more than 700 miles away. In Helmand's provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan's elite commando forces aided by regular troops were trying to dislodge the Taliban but with little success, said Nafeeza Faiez, a provincial council member. Bengaluru, Aug 7 : The government of Karnataka has issued an order on Saturday, with regard to the implementation of National Education Policy-2020 with effect from the current academic year 2021-2022. Dr C.N. Ashwatha Narayana, the minister of higher education, stated this after convening a meeting with officials of the department and state higher education council, on the day he was assigned the portfolio for the second time by the new chief minister Basavaraja Bommai. With this Karnataka has become the first state in the country to issue the order with regard to implementation of NEP-2020, Narayana said. Kumar Nayak, Additional chief secretary to higher education P. Pradeep, Commissioner, Dept of collegiate education, prof Thimmegowda vice chairman Karnataka higher education council and other senior officials were present. The implementation will be done as per the guidelines of the NEP, he said. Guidelines to implement NEP-2020: The students joining BA or BSc degree courses should opt for two subjects (as Discipline Core) available in their respective colleges. At the start of the 3rd year of the course, they can opt for one subject as a major and another subject as a minor or they can study by opting for both as major subjects. In addition to opting for two subjects as (Discipline Core), they need to choose Kannada and one more language as language subjects. Besides, they need to choose Open Electives and Discipline Electives as per curriculum structure. It has been directed to prepare a separate Kannada curriculum for those who have not studied Kannada in PUC or 10+2 level or for those whose mother tongue is not Kannada. Opting (Discipline Core) subjects is not necessary for studying subject-based graduate courses such as B.Com, BCA, BBA, BVA, BPA, etc. If the student discontinues, for any reason, after completing the first year of graduation (National Skills Qualifications Framework Level 5) by obtaining the necessary credits, he/she shall be given the certificate. If the student discontinues, for any reason, after completing the second year of graduation (National Skills Qualifications Framework Level 6) by obtaining the necessary credits, he/she shall be given the Diploma Certificate. If the student discontinues, for any reason, after completing the 3rd year of graduation (National Skills Qualifications Framework Level 7) by obtaining the necessary credits, he/she shall be awarded the Bachelors Degree. If the 4th year of the course (National Skills Qualifications Framework Level 8) is available in the college in which the student has studied the earlier years, the study along with the chosen optional subjects can be continued to get awarded the Honours Degree. If Research Project is part of the course, such students will be eligible to directly go for PhD studies. If there is no Honours Degree in the college in which the student had studied earlier years, the student can continue the studies by joining any other college where Honours Degree is available. It is not mandatory for colleges to have Honours Degree. Students can get a maximum of 40 per cent of the expected credits through official online courses. The student can get a degree from the University of his/her choice by getting a minimum of 50 per cent credits from the respective university. Any student should have fulfilled the necessary Pre-Requisite while choosing the subjects of Discipline Core, Open Electives, and Discipline Electives. (For example, while selecting Physics or Mathematics one should have studied those subjects in PUC or 10+2 grade. If not, they should have studied official Prerequisite Courses in the respective subjects. Students can discontinue only after completion of even semesters and accordingly they can rejoin only for odd semesters. Eligible colleges can have integrated courses of 5 years in addition to degrees of 3 years and honors degrees of 4 years. If any student discontinues after 3 years degree he/she will be awarded a Degree and after 4 years Honours Degree will be awarded. Post Graduation will be of one year or two years. Those who have obtained Honours Degree will be eligible to study one year PG and those who have got Degree for 3 years of study will be eligible to join for 2 year PG. If the student studying in the 2nd year of PG discontinues after getting prescribed credits set for the 1st year, he/she can be awarded the Post-Graduate Diploma. New Delhi, Aug 7 : The Defence Ministry of Afghanistan has said that 30 Pakistani nationals affiliated to Al Qaeda have been killed in air strikes, media reports said. "112 #Taliban terrorists including 30 #Pakistani affiliated to Al Qaeda terrorist network for indian subcontinent, were killed and 31 others wounded in #airstrikes conducted by #AAF at the outskirts of #Lashkargah city, #Helmand provincial center, yesterday," the Afghan Defence Ministry said in a tweet. As per reports, Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) operates under Taliban protection from Kandahar, Helmand and Nimroz provinces, reports said. Since the death of Asim Umar in 2019, AQIS has been led by Osama Mahmood, reports said, adding that the group consists mainly of Afghan and Pakistani nationals, and also includes individuals from Bangladesh, India and Myanmar. On March 30, AQIS commander Dawlat Bek Tajiki (alias Abu Mohammad al-Tajiki) was killed by Afghan forces in Gyan district of Paktika province. "Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri is assessed by member states to be alive but ailing in Afghanistan. SayfAl Adl, his most likely successor, is reported to remain in the Islamic Republic of Iran," a report said. The Taliban have been carefully collecting and stashing arms recovered during their operations for future use, thus indicating their preparedness for a long-drawn conflict. The Taliban Military Commission has instructed its field commanders to ensure that all military equipment captured from the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) should be recorded and stored safely, instead of being appropriated for personal use by Taliban militants. These "directions" come in the backdrop of substantial number of vehicles, pieces of weaponry and ammunition falling into Taliban hands during their recent offencives (May-July). Inputs continue to indicate that captured equipment and vehicles were being transferred to Pakistan by the Taliban. Significantly, with the casualties caused among their forces, the Taliban have been trying to use the services of foreign cadres for training the new entrants. Some of the best trained cadres have always been from the central Asian states who were sought by terror organisations such as the IS and the Al Qaeda in the past. Some of them have been instructors with various militant organisations and are considered among the best in the job, intelligence sources said. Arab and Chechen trainers have been involved in training new cadres being inducted as their numbers recede with casualties being caused. Around 6,000 fresh terrorists based in Pakistan are being trained by Arab and Chechen instructors with the aim of raising a new unit. Meanwhile, infiltration of Taliban terrorists into Afghanistan from Pakistan continues. New Delhi, Aug 7 : Pakistans Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has taken journalists Amir Mir and Imran Shafqat into custody, Geo News reported. Mir was picked up by the FIA's cybercrime cell earlier on Saturday when he left his home for office. Sources said that the FIA personnel took the journalist and his car. Mir runs a web channel nowadays. It is not yet clear on what charges Mir and Shafqat have been arrested by the cyber crime wing. Meanwhile, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto has strongly condemned the arrest of Mir and Shafqat, and demanded their release. "Imran Khan continues the victimisation of political opponents and media critics to hide his incompetence and failures," the PPP leader said in a statement on Twitter. Shafqat's detention is part of a media clampdown in Pakistan by the Imran Khan government. Shafqat's shows were critical of the Pakistan Prime Minister and the establishment. New Delhi, Aug 7 : Taliban has perpetrated violence and human rights abuses in Afghanistan and are kidnapping women to force them into sex slavery. After gaining significant control over the Bamiyan province in July, Taliban fighters demanded the names and ages of girls and women they said would be rounded up and married off to their young fighters. Foreign Policy magazine reported that in the central highlands of Bamiyan province, the insurgents beat some men who tried to resist and forced some residents to show them closets of clothing to determine the ages of the girls and women who lived there. Among the women whose names they took down were widows of men killed fighting with the Afghan military against the insurgency. The magazine said, "Terrified women packed what they could, hired cars and goods carts, or simply walked to escape what some described as their worst nightmare-being kidnapped and forced into sex slavery by the Taliban." Earlier this year, three Afghan women who worked at a media company were gunned down in Jalalabad in early March. In January, the Taliban had killed two female Supreme Court judges in Kabul. Several reports and evidence have emerged in Afghan media highlighting how the Taliban is using children as human shields against Afghan security forces. The US Embassy in Afghanistan confirmed on August 3 that the Taliban have been using civilians as human shields at the battlefield. The Taliban have also taken over the houses of civilians in the provinces of Herat, Helmand and Kandahar and are using their homes as bunkers. Several examples of targeted attack on women are coming in. For example: A woman was taken down from a car on the Badghis-Herat highway on August 3 and shot dead by the Taliban for working for women's rights and for not covering herself in a veil. Similarly, another woman named Wazir from Malistan was shot and she lost her eyes while defending her home. Countless children are fighting from mental illness amid the violent attacks by the Taliban. Hospitals in Paktika province reported about admission of children who went through severe mental illness after witnessing the violence unleashed by the Taliban in their surroundings. The Taliban have also been persecuting religious minorities. During a recent hearing held by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), Michael Kugelman, Deputy Director for the Asia Programme at the Wilson Centre, said, "The withdrawal will make these vulnerable communities even more vulnerable. It's as simple as that." The Taliban also emoved the holy Nishan Sahib, the Sikh religious flag, from the roof of Gurdwara Thala Sahib in Chamkani in Paktia province. The historical gurdwara was visited by Sri Guru Nanak Dev. In July 2021, Sikh and Hindu communities of Afghanistan had appealed to the international community to evacuate them to safety before it gets too late. They also said that four out of five Gurdwaras in Kabul were closed and th Parkash of Sri Guru Granth Sahib was being done only at the Kartae Parwan Gurdwara. According to reports in local media, the Taliban fighters have murdered more than 40 civilians in Malistan in the past one week. Most of these civilians were from the minority Hazara community. On August 3, Taliban terrorists dragged six Hazara citizens out of a vehicle in the eastern part of Firoz Koh city and abducted them. The knowhow of the Hazara citizens is yet unknown. Mohammad Mohaqiq, senior advisor to Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani said that Taliban terrorists are committing war crimes and shooting civilians in Hazara inhabited areas. Mohaqiq called on the UN and the Human Rights Watch to investigate and condemn the Taliban for their crimes against humanity against Shiites and Hazaras. According to non-profit organisation Open Doors, "It is impossible to live openly as a Christian in Afghanistan. Leaving Islam is considered shameful, and Christian converts can face dire consequences if their new faith is discovered. Either they must flee the country, or they will be killed." Open Doors ranks Afghanistan second on its World Watch List. The only country to outrank Afghanistan in Christian persecution is North Korea. According to Open Doors, persecution in Afghanistan "is only very slightly less oppressive than in North Korea". Residents in Herat and Helmand are leaving their houses and carrying Quran with them to protect them from being desecrated in Taliban attacks. The Taliban fired three rockets near the Presidential Palace in Kabul when President Ashraf Ghani and other high ranking officials were offering prayers to mark the Eid al-Adha. The Taliban have also been silencing artistes, whistleblowers, and the press. Till date, more than 51 media outlets have been closed in Afghanistan due to an increase in violence over the last three months. Acting Minister of Information and Culture, Qasim Wafaeezada, recently revealed that so far, 35 media outlets have stopped their operations, over 6 media outlets have fallen to the Taliban and are being used as a voice for their activities. According to the 'Nai - Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan', the Taliban looted the equipment of the radio station (Saday Deh Rawood) in the last week of July and destroyed its building after occupying the Deh Rawood district of Uruzgan province. Taliban terrorists also abducted and murdered popular Afghan comedian Nazar Mohammad Khasha. A video of abduction and barbaric torture of Kasha emerged on social media, revealing the brutal nature of Taliban. Prominent Afghan poet and historian, Abdullah Atifi, was killed on 4th August by Taliban after he was taken out of his home in Chora district in Uruzgan. Taliban terrorists killed Dawa Khan Menapal, head of the Afghan government's media and information centre, in a gunmen attack in Darul Aman Road in Kabul on August 6. The Taliban also murdered Pulitzer Prize winning Reuters photo journalist Danish Siddiqui in a planned operation, wherein they had attacked a mosque where Siddiqui had gone to receive first-aid, captured him, vetted his identity, and then executed him, after fighting off the Afghan forces who came to a rescue. Findings from the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission show that more than 900,000 people have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the war in the past three months. Several reports are emerging in Afghan media about Taliban looting, murdering, and taking civilians as hostages in and around Lashkargah in Helmand province. Besides, they are also forcing women to cook, taking their clothes and jewellery, and shooting children in front of their parent's eyes. The former police chief of Kandahar, Tadin Khan, said that the Taliban have killed up to 900 people in Kandahar province in the past month-and-a-half. Among the killed civilians, most hailed from the Spin Boldak district. Afghan media reports suggest that a number of soldiers who were taken captive after fighting were first tortured, then their hands were tied and eyes were gouged by the Taliban. On August 4, the US Embassy in Afghanistan recently observed that they are coming across concerning reports the Taliban entice ANDSF units to surrender with the promise they will be unharmed, and then those soldiers disappear in the night and their widows are forced to marry Taliban fighters. Several reports of Taliban firing artillery and mortar on civilians are frequently being reported. The provinces wherein civilians are being constantly attacked by the Taliban include: Faryab, Herat, Helmand, Laghman, Zabul, Nimroz, Balkh, Khost, Kandahar, Kapisa, and Kabul. At least two civilians were killed by the Taliban during an attack on a national flag gathering event on 30th July in the Yaqubi district of Khost province. Besides, more than 30 citizens were injured in the attack. Further, on August 4, at least eight Afghan citizens were killed and more than 20 were injured in a deadly Taliban attack and car bomb blast outside Afghanistan's Defence Minister's residence in Kabul. According to the New York Times report titled "Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2021: Aug 1-5, 2021", at least 115 Afghan security forces and 58 civilians were killed in the first five days of August. The report highlighted, "In a serious escalation of their campaign, the Taliban have laid siege in recent weeks to several provincial capitals after sweeping through much of the country's rural areas... The deadliest incident so far in August occurred in Nimruz Province, where the Taliban attacked Kang district, killing 30 security forces and overrunning the district. The police chief and six other security forces surrendered to the Taliban, but the group shot them to death. In Helmand Province, 20 civilians were killed and 189 others were wounded..." Continuing their assault on communication infrastructure of Afghanistan, the Taliban militants recently destroyed at least 51 towers of the state-run Salam telecommunication network in Paktia, Helmand, and Kabul provinces and seized technical equipment in districts they have captured in the offensive. Moreover, they have also launched rocket attacks on Kabul and Herat airports. Besides, Salma Dam in Heart and Shah wa Arus Dam in Kabul are also frequently facing Taliban attacks. The Taliban has been hitting critical roads and bridges connecting Afghani provinces. Most recently, the Taliban destroyed three bridges in Rorkhrod district in Nangarhar on 4th August and bombarded on roads across different provinces of Afghanistan. The May 8 attack outside the Sayed ul-Shuhuda school in Kabul accounted for more than 300 civilian casualties, mostly girls, including 85 killed. The Afghan government has recently informed that the Taliban had destroyed 172 schools in different parts of the country in the past two months. The Human Rights Watch (HRW) obtained a list of 44 men from Spin Boldak, Kandahar, whom the Taliban have killed since July 16. All had registered with the Taliban before being summarily executed. The HRW observed that Taliban forces advancing in Ghazni, Kandahar and other provinces have summarily executed detained soldiers, police, and civilians with alleged ties to the Afghan government. In its report titled "I Thought Our Life Might Get Better: Implementing Afghanistan's Elimination of Violence against Women Law", released on August 5, the HRW observed: "Taliban courts have also imposed harsh punishments for 'moral crimes', including 'zina'. In such cases, the Taliban have sentenced the accused to cruel punishments that include lashing and, in some cases, execution." In an interview with The Guardian, a Taliban judge in Obe district, Herat, spoke of an adultery case over which he had presided in April, saying: "I recently ordered the flogging of a woman inside her home. Relatives and neighbours came to us and said there were witnesses to this man and woman being together. We lashed her 20 times." Deborah Lyons, The UN special envoy for Afghanistan, questioned the Taliban's commitment to a political settlement and told the UN Security Council the war has entered a "deadlier and more destructive phase" with more than 1,000 civilians killed in the past month during a Taliban offensive. She added, "This is now a different kind of war, reminiscent of Syria, recently, or Sarajevo, in the not-so-distant past." The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recently expressed its concerns over the safety and protection of people in Helmand and Kandahar provinces. The OCHA said in a statement on August 4, "In Helmand and Kandahar, there are reports of increased civilian casualties, destruction or damage to civilian houses as well as to critical infrastructure, including hospitals. Hospitals and health workers are becoming overwhelmed by the number of wounded people." Agartala, Aug 8 : The Trinamool Congress claimed on Saturday that at least seven of its leaders and workers were seriously injured after their vehicle and a party office was allegedly attacked by the ruling BJP members in separate incidents in Tripura. Several Trinamool leaders, including the party's national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee and chief spokesman Kunal Ghosh, made a series of tweets on these incidents and demanded arrest of the attackers. "The goons of BJP Tripura have shown their true colours! This barbaric attack on Trinamool workers reveals the 'goonda raj' in Tripura under BJP Biplab's (Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb) govt! Your threats and attacks only prove your inhumanity. Do what you can. Trinamool will not budge an inch," Banerjee said in a tweet. The convoy of Banerjee, who's also a Lok Sabha member, was also allegedly attacked by BJP workers during his visit to Tripura on Monday. Ghosh said that seven party leaders and workers, including youth leaders Debangshu Bhattacharya, Sudip Raha and Jaya Dutta from West Bengal, were injured when they were attacked by BJP workers at Ambassa in Dhalai district. He said a Trinamool party office was totally damaged by the ruling party workers at Dharmanagar in North Tripura district. "Instead of arresting the attackers, the police detained several of our leaders and workers, including Subal Bhowmik, in Dharmanagar on Saturday night. We would meet the Governor (Satyadev Narayan Arya) soon to demand the arrest of the BJP goons. The Trinamool will not tolerate the BJP government's jungle raj," Ghosh said. The opposition CPI-M has also condemned the alleged attack on Trinamool, saying that democracy has been totally throttled under the BJP government in the state since March 2018. Strongly denying the charges, the BJP claimed that the Trinamool is entirely a non-factor in Tripura and the ruling party of West Bengal is trying to spread the "virus of political violence" in the northeastern state, where "outsiders" with the backing of CPI-M are fomenting trouble and lawlessness. BJP spokesman Nabendu Bhattacherjee said that over 500 party workers and members from West Bengal took shelter in Tripura while hundreds of others went to Assam after being attacked by the Trinamool workers in Bengal following the declaration of Asssembly election results there in May. He also demanded a high-level probe into both the incidents in Dharmanagar and in Ambassa. Protesting against the alleged attacks, Trinamool workers led by Subal Bhowmik, who along with other leaders quit the Congress last month and joined the Trinamool, staged a road blockade on National Highway-8 in Dharmanagar, prompting the police to fire tear gas shells to disperse the mob and bring the situation under control. The road blockade forced Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb to take a detour while returning to a helipad on the outskirts of Dharmanagar district after attending some programmes at the district headquarters. Amaravati, Aug 8 : Andhra Pradesh Industries Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy on Saturday said the state government will bolster the Khadi and hand weaving industry by intensifying marketing and promoting them on e-commerce platforms Amazon and Flipkart. "We will enable sales on Amazon and Flipkart portals and intensify marketing," said Reddy. He made these remarks on the occasion of National Handloom Day at Vijayawada, addressing an association of weavers. Eulogizing hand weaving or Khadi, the minister said this form of making clothes is our tradition and collective culture. "Hand weaving is everyone's inheritance. Hand weaving is our responsibility and future," Reddy noted. Commemorating the special day, the Industries Minister said future generations will be taught the art of hand weaving by exponents. He recalled that Mahatama Gandhi defied the British during the freedom struggle by saying that Indians will make their own clothes by weaving the chakra. According to the minister, Khadi instantly reminds him of hand weaving on a chakra, called 'ratnam' in Telugu. Reddy called for gram swaraj (village empowerment) and hand weaving development at the village level. He said Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy observed that development is not high rise buildings but the availability of all amenities at the village level. New Delhi, Aug 8 : The Centre on Saturday gave one year extension to Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved extension in service to Shri Rajiv Gauba, IAS (JH:1982) as Cabinet Secretary for the period of one year beyond 30.08.2021, read the Government notification issued late Saturday evening. A 1982 batch officer of Jharkhand cadre, Gauba was to retire on August 30 this year. He was appointed as Cabinet Secretary in August 2019, replacing PK Sinha, who was holding this post since 2015 and continued till August 2019 after getting several extensions beyond his two-year tenure. Prior to his appointment, he also served as Union Home Secretary from August 31, 2017 to August 31. 2019, succeeding Rajiv Mehrishi. Sixty two-year-old Gauba had also served as Secretary in the Union Urban Development Ministry, Additional Secretary in the Home Ministry, looking after the crucial left wing extremism division, among many other responsibilities. He has a wide-ranging experience in senior positions at policy making and programme implementation in both central and state governments and in international organisations. Born in Punjab, Gauba had graduated in physics from Patna University. He had served in Jharkhand as the Chief Secretary for 15 months before returning to serve in the central government in 2016. The creation of blockchain applications that support charitable endeavors across the United Nations 193 member countries will result from a global partnership announced today. The World Association of Former United Nations Internes and Fellows (WAFUNIF) announced it has partnered with Proto Gold DAO, a global community-based blockchain technology provider. They will mutually support WAFUNIFs Lets Change the World Together charitable endeavors initiative as partners. Proto Golds Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) is a community-run governance structure whose members use a first-of-its-kind voting mechanism on the Binance Smart Chain to make quick and secure decisions regarding the projects direction and charitable giving. WAFUNIF and Proto Gold DAO will use this technology to promote and expand accountability in distributing socially responsible contributions. Proto Gold DAO has committed to donating a full 1 percent of each PROTO transaction to charitable endeavors. (See https://vaults.proto.gold for the current amount collected.) The flexibility of the Proto Gold technology will also allow charitable organizations and individuals around the world to enjoy full transparency in all philanthropic activities. It will allow public votes for the allocation of individual donations to specific charitable projects. WAFUNIF will aggregate the needs of the United Nations Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and other non-profits and assist in the efficient distribution of the funds collected from Proto Gold DAO member donations. Accruing funds will be stored as BUSD (the Binance stablecoin) into two Gnosis Multisignature safes for added security and released for donations every three months. WAFUNIF and Proto Gold DAO will form an oversight committee that will use LAW, the fuel of Proto Golds governance, to quickly and transparently vote on the blockchain to approve proposed charity projects. ( see https://dao.proto.gold/). Together the WAFUNIF and Proto Gold communities will take video of in-person donation presentations and post the videos online to demonstrate the full integrity of the process. NGOs and non-profits worldwide are encouraged to register their charitable project for consideration as a beneficiary of the program through WAFUNIFs enrollment contact form: https://www.wafunif.org/Charity_Enrollment. We also invite you to visit Proto Gold DAOs suite of supporting websites at: Proto Gold DAO Website: https://proto.gold/ Proto Gold DAO Beta Governance Portal: https://dao.proto.gold/ Blockchain Vaults, Status, and Activity: https://vaults.proto.gold PROTO (charitable ecosystem fuel) blockchain information: Blockchain Link LAW (governance fuel) blockchain information: Blockchain Link WAFUNIFs headquarters is in United Nations Plaza, DC2, Office 0370, New York, NY. It has offices in other cities in nations worldwide, and maintains sustained ties with its alma mater, the United Nations. WAFUNIF provides advice on questions relevant to UN officials, member states, diplomatic missions, and observer organizations on global issues of trade, development, taxation, disarmament, welfare, science, technology, communication, internet, youth, energy, natural resources, outer space and technical cooperation. Lets Change the World Together is a central part of WAFUNIFs mission at the United Nations to support its interns and fellows and aid the worlds neediest all while delivering a message of hope, unity, peace, and opportunity via education and cultural exchanges. WAFUNIFs mission remains closely aligned with and in support of the United Nations 2030 initiatives to achieve and preserve world peace through self-reliance and sustainability. The Proto Gold DAO ecosystem is a community-governed charitable savings and rewards ecosystem built upon the pillar of a sharing economy. The ecosystem automatically rewards its members with long and short-term savings opportunities. Lets Change the World Together Cambiemos El Mundo Juntos "Changeons Le Monde Ensemble" " " By the People, For the People Por El Pueblo, Para El Pueblo "Par Le Peuple, Pour Le Peuple" " " Disclaimer - Blockchain technology is new and evolving and can present a considerable financial risk to the uninitiated. We strongly encourage you to research and understand the Proto Gold DAO before participating. Blockchain transactions can't be undone, so please make sure any donations are carried out with the help of a professional. None of the information in this press release or any shared links are intended as financial advice. Please seek the help of a qualified financial advisor. Prepared and arranged by: (7th of August 2021) Francisco (Franco) A. Saez, Executive Committee Chairman, and Sr. Fellow of Economic Development & Finance at WAFUNIF, as (the Project Lead) e-Mail-#1: F.Saez@wafunif.org Mobile: +1 (760) 831-0055 WAFUNIF World Association of Former United Nations Internes and Fellows Two United Nations Plaza, DC2, Room 0370, New York, NY 10017 Doc# 2459430.09375 featured Coronavirus Berks still faring better in surge than Pa. Tales of past wars no longer resonate. The U.S. has better stories to tell, not least of its own stumbles with democracy. Some years back, Kurt Campbell, then U.S. State Department Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs and now a senior Biden administration official, sought to make the case for Americas enduring affinity with the Pacific. Our [American] identity as a Pacific power was, in many ways, forged on the beaches of the Pacific during World War Two, Campbell remarked. We often forget about the significant battles, such as Guadalcanal, that in many ways proved to be the most consequential, if not fundamental, to the remarkable growth and stability that the Asia-Pacific enjoys today. Evoking wartime imageries from the Pacific theatre of the Second World War in this fashion was illustrative of an appeal to soft power. And the United States has more history to draw upon. Through the Australia, New Zealand and United States Security Treaty in 1951, the United States extended its sphere of influence into the southern Pacific Ocean. In the 1980s, the United States negotiated separate Compacts of Free Association treaties with former territories it administered under United Nations mandate. These Compacts guarantee unrestricted and unilateral American military access. There are of course blemishes associated with the American presence in the Pacific. For instance, the effects of nuclear testing conducted from 1946 to 1958 in the Marshall Islands. But for the foreseeable future, the United States will continue to rest on its historic footprint in the Pacific as the basis for its identity as a Pacific power. Such a narrative is untenable. Americas historic claims are outdated in winning hearts and minds in the region. The United States needs an inclusive narrative which must seek to co-opt a post-Second World War generation of Pacific Islanders into the American worldview of the future. Evening colours aboard the USS Cleveland off Lae, Papua New Guinea, during the 2011 Pacific Partnership, a five-month humanitarian assistance initiative across the Pacific and Timor Leste ( U.S. Navy/Flickr The United States can enlist useful allies in the Pacific through appropriately crafted public diplomacy strategies. The edited work, China Alternative: Changing Regional Order in the Pacific, published earlier this year, highlighted among other things, the importance of soft power diplomacy in the evolving Great Power competition. Detailed analyses of this sort raise critical questions about the relevance of the United States (and by extension, Western powers) in the Pacific. In diplomatic terms, the United States possesses considerable soft power resources. Joseph Nye defined soft power as a countrys ability to effectively persuade and shape another countrys preferences. Much like elsewhere, the United States has underutilised its Pacific advantage, squandering the attractiveness associated with its presence in the world. To date, the misconception is that China presents a serious challenge to American dominance in the Pacific. This is hardly the case. What China has done is capitalise on the power vacuum in the Pacific, with a disinterested United States failing to engage meaningfully in the region. In any case, China has not gained much traction in the soft power stakes, relying simply on its economic muscle and extravagant diplomatic gestures to woo its Pacific Island audiences. The United States, through President Joe Bidens executive orders, has re-joined the Paris Climate accord. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also reiterated Americas commitment to upholding the rules-based international order. These overtures from the Biden administration have moral undertones, a way of reassuring a global audience of Americas continued engagements with the world. In the Pacific, more can be achieved in American public diplomacy initiatives. The United States can tailor a specific public diplomacy strategy for its Pacific Island audience. One practical area in Americas diplomatic focus should be educational exchange programs, beyond its present mediocre levels. Education exchange programs are a cost-effective medium, targeting potentially influential generations of Pacific Islanders. In the practice of diplomacy, people-to-people exchanges are highly successful and produce a tremendous return on investment, most notably in the values and collaborative networks that are created. American educational systems provide pragmatic learning. Participants in educational exchange programs upon returning to their home countries will eventually occupy politically influential positions. The United States can take a lesson from the Chinese experience. China has been able to make inroads into a diverse range of countries because its activities are grounded on the pragmatism of the South-South cooperation narrative. More importantly, China successfully employs an elitist approach. It recognises the importance of engaging with senior government officials and political elites, particularly in developing countries. In the Pacific, China understands the regional pecking order and exploits it with finesse. Knowing Fijis role as a regional hub and a natural leader in the Pacific, China is developing an intricate relationship with the island nation. Welcoming Chinas Xi Jinping to Port Moresby during the 2018 APEC summit (Photo: Shane McLeod) The United States has superior advantages. Its laborious experiment with democracy is a useful asset. This experience will resonate with Pacific Islanders, if creatively reinforced through public diplomacy. Additionally, Pacific Islanders are mostly trained in and able to use English, an added advantage for the United States. On the other hand, China acknowledges the language barriers and has established the Confucius Institute in the Pacific to teach the Chinese language. Americas educational exchange programs in the Pacific can range from democratic governance, social justice, climate change, civic participation and human rights to technological innovation and sustainable development. Pacific Islanders value relationships that are sustained, and built on trust and mutual respect. Through people-to-people interactions, the United States will invest in a generation of Pacific Islanders who will not only become key stakeholders in their own countries but, more importantly, build rapport with American institutions and citizens. American officials must undertake a serious assessment of their engagements with the Pacific and consider cost-effective and mutually productive methods in their public diplomacy. It is the best way of ensuring the relevance of the United States in the region. Patrick Kaiku is a teaching fellow in the Political Science Department at the University of Papua New Guinea. He has been teaching at the UPNG since 2011 after completing a MA in Pacific Islands Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2010. Moses Sakai is a Tutor at University of Papua New Guinea's School of Business and Public Policy. This article appeared originally at Lowy Institute's the interpreter. Traverse City, MI (49684) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 53F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 53F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Support local journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute Greenville, NC (27833) Today Some clouds. Low around 75F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. Low around 75F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. When its summer, the sound of lawnmowers fill the air as people take care of their yards. Patrick Ericson, with EH&P Green, brings a quieter noise to lawn care, using all battery operated equipment, Ericson is about to cut down on the noise when working on peoples lawns, but also cut o Beckley, WV (25801) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. A few storms may be severe. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. A few storms may be severe. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) As New York's lieutenant governor, Kathy Hochul has spent years on the road as the friendly face of the administration, visiting the far-flung coffee shops and factory floors of each of the state's 62 counties for countless ribbon-cutting ceremonies and civic cheerleading events. Now, with Gov. Andrew Cuomo facing possible impeachment over sexual harassment allegations, her next stop may be the state Capitol of Albany. Hochul would become the state's first woman governor if Cuomo were removed from office. A centrist Democrat from western New York, she has worked deep in Cuomo's shadow for her two terms in office, but this week joined the chorus of politicians denouncing the governor after an independent investigation concluded he had sexually harassed 11 women while in office. I believe these brave women, Hochul wrote, calling Cuomo's behavior repulsive and unlawful in a statement Tuesday. She also acknowledged what has been simmering for months: The possibility she will become governor. Because lieutenant governors stand next in the line of succession, it would not be appropriate to comment further on the process at this moment, she wrote. To many New Yorkers, Hochul is an unknown quantity, serving since 2015 in a job that is mostly ceremonial. A typical afternoon in late July had her announcing job training funding in Utica, discussing manufacturing in Rome and touring downtown Cazenovia with the small towns mayor. That has been nothing like the attention-demanding appearances of the determinedly high-profile Cuomo, who does most of his business in Albany and New York City and whose daily coronavirus briefings were national events at the height of the coronavirus. Hochul has not been part of Cuomo's inner circle of aides and allies. Her name wasn't mentioned in the investigative report, released by Attorney General Letitia James, that detailed not only the harassment allegations against Cuomo but also efforts by his staff to discredit some of his accusers. But at 62, Hochul is an experienced politician, a veteran of 11 campaigns that have taken her from town board to Congress, the latter representing a conservative western New York district after a surprising 2011 win in a special election to fill a vacancy in the U.S. House. Pragmatic would be a good way to describe her, said Jacob Neiheisel, an associate political science professor at the University at Buffalo. Someone who is pretty good at reading the tea leaves and coming around to where her constituency is. Hochul's office declined an interview request. A steelworker's daughter, Hochul, a lawyer, worked in Washington as an aide to former U.S. Rep. John LaFalce and later, Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, both from New York, before holding her first public office, on the town board in Hamburg, near Buffalo. From there, she became Erie County Clerk, where she made some news in 2007 for resistance to a plan by then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer to allow unauthorized immigrants get driver's licenses. Hochul and another western New York clerk explored a plan to have police arrest immigrants who tried to apply. "It will be a deterrent, and thats what Im looking for, Hochul told The Buffalo News at the time. Her next move was to Congress, where in 2011 she had a surprising win in a special election in a district that had been in Republican hands for decades. She lost a bid for reelection a year later to Republican Chris Collins, despite an endorsement by the National Rifle Association. Collins later resigned from the U.S. House and pleaded guilty to insider trading. Hochul moved to the left, politically, when Cuomo tapped her as his running mate in 2014 after his first lieutenant governor, former Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy, decided not to run for reelection. She backed New Yorks SAFE Act, one of the nations toughest gun control laws, as well as the states Green Light Law, which let unauthorized immigrants get drivers licenses. Hochul has not publicly expressed whether she would pursue a full term in 2022 if she were to step into the role. An upstate candidate running for any statewide office in New York faces a daunting challenge, but even more so for the governors office, which has historically drawn from New York City. Neiheisel said given her record, it is difficult to predict what a distinctly Hochul agenda might look like, especially when faced with the states still-active pandemic response and a recovery that will involve billions of dollars in federal aid. Given how little shes historically been in the news cycle, I really dont think she has the kind of name recognition that you would expect of somebody who is suddenly being thrust into a position of maybe being governor, Neiheisel said Shes going to have to do an awful lot, really fast, in order for there to be a serious conversation for keeping that job. At a news briefing Wednesday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has a famously contentious relationship with Cuomo, said hes gotten to know Hochul over the last few years and she strikes me as a very reasonable person. I believe if Kathy Hochul becomes governor, shell be an honest broker, he said. Well be able to work together. In Buffalo, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz worked alongside Hochul when he was county comptroller and she was Erie County Clerk. He said he saw Hochul easily stepping into the governors office. I think its fair to say that if that did happen, we certainly would have a friend in Albany, he said. BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) North Dakotas Department of Human Services has launched a new division that focuses on early childhood. The Early Childhood Division will align programs and resources dealing with early childhood experience and child care, officials said. Bollywood diva Kajol rang into her 47th birthday on August 5, 2021. She celebrated her birthday with a plethora of wishes and gifts from her family, friends and fans. She gave several glimpses of the gifts she received and extended her gratitude. Celebrities from the industry also wished the actor on her special day with warm wishes. Following her special day, the Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenge actor recently thanked her fans for their warm wishes and love via an Instagram video. Kajol thanks her fans for their warm wishes Kajol recently took to her Instagram handle to thanks her fans for their wishes. In the video, the Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai actor was seen sitting in a blue printed outfit. Her glasses were resting on her open hair while she was wearing light makeup. The actor extended her gratitude towards her fans for their wishes and gifts and said, "Thank you so much Dr Faaz, I really really appreciate it. Thank you so much Kajol Peru, for the cake. Thank you all my fans, each and every one of you, for all your wonderful wishes. I really appreciate them. Thank you for making me feel so loved.". In the caption, the Tribhanga actor wrote, "Drowned under all the love yesterday... Just surfaced to say a huge big thank u to all u wonderful people.". Kajol's pre-birthday celebration with her mom and sister Ahead of her birthday, Kajol had a small pre-birthday celebration with her sister, Tanisha Mukherji, and mother, Tanuja. The actor shared a selfie from the celebration on her Instagram. In the caption, she wrote, "Trying to fit all three expressions in one frame is im possible!!! Thank u Tichi for this wonderful happy pre-celebration ! Love u both to bits". She shared another photo in which she posed with Tanisha and Tanuja. The caption read, "The three Musketeers . Always together.. us vs them!". On the work front, Kajol was last seen in the Netflix film Tribhanga, directed by Renuka Shahane. She also shared the screen with her husband Ajay Devgn in the 2020 film Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior. The actor's further Bollywood projects have not been revealed yet. IMAGE: KAJOL'S FACEBOOK 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. The long-awaited sequel to Enchanted has officially wrapped filming and will soon release in theatres. Director and producer Adam Shankman took to his Instagram account and announced that Disenchanted, which comes as a sequel to the 2007 Disney movie, concluded production in Ireland and is on the way. The caption of his post confirmed a 2022 release, which will be exclusive to Disney+. "Myself and Giselle...errrr....@amyadams would just like to say: And that's a wrap. #Disenchanted Coming to you in #2022," he wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of himself with Amy Adams, who stars in the movies as Princess Giselle. Amy Adams starrer Disenchanted wraps shoot According to People's magazine, the much-awaited sequel has been in the making since early 2010 and in 2016, Shankman was confirmed to return as the director. Apart from Amy, the movie will also feature Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Idina Menzel, and Susan Sarandon reprising their roles. In the 2007 original, Adams' Giselle was about to marry a prince, when she is taken away from the fictional kingdom of Andalasia and lands up in New York City. There, the star encounters a lawyer, who she eventually falls in love with, and befriends his young daughter. This film was a huge hit upon its release, grossing more than $340 million worldwide. The new movie will follow up these events 15 years after Enchanted, as Giselle questions her happily ever after untimely leading to a turn of events that topples everyone's lives in both the real and fictional world. Giselle will be seen juggling against time to save both her family and her Kingdom of Andalasia before the clock strikes midnight, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Earlier this year, Dempsey, who portrays Robert Philip, spoke to Variety and mentioned that he was excited ahead of filming and revealed he will make his singing debut in the film. The Grey's Anatomy star said that "there's a reason" why he denounces singing publically and requested everyone to 'bear' with him. He said he was hopeful that the fans will love it adding that "they've set me up for success" and "the lyrics are really fun". He also mentioned the great choreography and the interesting premise. In May, Disney+ announced that Maya Rudolph joined the cast as the villain in the fairytale musical in which Kolton Stewart, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jayma Mays and Oscar Nunez also star. (IMAGE- DISNEY DISENCHANTED INSTA/ AP) 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. On Saturday, the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) in Bhubaneswar has been granted authorisation to operate drones by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). According to an official release from the Ministry, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) along with the MoCA have granted declarative exemption from the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2021. The exemption permits the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct aerial surveys and photogrammetry of centrally protected sites in conjunction with drones. The NISER has been authorised by the Centre for the usage of drones at the locations of Raja-Rani Temple in Bhubaneswar and Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar. This exemption is effective for one year from the date of approval or until additional orders are issued, in a way whichever will come first, and in accordance with the terms and circumstances of the DGCA's standard operating procedures. Drone usage approval was also given to Haryana's Directorate of Urban Local Bodies (DULB) earlier this month for data gathering, mapping, and the deployment of a web-based GIS platform for the development of AMRUT cities and property tax surveys in Hisar, Panchkula, and Ambala. Previously, on July 16, in the military sites of Jammu, Samba, and Kathua districts of Jammu and Kashmir, at least four drones were observed flying above. The attack on the Jammu air force station on June 27 was the first time suspected when Pakistan-based terrorists used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to attack critical installations in India. This serious issue is now being investigated by the National Investigation Agency. The frequency of drone sightings has increased dramatically since the Jammu attack, and there have been many occasions where Army and Border Security Forces (BSF) soldiers have shot at the drones near the border area. Things that happened on June 27 According to the sources, on the midnight between June 26 and 27, two explosions rattled the high-security technical section of Air Force Station Jammu. After the incident, two Indian Air Force soldiers were injured, yet they survived. It all started when low-flying drones were utilised to drop the two improvised explosive devices (IED), according to an early evaluation report done by the security establishment. Helicopters that were stationed nearby were their most probable targets. According to the Indian Air Force, no equipment was destroyed. Drone Deployed by another state A few days back, the Siliguri Metropolitan Police Department in West Bengal started using drones with 48-megapixel cameras that can record video for aerial surveys. They are deploying those drones for overhead surveillance to keep an eye on the state's lawful decorum. (Image Credit: Pixabay) In a positive development for Bharat Biotech, Ocugen, the biotech company which is the US and Canada partner for Covaxin, has said that the vaccines data is currently under review by the Canadian health regulator. The company has now informed that all data of the vaccine has been submitted to the Canadian government. Ocugen had joined in on an agreement with Bharat Biotech to develop, manufacture, and commercialize the COVID-19 vaccine, in June. Covaxin under review of Canadian health regulator Ocugen currently holds an agreement to produce Covaxin in Canada in addition to the existing rights in the United States. The company has now approached Health Canada and submitted the Phase 3 clinical trial data of Covaxin. The company looks to get authorization from the government to sell the vaccine in the country. Addressing the development, Shankar Musunuri, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ocugen said that there is an approval clock in work in terms of the vaccine. "We have submitted all the data, what is needed for the submission. And again, on the specific timeline and the approval clock, we can't give you that at this stage. All I can say is it's under active review by Health Canada. As we get questions, we're ready to respond to them very promptly and provide any information they need," the CEO said on Friday. Ocugen backs Bharat Biotech's vaccine production Explaining the availability of the vaccine, Shankar Musunuri said that Bharat Biotech is capable of supplying the required quantities of Covaxin to the USA and Canada. The Ocugen CEO said that the Indian vaccine maker is ramping up production and is aiming to manufacture half a billion doses annually. Meanwhile, Ocugen in a release confirmed that discussions with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are also underway. However, the FDA had earlier potentially delayed the launch of the Covaxin jab in the US market, after it "recommended" Ocugen to go for Biologics License Application (BLA) route. The company was asked to take the long route with additional data. "We have most of the data from Phase III clinical trial, including all the manufacturing. We are still discussing the regulatory path for the BLA, what is required if any, additional studies," Musunuri had said. IMAGE: PTI In a trilateral security meeting held between Sri Lanka, India, and the Maldives on August 4, the nations identified four pillars of cooperation in areas related to terrorism and radicalization, marine safety and security, trafficking and organized crime, and cybersecurity, the Indian High Commission said in a statement on Friday. Held virtually due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the first Deputy National Security Adviser (NSA) level meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave was hosted by Sri Lanka to hold discussions on vital cooperation and coordination to address the key contemporary security challenges in the region. The high-level NSA meet was held under the Chairmanship of Chief of Defence Staff and Army Commander General Shavendra Silva with the participation of Deputy National Security Adviser of India Pankaj Saran and National Security Advisers Office Secretary at the Presidents Office of Maldives Aishath Nooshin Waheed. Bangladesh, Mauritius, and Seychelles participated as observers, and were participated by Principal Staff Officer to Armed Forces Division of Bangladesh Army Lt. Gen. Waker Uz Zaman, Mauritius Prime Ministers Office Permanent Secretary Pusmawatee Sohun, and Seychelles Peoples Force Chief of Defence Forces Colonel Micheal Rosette. To hold regular interactions, joint exercises The NSA talks were held under the widened format of the Colombo Security Conclave, which held talks over the specific proposals for cooperation related to the four pillars of cooperation identified by the participant countries. The three nations agreed to hold regular interactions, joint exercises, capacity building, and training activities and enhancing their capabilities to keep up with the spirit of regional cooperation. "The meeting was marked by convergence of views on common security threats and was held in a warm, positive and forward looking manner," Indian High Commission said in a statement on Friday. The meeting identified four pillars of cooperation under the Colombo Security Conclave, namely, Marine Safety and Security, Terrorism and Radicalisation, Trafficking and Organised Crime and Cyber security," the mission added. The decision to establish the Colombo Security Conclave was agreed upon in November 2020 at the NSA-level meeting of India, Lanka, and the Maldives. The meeting aims to strengthen cooperation on the maritime and security issues trilaterally among the three key Indian Ocean nations. External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar met Qatar Special Envoy Mutlaq bin Majed Al-Qahtani and discussed several security issues concerning Afghanistan. After the meeting, he took to Twitter and said that the security situation in Afghanistan is a serious matter. External Affairs Minister meets Qatar Special Envoy External Affairs Minister of India Dr. S Jaishankar on Saturday after meeting Qatar Special Envoy Mutlaq bin Majed Al-Qahtani in New Delhi took to Twitter and shared a photo from the meet. He also expressed concern over the situation in Afghanistan and said that the rapid deterioration of the security situation is a serious matter. "A peaceful and stable Afghanistan requires that the rights and interests of all sections of society are promoted and protected", he tweeted. Later, the EAM also shared India's perspective on the recent developments ongoing in Afghanistan. See his tweet here: Pleased to receive Qatar Special Envoy Mutlaq bin Majed Al-Qahtani. Shared the Indian perspective on recent developments in Afghanistan. Also the concerns of the region that I heard during recent interactions. pic.twitter.com/D6yA7EB4JL Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 7, 2021 The Special Envoy of the Foreign Minister of Qatar for Counter-terrorism and Mediation of Conflict Resolution, Mutlaq bin Majed Al-Qahtani, is on a two-day visit to India for holding discussions on the latest developments in Afghanistan. Earlier, Majed on Friday met several key officials in the external affairs ministry including the Joint Secretary in the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division in the Ministry of External Affairs, JP Singh. Recent developments in the Afghan peace process are on the cards for the Qatari Special Envoy during his ongoing two-day visit to India. Terrorist Activities in Afghanistan Afghanistan has witnessed a series of terror attacks since the US began withdrawing its troops on May 1. The situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated in the wake of the US decision as the Taliban are intensifying their offensive in many areas of the country. The Taliban movement has claimed that it has gained control of about 85% of the country's territory, including the border regions resulting in a growth in terrorist activities due to the expansion of the Taliban's power in the country. Taliban has also reimposed repressive laws and retrograde policies on women which were earlier in practice during the 90s. Earlier, during a UNSC meeting, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, TS Tirumurti also expressed his concern over the situation in Afghanistan and said there will be zero tolerance towards terrorist activities under the view of maintaining peace. (Image Credits: Twitter) Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla met Qatars special envoy for conflict resolution Mutlaq bin Majed Al-Qahtani, who has played a key role in the Afghan peace process, on Saturday, 7 August 2021, to discuss the latest developments in the war-torn country. According to Official Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi, the duo met "for Counter-terrorism & Mediation in Conflict Resolution." They talked about the Doha peace process in Afghanistan and their concerns about the country's deteriorating security situation. Bagchi tweeted, "Foreign Secretary @harshvshringla met H.E. Mr. Mutlaq bin Majed Al-Qahtani, Special Envoy of the Foreign Minister of Qatar for Counter-terrorism & Mediation in Conflict Resolution." He added, "Discussed Doha peace process on Afghanistan & concerns over the deteriorating security situation there." Foreign Secretary @harshvshringla met H.E. Mr. Mutlaq bin Majed Al-Qahtani, Special Envoy of the Foreign Minister of Qatar for Counter-terrorism & Mediation in Conflict Resolution. pic.twitter.com/srVWSUZ4zc Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) August 7, 2021 Al-Qahtani, who is the Qatari foreign minister's special envoy for counter-terrorism and conflict resolution mediation, is in India for a two-day visit. Mutlaq bin Majed Al-Qahtani met with the external affairs ministry's point-person for Afghanistan on Friday, 6 August 2021, to discuss the latest developments in the Afghan nation. Also, he met with joint secretary JP Singh of the external affairs ministry's Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran (PAI) desk and exchanged views on the present situation in Afghanistan and recent advances in the Afghan peace process. On Friday, he met with Sanjay Bhattacharya, the secretary in charge of consular matters and abroad Indian relations. The Qatari diplomat's visit to India comes only days before two crucial consultations in Doha on the Afghan situation. On August 11, Russia will host a summit of the "extended troika," which includes China, the United States, and Pakistan. Later this month, Qatar will hold a separate conference between the Afghan side and regional and international partners. Various stakeholders expect these discussions to assist in restarting the Afghan peace process, which has been halted for months due to the Taliban's brutal drive to seize land and metropolitan centres, including provincial capitals. Al-Qahtani confirmed in June that Indian diplomats were in negotiations with the Taliban, which was initially. He said at the time that the Indian side is engaging the Taliban since the group is considered a vital component in any future government in Kabul. He stated that Qatar would not recognise any forceful takeover attempt in Afghanistan. India, too, has spoken out against any forcible takeover in Afghanistan, claiming that such a regime would be devoid of legitimacy, and has backed calls for an early and complete ceasefire as well as the restart of political talks. Picture Credit: @DRSJaishankar/@MEAIndia-Twitter In an exclusive investigation, Republic Media Network on Saturday accessed details of the NIA charge sheet in the 2019 Pulwama case, which has exposed how Pakistan was raising terror outfits in the aftermath of the attack which resulted in the death of 41 CRPF personnel. In the charge sheet, details of a 'post-Pulwama terror attack' have been unearthed wherein terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed's plans of forming other terror groups to evade international pressure and scrutiny have been revealed. The NIA has accessed call record details (CDR) of Rauf Asghar- brother of the operational chief of JeM - and how he was in contact with Hidayatullah Malik- who was arrested in J&K in 2021. Post the 2019 attack, where pressure was at an all-time high, Pakistan had allegedly planned to put out some smaller local terror outfits such as Lashkar-e-Mustafa in the Union territory to claim that terrorism was being carried out by locals in J&K and not Pakistan. Moreover, it has been revealed that Hidayatullah Malik, before his arrest, even went to do reiki of the national capital and the residence of NSA Ajit Doval to potentially target him. Regular contact of Malik with Pakistani operatives has been accessed by the NIA and the modus operandi has been exposed by the investigative agency. NIA probe shows Pak working hand-in-glove with terror outfits The latest investigation by the NIA has proven Pakistan's continued hand in terror funding even as the country attempts to blame India for 'politicizing' the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The country has recently failed to exit the list and has been called out on charges of money laundering, to terror financing, to the lack of prosecution against senior leaders and commanders of UN-designated terror groups-- Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar. In June, the FATF retained Pakistan on its 'grey list' and asked it to address its 'strategically important' deficiencies. Pakistan has claimed that it will implement the new action plan given by the FATF within 12 months. On February 14, 2019, a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel on the Jammu Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethpora, near Awantipora, in the Pulwama district, Jammu and Kashmir, India. The cowardly attack resulted in the deaths of 40 CRPF personnel. The responsibility for the dastardly incident was claimed by the Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed. Union Law Minister, Kiren Rijiju, while addressing the 8th Justice Ministers meet of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on August 6 established that the Centre's approach under PM Modi is of zero tolerance to corruption and black money. He further highlighted that India has a sound legal framework backed by a strong institutional mechanism to deal with corruption. An official release from the Ministry of Law and Justice highlighted the initiatives undertaken by the GOI for providing affordable and accessible justice to all. Rijiju apprised the gathering of a slew of legislative and executive measures by India to be profoundly UNCAC (UN Convention against Corruption) compliant and underscored the high priority, the Centre had directed to resolving disputes through alternate dispute resolution, framing business facilitating laws and rules, including Commercial Courts Act and Arbitration Laws in a bid to make India a preferred destination for investment and business. Kiren Rijiju mentions GoI's pro bono initiatives at SCO meet The Minister further mentioned the role of actions taken by GOI under the Disaster Management Act for effective management and containing the spread of COVID-19 and to lay down substantive guidelines to ensure appropriate protocol and medical facilities. Highlighting facets of provisioning free legal aid to marginalized sections of the society, Rijiju informed about the launch of e-Lok Adalat which is an effective tool to settle disputes, combining technology and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism which offer a faster, transparent and accessible option to the citizens of the country. SCO Experts Working Group meeting Further, he urged fellow SCO member States to promote the exchange of ideas, and experiences in identified areas while stressing on widening the horizon of activities undertaken in the SCO Forum. The Experts Working Group of SCO member States deliberated on the importance of providing free legal aid to the citizens, given the spread of the COVID pandemic. A joint statement following the results of the eighth session of the Ministers of Justice of the SCO Member States was adopted by the Ministers of Law and Justice of India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan participated in the three days' deliberations which concluded on August 7. Microsoft Edge's research team is working on a secure internet browsing mode called Super Duper Secure Mode. Although the mode is experimental in nature, it turns off certain optimizations in the internet browser so that hackers and attackers cannot access and exploit the bugs in the Edge internet browser. However, to do so, the Microsoft Edge browser might become slower. Keep reading to know more about the Super Duper Secure Mode. The experimental Super Duper Secure Mode will increase security while browsing The mode disables JavaScript's Just-In-Time compiler, choosing security over performance As the name suggests, the Super Duper Secure mode is designed to make browsing on Microsoft's Edge browser more secure. To achieve this, the experimental mode turns off the Just-In-Time compilation, which is a technology or feature of Edge's JavaScript engine and enables the browser to run a website's code faster, reducing loading times. Microsoft says that the JIT compilation is what helps bugs to come into the browser, which can lead to serious security concerns. An analysis by Mozilla also revealed that more than half of the security exploits in Google Chrome in the past two to three years are either directly or indirectly related to JIT. Search Engines are trying to mitigate security-related risks In an official blog post on Github, Microsoft Edge says that "This problem is not unique to V8, this is a common problem among most modern JavaScript engines. Google, Mozilla, Microsoft, and others try to mitigate this risk proactively with large investments in the static analysis, bug bounties and fuzzing. All of these allow for rapid identification of some of these issues, but inevitably, a number is missed. JavaScript engines remain a remarkably difficult security challenge for browsers." The experimental Super Duper Secure Mode does not support all platforms on which Microsoft Edge can run. The Super Duper Secure Mode may harm the performance of several web portals While disabling the Just-In-Time compilation will enhance security during browsing, it will also harm the performance of several websites. The JIT compilation was meant for web pages and websites to load faster, and disabling the service might lead to low JavaScript performance scores. However, those people who use their web browser for day to day browsing, surfing through the internet and other general stuff such as accessing emails and watching videos might not notice any significant changes. On the flip side, those who use the browser to run complex web apps might face performance issues. The humanitarian situation in migrant camps in Lithuania is deteriorating as heavy rain and overcrowding increases. More than 4,100 migrants, most of them from Iraq, have crossed this year from Belarus into Lithuania. Earlier this week, faced with an increasing number of arrivals each day, Lithuania had ordered its border guards to turn away, by force if needed, migrants attempting to enter the Baltic country. The Red Cross is warning that Lithuania's decision to turn away immigrants attempting to cross in from neighbouring Belarus does not comply with international law. Meanwhile, the Belarus government says it has called on border guards to prevent Lithuanian authorities from sending migrants back to Belarus. Lithuania is accusing the government of Belarus authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko of encouraging the migrant flow in retaliation for the EU sanctions against his country following the diversion of a passenger plane to arrest a dissident journalist aboard. Lithuania officials estimate that more than 10,000 more migrants might try to arrive this year as the number of direct flights from Iraq to the Belarus capital of Minsk tripled in August. The country has no physical barriers for its almost 679 kilometer (420-mile) long border with Belarus. On Monday, EU officials pledged millions of euros to help Lithuania tackle its migrant crisis. Lithuania wants to build a physical barrier with Belarus, which it estimates will cost more than 100 million euros ($119 million) but EU funding is not usually permitted to finance border barriers. Some Lithuanian politicians, meanwhile, urged the government to still respect the migrants' rights. Tomas Vytautas Raskevicius, the head of the parliamentary human rights committee, said he saw the measures taken by Lithuanian authorities as "necessary" but acknowledged that the migrant situation "is sensitive from the point of view of human rights, and that should be assessed." Raskevicius, a member of the liberal Freedom Party, said attention should be paid in particular to women who migrate with children. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Israeli airstrikes in Gaza were conducted on Saturday, August 7, in response to incendiary balloons launched from the area, Israel's military said. No casualties were reported from the strike that targeted what the military said were rocket-launching sites and a Hamas compound in Gaza. Hamas did not immediately respond to a request for comments. After an 11-day ceasefire ended on May 21, Palestinians in Gaza have caused fires that have burned fields in Israel after sporadically launching balloons with incendiary material across the border. In May, Israel tightened restrictions on the coastal enclave, according to Palestinians. Israeli restrictions on Gaza had resulted in a significant decline in balloon launches. Then again on Friday, at least four brush fires broke out near the Israel-Gaza border due to balloons launched from Gaza. After "continuous launches of incendiary balloons from Gaza into Israel throughout the day", Israel's military said it had launched airstrikes. On the third day of cross-border salvos amid wider regional tensions with Iran, Israel also traded fire with Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah over its northern border on Friday. Israel-Palestine conflict 2021 Violence broke out in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on May 10, 2021, though disturbances had occurred earlier. The violence continued until a ceasefire was declared on May 21, 2021. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad launched rockets at Israel, and Israel launched airstrikes against the Gaza Strip. Israeli Supreme Court decision to evict six Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarrah sparked the crisis on 6 May. In accordance with international law, Sheikh Jarrah is an occupied Palestinian territory. Israeli law is applied there. Palestinians threw stones at Israeli police on 7 May, according to Israel's Channel 12, who stormed the mosque compound with tear gas, rubber bullets, and stun grenades. While the ceasefire came at the last moment, 248 Palestinians were killed, including 66 children, and 12 Israelis in recent fighting. There was also extensive damage in Gaza as a result of Israeli airstrikes The US Department of State announced the addition of five Islamist terrorists to its Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) list on Friday, August 6. The names added to the list were Bonomade Machude Omar, Sidan ag Hitta, Salem ould Breihmatt, Ali Mohamed Rage, and Abdikadir Mohamed Abdikadir. According to an official release, Bonomade Machude Omar, aka Abu Sulayfa Muhammad and Ibn Omar, lead the Military and External Affairs Departments for ISIS-Mozambique and serve as the senior commander and lead coordinator for all attacks conducted by the group in northern Mozambique. Omar has been responsible for attacks on the Amarula Hotel in Palma, Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique, and Mtwara Region, Tanzania. Today, @StateDept designated five leaders from ISIS-Mozambique, JNIM, and al-Shabaab, terrorist groups that have committed atrocities in Africa. The U.S. is committed to disrupting terrorist financing, limiting their ability to conduct attacks against civilians. Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) August 6, 2021 All five involved in the recent attacks: US State Department Another extremist, Sidanag Hitta, aka Abu Qarwaniand Abu Abdelhakim al-Kidali, is a senior leader and the commander responsible for the Kidal Region in Mali within Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM). Hitta was among the group responsible for January 20, 2019, attack on the MINUSMA base in Aguelhoc, Kidal Region, Mali. He was also responsible for hostages in the Kidal Region. While the US administration informed that Ali Mohamed Rage aka Ali Dheere, is al-Shabaabs spokesman and a senior leader of the group. He has been involved in attack planning that has targeted areas in Kenya and Somalia. Abdikadir Mohamed Abdikadir, aka Ikrima, is a facilitator and operational planner. He was an al-Shabaab senior leader and served as the Head of Operations and Logistics. The US State department further named Salem ould Breihmatt, also known as Abu Hamza al-Shanqitiand Hamza al-Mauritani, is a JNIM senior leader. He is also charged with the oversight of JNIM in Burkina Faso and is an explosives expert and instructor. The authorities said all properties of these individuals will be blocked and reported to the Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). It also warned the persons whosoever engaged with these designated terrorists would expose themselves to be designated in the Global terrorist list. Furthermore, any foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitates a significant financial transaction or provides financial services to the persons designated today could be subject to U.S. correspondent account or payable-through account sanctions, added the release. (With inputs from US State Dept release) Image: AP Pakistan opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif has dismissed the possibility of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif returning to the country until his full recovery. As per reports, Shahbaz has laid emphasis on the fact that his brother can legally stay in the UK until the British immigration tribunal decides to appeal against UK Home Offices refusal to extend his visa. The 71-year-old is convicted in two corruption cases in Pakistan and since November 2019, he has been living in London after the Lahore High Court granted him permission to go abroad for four weeks for medical treatment. However, the reports have also stated that the application of former Pakistan PM for visa extension has been turned down by the British Home Office with the right to appeal. The Dawn newspaper also reported that in a statement on Friday, August 6, PML-N president Shehbaz, the opposition leader in the National Assembly said that the Imran Khan-led government had allowed Nawaz Sharif to leave Pakistan for treatment based on the reports of the governments own medical board. "It is inhuman to do politics on the health of a three-time premier. The government machinery is bent upon defaming Sharif for its politics, which is earning a bad name to the country," he said as per PTI. Regarding his elder brothers return to the country, he said, Nawaz Sharif will only return to Pakistan when he fully recovers and doctors in London allow him to travel (back to the country)." He also said that he could stay in London till the decision is made on his appeal regarding visa extension. The appeal was filed on Thursday, August 5. Maryam Nawaz on fathers visa issue PML-N Vice President and Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz said on Twitter that the visa issue of her father revealed how he was on the nerves of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran khans government members. She said, This fake government has accepted its defeat from Nawaz Sharif who is the present and future of Pakistan. By targeting a towering personality, the stature of a pygmy cannot be elevated. Meanwhile, as per PTI, PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb told reporters, This is a routine procedure for anyone who seeks to extend their stay in the UK and Sharif has the right to an appeal in the Immigration Tribunal. IMAGE: PTI While rejecting reports that the Biden administration was seeking American military bases in Pakistan to influence developments in Afghan, Pakistans National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf said that no US official asked for a military base in the country. According to PTI, Yusuf made the comments on the last day of his 10-day trip to the United States. During his visit, he met senior officials before leaving for Islamabad. Yusuf said, The word base was not mentioned, not even once, during our talks, except in the media. Bases were not discussed at all from either side during this trip because we have already made our position clear. That chapter is closed. Previous reports had claimed that the Biden administration was seeking military bases in Pakistan to influence developments in Afghanistan, particularly if the Taliban seized Kabul. At recent congressional hearings, US officials also reportedly talked about using Pakistani airspace for reaching Afghan and having bases in the region, however, they did not specify the location. Now, underlining Pakistans desire to maintain good relations with the US and China. Yusuf said that if there are tensions between the US and China, then Pakistan cannot say that its relations with both will remain seamless. He added that Pakitan does not see a zero-sum game, either with the US or with China, adding that it wants to retain good relations with both. In fact, our location provides us the opportunity to play a key role in promoting good relations between the United States and China, as we did in 1970, he said. NSA acknowledges differences between Pak and Afghan According to reports, Washington wants Pakistan to join a US-led alliance to contain China's growing influence in the region. The NSA also said that Pakistan wants America to stay engaged and to continue playing a leading role, as it did in the past. Yusuf said that in fact, Pak thinks that a total US withdrawal will have a negative impact on the entire region. Pakistan shares US aspiration for peace and stability in Afghanistan, he added. Further, insisting that both countries had the same goal, reaching a political settlement in Afghanistan," the Pakistani official said, "the difference is over the methodology alone and that's why we have decided to stay engaged. However, Yusuf also acknowledged that there were differences between Pakistan and the current government in Kabul, mainly because they keep giving offensive statements about Pakistan. Kabul has repeatedly claimed that Islamabad is sending thousands of militants to fight in the war-ravaged country and providing safe haven for the Taliban. Pakistan, on the other hand, has alleged that Afghan harbours the anti-Pak group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and also the secessionist Balochistan Liberation Army. (With inputs from PTI) The United Nations Special nvoy for Afghanistan, on Friday, questioned the Talibans commitment to a political settlement, telling the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that the war has entered a deadlier and more destructive phase. Addressing the meet, which was conducted under the presidency of India, Deborah Lyons asserted that any party which is genuinely committed to a negotiated settlement would not risk so many civilian casualties, as it would know that increased bloodshed would only lead to difficulties in negotiations. As of now, more than 1,000 civilian casualties have been reported in Afghanistan. Talibans offensives first began after US President Joe Biden announced a complete retraction of American and foreign troops from the war-torn land. The fundamentalist group, which ruled Afghanistan with an iron fist in the 1990s, soon started gaining ground, seizing major cities and key border points. The offensives triggered a retaliatory reaction from the Afghan military which, supported by the US, launched targeted strikes at the insurgents hideouts. 'Reminiscent of Syria' Meanwhile, drawing comparisons between the Afghan situation and that of the war-torn middle east, Lyon reckoned that "This is now a different kind of war, reminiscent of Syria, recently, or Sarajevo, in the not-so-distant past. To put it in perspective, both Syria and Sarajevo, which is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina suffered from gruesome civil wars, leading to mass murders, detentions, and refugee crises. She said the United Nations expected both irregular and legal migration numbers to double this year. "To attack urban areas is to knowingly inflict enormous harm and cause massive civilian casualties. Nonetheless, the threatening of large urban areas appears to be a strategic decision by the Taliban, who have accepted the likely carnage that will ensue," she said. At the same meet, Indias Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), TS Tirumurti said that there should be zero tolerance for terrorism in any form or manifestations for peace to prevail in the war-stricken Afghanistan. He also said that that terrorist safe havens must be destroyed. On Friday, Tirumurti addressed the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing on Afghanistan noting that it is essential to make sure Kabul and its neighbors are not threatened by terrorism among other issues. Image: ANI Nishan Sahib, the Sikh religious flag which was removed from the rooftop of a significant gurdwara in Afghanistans Chamkani area of Paktia province, has been restored. As global pressure mounted along with Indias criticism, reports stated that Taliban officials and security forces visited Gurdwara Tahla Sahib with the insurgent group saying that the gurdwara will continue its functioning. The restoration of the Nishan Sahib came on August 6 after India denounced the act and reiterated its staunch belief that Afghans future must be one where the interests of all communities must be safeguarded. We condemn this act and reiterate India's firm belief that Afghanistan's future must be one where the interest of all sections of Afghan society including minorities and women are protected, ANI quoted government sources as saying after several social media posts and media reports showed the visuals of the holy place without the religious flag. The Gurdwara Thala Sahib holds huge historic significance as it was visited by the founder of the Sikh religion, Sri Guru Nanak Dev. The reports of the removal of Nishan Sahib from the gurdwara in the Chamkani area came after just last week, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) called on the central government and the Afghanistan government to ensure the safety of Sikhs living in the country as Taliban continues its offensive. SGPC is the body responsible for the management of gurdwaras and Sikh places of worship in three states; Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh and union territory of Chandigarh. As per reports, SGPC chief secretary Harjinder Singh Dhami had even warned that the security and safety of the Sikh community living in Afghanistan could be endangered, asking the Centre to intervene. As the United States ramped up its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban has unleashed one of the most raging attacks and has already acquired major provinces. From the loss of property, federal jobs to the reimposition of repressive laws that defined their rule, the country is battling with a crisis of unprecedented magnitude. While the Afghan Vice President has blamed Pakistan for harbouring and assisting Taliban militants, President Ashraf Ghani has said that the current situation is due to a sudden decision on the withdrawal of the international troops. India's Envoy Calls For Zero Tolerance For Terrorism Meanwhile, Indias Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), TS Tirumurti on August 6 said that there should be zero tolerance for terrorism in any form, and manifestations for enduring peace in the war-stricken Afghanistan must be dismantled. He also said that terrorist-safe havens must be destroyed. On Friday, Tirumurti addressed the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing on Afghanistan noting that it is essential to make sure Kabul and its neighbours are not threatened by terrorism among other issues. IMAGE: AP/Twitter Brunei Second Foreign Affairs Minister Erywan Yusof on August 7 said that he will visit Myanmar in his new role as special envoy for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Although Yusof, who was recently appointed as the associations special envoy to Myanmar stopped short of revealing a date for the visit, he demanded full access to all political parties and a substantive discussion in the Southeast Asian Nation. Since February, Myanmar has been witnessing one of the bloodiest conflicts in its history with more than 960 people killed and over 7000 people detained by the junta, according to the latest tally by rights group AAPP. In addendum, it disclosed that more than 5512 Myanmar residents were currently detained or sentenced. Yusofs remarks came a day after his appointment to the position by ASEAN. As Special envoy to Myanmar, Erywan is tasked with supervising humanitarian aid to the conflict-hit country, seeking the reestablishment of democracy and opening a dialogue between the military junta and its opponents, protests and civil disobedience campaigns have provoked an iron-fisted response. "The planned visit to Myanmar is in the pipeline, and what we need to do is make sure we're well-prepared when we go there, unlike the visit I had in June," Erywan, Brunei's Second Foreign Affairs Minister, told reporters in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of the tiny sultanate on the island of Borneo. Coup d'etat As Myanmars military has taken steps to undermine the country's democratic transition, including the arrest of the nations de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and few other civilian officials in Burma, several governments and human rights groups across the globe expressed concern and urged the military to immediately release all those who have been detained unlawfully. The Myanmar Army, on the other hand, has said that it carried out the detentions in response to fraud in last Novembers general election that Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD) won by a landslide. According to Myanmars local media outlet, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is now in control of the country and a state of emergency has been imposed for one year. DAILY UPDATE (07/08) 960 killed by this junta 7070 total arrested since coup 5512 currently detained/sentenced 1984 evading arrest warrant brief https://t.co/YRQxrNFJqM detained https://t.co/GPkOL4j1em fatalities https://t.co/UGbUQHkbKH releases https://t.co/eK9efeyV91 pic.twitter.com/tsAgy7BirQ AAPP (Burma) (@aapp_burma) August 7, 2021 Image: AP Cambodia has lifted a ban on passengers from India on August 6. The decision has been taken after witnessing a drop in COVID-19 cases, reported Xinhua citing a statement of the Southeast Asian country's Health Minister Mam Bunheng. Cambodia had banned travellers from India in April to curb the spread of the Delta variant of coronavirus. Cambodia lifts ban on travellers from India As per the report, Health Minister Mam Benhueng asserted that Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen has approved the lifting of the ban on people travelling from India. Bunheng in the statement added that the order of lifting ban on travellers from India will take effect from Saturday, reported Xinhua. According to the Health Ministry of Cambodia, as of August 7, the country has reported 522 new COVID-19 cases which brought the national case total to 80,335. The total number of fatalities reported due to COVID-19 has reached 1,537 fatalities in Cambodia. 74,745 people have recovered from the virus in the country. It is worth mentioning that Cambodia has started vaccinating their minors against COVID-19. According to The Associated Press, the country has aimed to vaccinate about two million people aged between 12 to 17 years before November this year. In order to curb the spread of the virus, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has urged all parents to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19. Hun Sen added that he expected the schools to reopen once the vaccination drive is complete. COVID-19 situation in India As of August 7, India has reported 38,628 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours taking the total number of active COVID-19 cases to 4,12,153 active cases, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). The death count stands at 4,27,371 with 617 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours. IMAGE: Unsplash/RepresentativeImage (With Inputs from AP) Marking a stunning discovery, a team of archaeologists from the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM) uncovered a trove of historical treasures from the ancient sunken city of Thonis-Heracleion, located off the coast of Egypt. Amongst the items found were 2,400-year-old wicker baskets that still contained fruits and Greek ceramics. Speaking to The Guardian later, expedition leader Franck Goddio said that the baskets were filled with grape seeds and doum nut, an edible oval fruit, found in the Arabian peninsula and northern Africa. 'Untouched for centuries' While the team has not been able to decipher how the fruits were preserved for more than 2,000 years, Goddio theorized that the ancient Egyptians might have been able to do it by keeping the fruits in an underground room, possibly with funerary connotation. Everywhere we found evidence of burned material, Spectacular ceremonies must have taken place there, he said, adding that it was astonishing that the found items remained untouched for hundreds of years. Furthermore, he also disclosed that they found no objects from later than the early fourth century BCE, even though the city lived on for several hundred years after that. The city of Thonis-Heracleion was primarily ruled by Egyptians but Greeks were allowed to settle and built their own sanctuaries close to the massive temple of Amun. However, researchers said that several earthquakes followed by tidal waves led to a 110-square-kilometer portion of the Nile delta collapsing under the sea, taking with it the cities of Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus. Thousands of years later, IEASM rediscovered both the cites-Thonis-Heracleion in 2000 and Canopus in 1999. Credits: archaeologyEAA/Twitter Credits:franckgoddio.org Earlier this year, archaeologists in Egypt announced that they have discovered an ancient funerary temple along with other items in Saqqara Necropolis, located south of capital Cairo. Saqqara Necropolis, which served as a burial ground in ancient Egypt has led to multiple discoveries including colored coffins and other wooden statues in the past. Adding to that is the latest discovery which also includes over 50 sarcophagi, an ornate coffin used by ancient Egyptians to bury their dead. Main Image/File: SerhadKars/Twiiter Google co-founder Larry Page has gained New Zealand residency, officials confirmed Friday, stoking debate over whether extremely wealthy people can essentially buy access to the South Pacific country. Immigration New Zealand said Page first applied for residency in November under a special visa open to people with at least 10 million New Zealand dollars ($7 million) to invest. As he was offshore at the time, his application was not able to be processed because of COVID-19 restrictions, the agency said in a statement. Once Mr. Page entered New Zealand, his application was able to be processed and it was approved on 4 February 2021. Gaining New Zealand residency would not necessarily affect Page's residency status in the U.S. or any other nations. New Zealand lawmakers confirmed that Page and his son first arrived in New Zealand in January after the family filed an urgent application for the son to be evacuated from Fiji due to a medical emergency. The day after the application was received, a New Zealand air ambulance staffed by a New Zealand ICU nurse-escort medevaced the child and an adult family member from Fiji to New Zealand," Health Minister Andrew Little told lawmakers in Parliament. Little was responding to questions about how Page had managed to enter the country at a time when New Zealand had shut its borders to non-residents in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Little told lawmakers the family had abided by applicable virus protocols when they arrived. Page's residency application was approved about three weeks later. Immigration New Zealand noted that while Page had become a resident, he didn't have permanent residency status and remained subject to certain restrictions. Still, the agency on its website touts the Investor Plus visa as offering a New Zealand lifestyle, adding that you may be able to bring your car, boat and household items to New Zealand, free of customs charges. Some local news organizations reported that Page had since left New Zealand. Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Forbes on Friday ranked Page as the worlds sixth-wealthiest person, with a fortune of $117 billion. Forbes noted that Page stepped down as chief executive of Googles parent company Alphabet in 2019 but remained a board member and controlling shareholder. Opposition lawmakers said the episode raised questions about why Page was approved so quickly at a time when many skilled workers or separated family members who were desperate to enter New Zealand were being turned away. The government is sending a message that money is more important than doctors, fruit pickers and families who are separated from their children," ACT deputy leader Brooke van Velden said in a statement. In 2017, it emerged that Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel had been able to gain New Zealand citizenship six years earlier, despite never having lived in the country. Thiel was approved after a top lawmaker decided his entrepreneurial skills and philanthropy were valuable to the nation. Thiel didnt even have to leave California for the ceremony he was granted citizenship during a private ceremony held at the New Zealand Consulate in Santa Monica. IMAGE: AP (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Amid the further deteriorating humanitarian situation in war-torn Afghanistan, more than 3 lakh people have been estimated to be displaced internally due to the ongoing crisis, the United Nations agency informed on Friday. The UN's International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Friday said that the situation for people who have been displaced following the resurgence of the Taliban is expected "to continue to deteriorate". Based on the IOMs estimate, around 40,000 people fled to the neighbouring country Iran in June. People have been wanting to leave the country and are trying to migrate to either neighbouring Pakistan or Iran. However, IOM also highlighted that contradictory to the chaos and conflict in Afghanistan, several civilians have been returning back to their homes from outside the country, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and heightened Xenophobia. More than 1.5 million people have been deported from or opted to leave neighbouring Pakistan and Iran to return to Afghanistan, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency noted. IOM has also pleaded help from international organizations to support Afghanistan at this unfortunate time. Many residents will be needing resources to support their daily life, after losing all their valuables during displacement. Many are being supported by the IOM. "The situation in Afghanistan is worsening daily from every perspective", according to Stuart Simpson, IOM Afghanistan Chief of Mission."Now is not the time to turn a blind eye to Afghanistan's critical situation. International attention and advocacy is urgently needed to convey the suffering of Afghan civilians to the world. A negotiated ceasefire remains the best solution for Afghanistan's civilian population to stay safe and potentially create the conditions for improved service delivery and the access required to reach vulnerable persons with care and assistance," Simpson added. As per the UN agency, almost half the Afghans, 18.5 million people, will require humanitarian support in 2021 to cope with the multifaceted crisis, caused by conflict, COVID-19 and widespread under-development and poverty. "IOM will ensure we are prepared for a continued deterioration in the humanitarian situation", said Stuart Simpson. "We will do our utmost to keep our programming up and running through targeted access negotiations with parties to the conflict to allow critical interventions to move ahead, but only insofar as we can guarantee the safety of our staff". Taliban Captures First Afghanistan Provincial Capital Since US Withdrawal The Taliban on August 6 captured the city of Zaranj in Afghanistans Nimruz province, making it the first provincial capital to fall to the militants since US forces began withdrawing from the country. According to NBC News, Rohgul Khairzad, Nimruzs deputy governor, confirmed that the Taliban were in control of Zaranj. She also informed that the insurgent group also have control of four districts - Chankhansur, Kang, Kashrood and Delaram. (With ANI Inputs) Image: AP The authorities of Panama and Colombia announced to allow the movement of migrants who are mainly transiting from the Darien Gap that marks the border between the two countries. On Saturday, August 7, foreign ministers of both the countries announced to set a maximum limit for the migrants entering the Panama border. However, the exact figures have not yet been decided, the officials asserted it would be determined at a meeting in Colombia, positively by Monday. According to the officials, about 49,000 migrants have crossed the Colombian region through the deadly jungle-clad gap in the last year. The official record also said that 16 per cent of the migrants who came to Panama are either children or in their youth. Officials from both countries agreed to patrol on migrants route The officials also stressed upon the rising violence against the migrants who are crossing through the dangerous paths. The criminal gangs rob migrants and traffic drugs through the roadless area. Officials agreed to patrol on these routes and assured prosecution of the gangs involved in the loot. While reacting to the rising crime against the migrants, Panamas Foreign Minister, Erika Mouynes said that the recent move would ensure their safety and security. "The goal is to set a number of migrants that can be received in a safe manner on the Panamanian side," said Mouynes. While Vice President of Colombia Marta Lucia Ramirez de Rincon said, "We do not want these migrants to risk their lives, neither do we want them to pass through Darien, where we know there are so many risks." While the officials asserted that the recent rains have made the crossing even more dangerous, they appealed to citizens not to cross the border. Santiago Paz, who works in the area for the UN International Organization for Migration said that the situation is really worrisome as crossing the jungle during the dry season is dangerous, as there is no facility for drinking water and also there are no arrangements for sanitation. No effort to deport the migrants According to a report by AP, officials from both countries made little effort to deport them as it would be too costly to fly so many home. There has been a sharp rebound in the number of migrants from last year, when pandemic restrictions reduced mobility for locals and migrants alike. Local officials estimate that more than 10,000 migrants have massed recently in Necocli, a Colombian city that 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. (With inputs from AP) Image: AP In a major but symbolic victory, the Taliban on Friday appeared to have taken their first provincial capital - the city of Zaranj in southern Nimroz province. The government, however, claimed there was still fierce fighting around key infrastructure in the city and that Zaranj had not fallen. But the Taliban posted images on social media showing insurgents inside the local airport and posing for photographs at the entrance to the city. Baz Mohammad Nasir, the Nimroz provincial council chief, also asserted the Taliban now held Zaranj in an interview with the Associated Press. "The capital city of Nimroz has been under the control of Taliban, the governor's office, chief of police compound and all the districts of the city have been captured by them and they have the control over those areas," said Nasir. Nimroz is sparsely populated in a region that's mainly desert and Zaranj, the provincial capital, has about 50,000 residents. Nasir said the government had not done enough to protect the province, leaving it short of police and security forces personnel. Its fall to the Taliban, if confirmed, was a mostly symbolic victory for the insurgents. The Taliban began sweeping across Afghanistan at an unexpected speed after the U.S. and NATO began their final pullout in late April. The bitter fighting has displaced hundreds of thousands of Afghans, now living in miserable conditions improvised shelters and makeshift camps in the southern, desert-like environment brutally hot days and cold nights. Inside the cities where fighting is underway, thousands are trapped and unable to move from their homes. More than half of Afghanistan's 421 districts and district centers are now in Taliban hands. While many of the districts are in remote regions, some are deeply strategic, giving the Taliban control of lucrative border crossings with Iran, Tajikistan and Pakistan. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Three children were killed by lions on their search for lost cattle near Tanzania's world-renowned Ngorongoro wildlife reserve, police said on Thursday. Justine Masejo, Arusha's police chief, said the children, between the ages of nine and 11, had returned home from school on Monday and entered a forest near the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to search for the missing animals. The lions attacked and killed three children while injuring one. Ngorongoro National Park in northern Tanzania is a World Heritage Site and is home to big cats such as lions, cheetahs, and leopards. Communities living nearby urged to take precautions In a statement, Masejo expressed his concern and emphasized that the nomadic communities living near protected areas should take precautions against wild animals, especially when their children are tasked to take care of livestock. So that the children and their families can be protected from such incidents. National parks in Tanzania allow some communities, such as the Maasai, to live within the protected areas. But they are frequently in conflict with animals such as lions and elephants, which can attack people, livestock, and crops. Last year. the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania was evacuated after lions attacked people and cattle in the surrounding communities. Maasai Steppe in Tanzania's north is one of the few remaining habitats where lions are still abundant. Wildlife migrations between National Parks can cause serious conflict - especially in villages that share communal land. Many lions are killed in these areas by herders in retaliation for the loss of their cattle - whether the cattle were killed by lions or not. It is estimated that about 20% of lions die this way. Gov. Gavin Newsom says California is committed to returning students to in-person instruction as the students return for the new school year. Newsom visited a school in San Bernardino Friday, where he talked with young children about pet sea monkeys and about download speeds they had to deal with while learning from home. "We want them back in person for in-person instruction," he told reporters. "We don't want our kids back on Zoom school." California, Louisiana, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington state intend to require masks for all students and teachers regardless of vaccination status. At the other end of the spectrum, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Utah have banned mask requirements in all public schools. IMAGE: AP (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) It has been more than six months since Joe Biden undertook the gigantic responsibility of pulling the United States out of the coronavirus crisis, negotiating a bipartisan infrastructure bill, and replenishing the countrys image abroad. Now, the White House has revealed that Biden would be utilizing his traditional August break from Washington and heading out on a brief vacation. With legislative work on infrastructure bills keeping the Senate occupied, the 78-year-old President has only been on short trips to his hometown of Delaware and has been working most weekends. Every president is always working no matter where they are, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, explaining that presidents can't ever really tune out. Regardless, Psaki confirmed that Biden would be going on vacation. Spilling out details, she said that the US President would either be visiting Wilmington in Delaware, where he grew up and owns a home, or Camp David, which is the official presidential retreat. It is worth noting that even on a vacation, the US president is ubiquitously surrounded by a large number of aides, secret service agents, and journalists. The number of days off or vacation is taken by American presidents has often been contentious. During his tenure, the countrys 45th Presdient Donald Trump took a total of 381 days off, amounting to a cost of US$144 million. Meanwhile, Barack Obama was on a vacation for 328 days, resulting in the expenditure of US$105 million. Biden's latest goal Meanwhile, in his latest policy measure, Biden set a new target of half of all cars sold in the United States to be zero-emission vehicles by 2030. The target includes zero-emission vehicles powered by fuel cells and batteries as well as plug-in hybrid models with internal combustion engines. Addressing a press briefing on August 5, President Biden said that he is following through on the "campaign commitment to reverse the previous administrations short-sighted rollback of vehicle emissions and efficiency standards." Biden said that he is set to sign an executive order demanding that 50% of all new passenger vehicles sold by the end of the decade be electric. He informed that International Brotherhood Electric Workers (IBEW) members and other union workers are working to install 500,000 charging stations along the roads, highways, homes, apartments. He said that the new order will help in innovating, manufacturing, and building the supply chains for batteries as well as semi-conductors. Image: AP (With inputs from AP) Hours after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a third attempt at passing a GOP voting bill by calling another special legislative session to begin this weekend, Texas Democrats who left the state weeks ago say they'll keep fighting to protect voting rights. "These bills are just the latest in a systematic attack by Trump Republicans, in Texas and across the country, to undermine our democracy and silence the voices of the people," said Democratic State Rep. Chris Turner, the chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus. "We will never stop fighting," he said. Abbott's announcement was expected and Turner, who scambled to fly out of Texas with dozens of Democratic lawmakers last month, wouldn't say what he and his Democratic colleagues will do next, other than to say it'll be a "collective" decision. They were joined on Capitol Hill Friday by Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, a key figure on voting rights legislation in the Senate. "They say everything is bigger in Texas, but what is bigger than defending our national right to vote and our freedom to vote?" Merkley asked. "They say don't mess with Texas. Well, I say don't mess with these Texas legislators who are defending the right to vote in their home state." In choosing to hunker down in Washington, Texas Democrats sought to put pressure on President Joe Biden and Congress to pass new federal voting rights legislation that would blunt the impact of the GOP bill back home. A group of key Democratic senators has been working for weeks with their counterparts in the U.S. House to develop a narrow approach. But they still face the same challenge as before: a filibuster by Senate Republicans, who overwhelmingly oppose the measure. Overcoming that hurdle would require changes to Senate procedural rules, which many moderate Democrats oppose - denying the party the votes to change the rule. IMAGE: AP (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) The Supreme Court is being asked to block a plan by Indiana University to require students and employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. It's the first time the high court has been asked to weigh in on a vaccine mandate and comes as some corporations, states and cities are also contemplating or have adopted vaccine requirements for workers or even to dine indoors . The case is not the first time a coronavirus-related issue has been before the court. In rulings over the past year the conservative-dominated high court has largely backed religious groups who have challenged restrictions on indoor services during the cononavirus pandemic. In the current case, however, a three-judge federal appeals court panel, including two judges appointed by former President Donald Trump, was one of two lower courts to side with Indiana University and allow it to require the vaccinations. The plan announced in May requires roughly 90,000 students and 40,000 employees on seven campuses to receive COVID-19 vaccinations for the fall semester. Students who dont comply will have their registration canceled and workers who dont will lose their jobs. The policy does have religious and medical exemptions, but exempt students must be tested twice a week for the disease. The school announced this week that for now, everyone, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a mask indoors while on campus. The vaccine mandate is being challenged by eight students who argue in court papers filed Friday that they have a constitutional right to bodily integrity, autonomy, and of medical treatment choice in the context of a vaccination mandate. They're asking for an injunction from the high court barring the university from enforcing the mandate. Seven of the students qualify for a religious exemption. There is no deadline for the court to act, but the students are asking it to do so by Aug. 13. In July, an Indiana district court judge sided with the university in declining to issue a preliminary injunction blocking the vaccine mandate. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit voted 3-0 to uphold the decision earlier this week. Two of the three judges were appointed by Trump and the third by former President Ronald Reagan. The university initially was going to require students and employees to provide immunization documentation but after a backlash changed its policy to make providing proof optional. Students and employees now must simply attest to their vaccination in an online form. College officials across the country have struggled with whether to require vaccinations, with some schools mandating them and others questioning whether they have legal authority to do so. Similar lawsuits against student vaccine requirements have been filed in other states. Over the past two weeks, vaccine mandates have become a particularly hot issue. On Friday, United Airlines announced it would become the first major U.S. airline to require vaccination for workers. Google , Facebook, Tyson Foods and Microsoft are among the other companies mandating vaccines. Late last month, the Department of Veterans Affairs became the first federal agency to require vaccinations for its health workers. President Joe Biden has since announced 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. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) White House press secretary Jen Psaki cited evidence that Iran was behind last week's deadly attack on a tanker in the Persian Gulf and maintained that it was a "deliberate and targeted attack" by Iran. The U.S. military and the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations on Friday accused Iran of being behind last week's deadly attack on an oil tanker in the Arabian Sea. The U.S. Central Command said it had collected and analyzed substantial evidence that the July 29 attack on the HV Mercer Street in international waters in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman that killed two people was carried out by an Iranian drone loaded with a military-grade explosive. "U.S. experts concluded based on the evidence that this UAV was produced in Iran," it said, using the military term for an "unmanned aerial vehicle." Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States said the attack was "a clear violation of international law." They added that "all available evidence clearly points to Iran." Iran has denied being involved. Central Command said the ship had been targeted by three drones but that the first two were unsuccessful. Centcom issued a statement saying "the investigative team determined that the extensive damage to the Mercer Street ... was the result of a third UAV attack." It said the drone attack had caused an approximately 6-foot-diameter hole in the pilot house of the vessel and had badly damaged the interior. Investigators said an analysis of the explosive concluded that the drone had been rigged "to cause injury and destruction." Left unsaid in the Central Command report was that the triangle-shaped Delta wing drones used in the Mercer Street attack were also used in 2019 strikes on the heart of the Saudi oil industry, which temporarily halved the kingdom's production and sent markets spiking. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed those attacks, but the distance from their territory to the two sites hit likely was too great for them to have launched the attacks, analysts said. In January, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard appeared to use the same kind of Delta drones in a drill aired on state television. Friday's military analysis was released concurrently with a statement from the G-7 foreign ministers condemning the attack that killed a Briton and a Romanian. "We condemn the unlawful attack committed on a merchant vessel," the foreign ministers said in a joint statement. "This was a deliberate and targeted attack, and a clear violation of international law. All available evidence clearly points to Iran. There is no justification for this attack." The ship is managed by a firm owned by an Israeli billionaire, and Israel - along with the U.S. and Britain - had previously pointed the finger at Tehran. In their statement, the G-7 countries said "Iran's behavior, alongside its support to proxy forces and non-state armed actors, threatens international peace and security." "We call on Iran to stop all activities inconsistent with relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, and call on all parties to play a constructive role in fostering regional stability and peace," they said. The ministers called for vessels in the region to be able to "navigate freely in accordance with international law." "We will continue to do our utmost to protect all shipping, upon which the global economy depends, so that it is able to operate freely and without being threatened by irresponsible and violent acts," they added. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) The U.S. Army in Europe and Africa said Friday it will retain six sites that were previously scheduled to be returned to Germany and Belgium amid growing demand for facilities on the continent. A seventh site, in Germany, will be transferred to the Air Force, it said. The sites were originally announced for closure in 2015 and, in one case, 2010. But the decision was reassessed as demand for facilities outgrew construction and renovation. The sites being retained in Germany are the Barton Barracks, Ansbach; Pulaski Barracks, Kaiserslautern; Coleman Barracks, Mannheim; Weilimdorf Warehouse, Stuttgart and Amelia Earhart Center, Wiesbaden. In Belgium, the Army is holding on to the Daumerie Barracks, it said. The Husterhoeh Barracks in Pirmasens, Germany, will be handed to U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Africa. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a months-long global posture review just days after taking office in January. That review is not done, and is expected to be finished in the fall. The review will assess how the United States can best arrange and support its worldwide network of troops, weapons, bases and alliances to align with changing foreign policy and security threats. The U.S. has made it clear that it views China -- not militant groups such as al-Qaida or the Islamic State group -- as the top national security challenge. And the posture review could involve additional movement of U.S. troops and assets to the Pacific region. Other top commanders, however, have also argued that they face similar challenges from Iran, China and Russia on their continents -- including Europe and Africa. It wasnt clear Friday how these latest moves by the Army in Europe will fit into that global review. (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 between Washington and Beijing, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on August 7, Saturday expressed concerns over Chinas growing nuclear arsenal. During a meeting with the foreign ministers of the 28th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Blinken outlined a list of provocative Chinese behaviour. He noted serious concerns over the rapid growth of the People's Republic of China's (PRC) nuclear arsenal which highlights how China has sharply deviated from its decades-old nuclear strategy based on minimum deterrence. According to a report from the American Federation of Scientists, Beijing was building more than 100 missiles in its Xinjiang region, raising questions about Chinas nuclear weapons ambitions. It is estimated that China holds approximately 350 of the worlds nukes. Therefore, Blinken expressed concerns to Southeast Asian foreign ministers about Chinas growing nuclear arsenal. Concerns over South China Sea, human rights abuses The US State Secretary also called on Beijing to abide by its obligations under the international law of the sea and cease its provocative behaviour in the South China Sea. It is worth noting that the South China Sea serves as a gateway to global sea routes where nearly $4 trillion of trade passes annually. The sea is also home to an estimated $2.6 trillion in recoverable offshore oil and gas. The region has five claimants including, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. According to ANI, Blinken also raised serious concerns about ongoing human rights abuses in Tibet, Hong Kong and Xinjiang. Previously, the Biden administration even warned businesses with ties to Hong Kong and Xinjiang of sweeping regulatory risks as China continues to restrict political and economic freedoms in the region. China, on the other hand, responded by imposing sanctions on several US individuals and organisations, including former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Human Rights Watch's China director, Sophie Richardson. US on Korean Peninsula, Myanmar crisis Meanwhile, during the same meeting, Blinken also joined other countries in calling for the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. He also urged all ARF member states to press the military regime in Burma to end violence and support the people of Burma as they work to return to democratic governance. (With inputs from ANI) On Friday, August 7, State Department spokesman Ned Price denounced Hezbollah's recent rocket strikes on Israel. This violence endangers both Israelis and Lebanese, putting Lebanon's stability and sovereignty in jeopardy. According to Price, the US stays in contact with Israeli and Lebanese officials, as well as the Lebanese Armed Forces. The State Department issued a statement that said, "We call upon the Lebanese government urgently to prevent such attacks and bring the area under its control. We also urge the Lebanese government to facilitate full access for UNIFIL peacekeepers in accordance with UNSCR 1701. We strongly encourage all efforts to maintain calm." Lebanon fired 20 missiles on Friday The US strongly condemned Hezbollah's missile strikes on Israel, said the statement. On Friday morning, Lebanon fired around 20 missiles into northern Israel. The Iron Dome missile defence system intercepted ten rockets, six of which landed in the open near Mount Dov. According to the military, three more rockets failed to cross the border and fell into Lebanese territory. Just after the incident, the Israel Defense Forces fired artillery shells at targets in Lebanon in response to the rocket fire. According to the Times of Israel, three Leb20 rockets were shot into northern Israel soon afternoon on August 4 from Lebanon. At 11.15 am, the Islamic Resistance responded to Israeli aggression by striking the vicinity of Israeli enemy forces in Shebaa Farms far from residential areas. Shebaa Farms is a small enclave where Israel's, Lebanon's, and Syria's borders meet. It is claimed by Israel to be a portion of the Golan Heights, which were taken from Syria in 1967. However, it is claimed by Lebanon and Syria, although the United Nations says it is Syrian territory. Hezbollah purposefully fired onto open regions Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks. Incoming missile sirens were activated in northern Israeli communities along Israel's northern border with Lebanon and Syria, including Ein Quiniyye, Neveh Ativ, and Snir. Hezbollah purposefully fired onto open regions rather than civilians, according to IDF Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Ran Kochav. He said that they will ensure that the northern border does not become a flashpoint. He further stated that neither side wants war, but they will not tolerate this if it continues. He remarked that every two to three weeks there is a fire in the direction of the north. (Inputs from ANI) 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 please call (208) 542-6777 for help. We get it. You don't want to see the ads. We'd just ask you to understand that those ads help us pay the bills and our reporters. Please, consider white-listing the Standard Journal in your ad-blocker or, even better, purchase a subscription so that you can help support quality local journalism. Cambodian migrant workers travel in military trucks to their home provinces after crossing the Thai-Cambodian border in a file photo. Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday ordered border authorities to set up quarantine centers to receive hundreds of Cambodian migrant workers, many infected with COVID-19, desperate to return home from Thailand, while neighboring Laos also struggled with an exodus of sick laborers from the kingdom. Officials had sealed off crossings in eight Cambodian provinces on July 29 with orders to keep them closed until Aug. 12, amid a third outbreak of the COVID-19 virus caused by the highly contagious Delta variant that is also sweeping through neighboring Thailand. In a directive Friday, Hun Sen ordered Cambodias Sub-Committee on Border Management to work with provincial and municipal authorities to set up quarantine facilities and provide medical treatment for those returning home, with workers later given transport back to their hometowns. One worker stranded near the Boeung Trakoun border gate in Cambodias Banteay Meanchey province said that authorities had recently distributed plastic sheeting to around 400 workers for use as temporary shelters until they are cleared to go home. We are staying at a military base inside Cambodia now, but we dont have a quarantine center to go to yet, the worker told RFAs Khmer Service, asking that his name not be used in order to protect his identity. Conditions are very difficult on the border, the worker added. To get across while the border was closed, we had to take a short cut through the forest. Some of us have babies, and the babies cries echoed all through the forest. I had to run through the forest even though I was sick, the worker said. Around 200 workers are now stranded along the Thai border across from Banteay Meanchey province, provincial deputy police chief Oum Sophal told RFA on Thursday, adding that provincial authorities are now working together with the Cambodian consulate in Thailands Sa Keo province to bring help to those in need. We visit Cambodian workers who are stranded and provide them with some food every day, Oum Sophal said. 'They are very miserable' Hundreds of workers were left stranded on the Thai border when Cambodian authorities closed the crossings and barred them from returning home, Lueng Sophona worker with the local NGO Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL)told RFA on Thursday. COVID-19 infections may be spreading even more quickly among them now because of the crowded conditions in which theyre living, he said. The workers who have made the decision to return to Cambodia really had no other option available to them, he said, adding, The Cambodian government should put more measures in place to help them and provide them with treatment, and not just let them wander along the border. There they are living in tents, lack food, and face many difficulties, and they are very miserable, he said. Around two million Cambodians out of the countrys population of nearly 17 million work in Thailand, according to figures provided by CENTRAL. Thailand is the main destination for migrant workers from neighboring Southeast Asian countries who take relatively low-wage jobs in labor-intensive sectors including agriculture, construction, fishing, and manufacturing. The Cambodian Embassy in Thailand has said that it cannot help migrant workers infected with COVID, and that it is the responsibility of their employers to provide them with adequate food and accommodation, sources told RFA in an earlier report. Returns to Laos restricted In neighboring Laos, authorities in Savannakhet province are now limiting the number of Lao workers allowed to cross the border from Thailand, citing fears of a further spread of COVID-19 and a lack of facilities to hold those returning home in quarantine, Lao sources say. Around 200-300 or more have recently crossed into the province each day, but no more than 150 each day will now be allowed in, with the rest required to wait in Thailand until more space is made available, sources say. Authorities are now urging Lao workers to cross instead through border gates in other provinces such as Kham Mouane, Champassack, and Vientiane. Of the nearly 4,000 Lao workers who returned from Thailand through Savannakhet during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Laos, around 2,000 were found to be infected and are now being treated in provincial hospitals, sources said. Reported by RFAs Khmer and Lao Services. Translated by Tin Zakaria and Sidney Khotpanya. Written in English by Richard Finney. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in June that Beijing keeps its nuclear capabilities at a minimum level needed for national security. Malaysian foreign minister Hishammuddin Hussein (far right) listens in Kuala Lumpur as foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and top diplomats of the bloc's partner countries attend the virtual ASEAN Regional Forum, Aug. 6, 2021. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed grave concern Friday about what he described as Chinas growing nuclear arsenal and told an annual regional security conference that the Asian superpower should also cease provocative behavior in the South China Sea. Americas top diplomat raised these concerns during his first appearance in that role before the ASEAN Regional Forum, a virtual meeting that drew his counterparts from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and 10 of the blocs dialogue partners, including China, Russia, Japan, and other world powers. The Secretary noted deep concern with the rapid growth of the PRCs [Peoples Republic of Chinas] nuclear arsenal which highlights how Beijing has sharply deviated from its decades-old nuclear strategy based on minimum deterrence, the State Department said in a statement about Blinkens participation at the meeting. Blinken was referring to recent think-tank reports that said China was building more than 100 silos for nuclear missiles in its Gansu province and in eastern Xinjiang. In June, however, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Beijing kept its nuclear capabilities at a minimum level needed for national security. China does not compete with any other country in the size or scale of nuclear force, he told the Conference on Disarmament then. South China Sea Still, the findings of Chinas increasing nuclear missile silos are especially worrisome for Southeast Asian nations with overlapping claims to Beijings in the South China Sea, analysts have said. Beijing claims almost the entire waterway, large parts of which it has militarized. In addition, other claimants to the sea say China has stepped up the presence of its coastguard and huge fishing fleet in their exclusive economic zones, or EEZs. Chinas expansive claims include waters within the EEZs of Taiwan and ASEAN member-states Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. While Indonesia does not regard itself as party to the South China Sea dispute, Beijing claims historic rights to parts of that sea overlapping Indonesias EEZ as well. Secretary Blinken told the ASEAN Regional Forum that China needed to adhere to international laws in 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague dismissed Beijings expansive claims in the South China Sea. Secretary Blinken called on the PRC to abide by its obligations under the international law of the sea and cease its provocative behavior in the South China Sea, State Department Ned Price said. Secretary Blinken also underscored the importance of democracy, transparency, and accountability in the Indo-Pacific. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang, however, separately told ASEANs top diplomats and the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers Meeting earlier this week that countries outside the region were undermining stability in the South China Sea. China insists on the peaceful settlement of disputes through consultations by the countries directly involved, he told ASEAN foreign ministers on Tuesday. Mahendra Siregar, Indonesias deputy foreign minister, told the ASEAN Regional Forum that a pandemic was not the right time for anything that increases regional tensions. [Re]frain from power projections and provocative actions that increase tensions in the South China Sea, especially amid a pandemic, he said. The international community, he said, must support ASEANs role and the resolution of all forms of disputes in the South China Sea under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Vaccine diplomacy Wang and Blinken both engaged with foreign ministers from ASEAN during various meetings this week, with the American diplomat marking his presence during all five days. Both China and Washington are looking for Southeast Asian support on the South China Sea, and both touted their COVID-19 vaccine donations to the region. Blinken said the U.S. has provided more than 23 million vaccine doses and over $158 million in health and humanitarian assistance to ASEAN members so far in response to the global pandemic. We will also be there to support the region to build back better from the economic damage wrought by the pandemic by helping drive a green recovery and ensure readiness for future outbreaks, he said. Wang said China had provided over 190 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Southeast Asia, the state-run China Daily newspaper reported. On Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged that Beijing this year would supply 2 billion doses of vaccine to other countries. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen, who also attended the ASEAN Regional Forum, said the South Asian nation could initiate and adhere to a form of vaccine diplomacy which ensures diversified sources of vaccines. Due to the sudden sweep over of COVID-19 cases in neighboring countries, it is imperative that South Asian and Southeast Asian nations should receive their share of the vaccine without any strings attached, he said. Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. They planned to attack Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, a critic of the military regime, by tampering with the tires on his car to cause a crash. Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmar's ambassador to the United Nations, is seen showing the three-finger salute opposing junta rule at the end of his speech at the UN General Assembly, Feb. 26, 2021. Two Burmese men have been arrested for allegedly plotting to kill or injure Myanmars ambassador to the United Nations near New York, U.S. officials announced Friday. A court filing states that the Burmese men, aged in their twenties, were involved in plans to attack Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun by tampering with the tires on his car to cause a crash while he was inside. Kyaw Moe Tun has been a prominent critic of Myanmars military regime that seized power in a coup six months ago. He has refused demands of the junta to step down as ambassador and now represents the countrys civilian-led shadow government. The U.S. Attorneys Office in the Southern District of New York said Phyo Hein Htut, 28, and Ye Hein Zaw, 20, were Myanmar citizens residing in New York. It said that in July, an arms dealer in Thailand who sells weapons to the Burmese military contacted Phyo Hein Htut and they agreed on a plan in which Phyo Hein Htut would hire attackers to hurt the ambassador in an attempt to force the ambassador to step down from his post. As alleged, Phyo Hein Htut and Ye Hein Zaw plotted to seriously injure or kill Myanmars ambassador to the United Nations in a planned attack on a foreign official that was to take place on American soil, said Audrey Strauss, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in a comment accompanying the attorneys office statement. If the Ambassador did not step down, then the Arms Dealer proposed that the attackers hired by Htut would kill the Ambassador, the statement said. Ye Hein Zaw allegedly served as intermediary making cash transfers to Phyo Hein Htut. Both men have been charged with conspiracy to assault and make a violent attack upon a foreign official, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The Associated Press reported that at an initial court appearance in a federal court in White Plains, N.Y., Phyo Hein Htut consented to detention. Ye Hein Zaw awaited an initial appearance. Messages seeking comment from their lawyers were not immediately returned, AP reported. The attorneys office statement did not directly implicate the junta of Gen. Min Aung Hlaing that seized power from the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, and is already facing a wave of international revulsion over the coup and the ensuing bloody crackdown. But Fridays arrests are sure to fuel speculation about whether the military had a hand in the alleged plot against a senior diplomat. As alleged in todays federal charges, these defendants reached across borders and oceans in designing a violent plot against an international leader on United States soil, New York Police Department Commissioner Dermot Shea was quoted as saying in the statement. A screenshot of mobile phone texts between Ye Hein Zaw and Phyo Hein Htut regarding advance payments through a money transfer app for the alleged plot to attack Myanmar's UN ambassador. Credit: U.S. Attorneys Office, Southern District of New York Plea to UN draws treason charge On Thursday, it emerged that Kyaw Moe Tun had been put under heightened security because of a threat against him. The ambassador learned of the threat made against him on Tuesday and immediately reported it to police, he told Reuters. He declined to give further details when he spoke to RFA on Thursday. The junta has yet to comment on the alleged plot. A court filing states that Phyo Hein Htut agreed in substance with the Thai arms dealer on a plan for Phyo Hein Htut to hire others to tamper with the tires on the Ambassador's car to cause a crash while the Ambassador was inside. Ye Hein Zaw allegedly contacted Phyo Hein Htut by cellphone and transferred approximately $4,000 to him through a money transfer app as an advance payment on the plot to attack the ambassador. Later, during a recorded phone conversation with Ye Hein Zaw, Phyo Hein Htut discussed how the planned attackers would require an additional $1,000 to conduct the attack in Westchester County, where the ambassador lives, north of New York City. For an additional payment, the attackers could finish off the ambassador. In response, Ye Hein Zaw agreed to pay the additional $1,000 and to try to obtain the additional money. Kyaw Moe Tun, 52, had represented Myanmars civilian-led government which was overthrown in a Feb. 1 military coup, but now represents the countrys shadow National Unity Government (NUG), formed in opposition to the junta. In late February, he made world headlines with an impassioned plea to the 193-member UN General Assembly for the world body to use any means necessary to take action to restore democracy and ensure the security of the people. We need further strongest possible action from the international community to immediately end the military coup, to stop oppressing the innocent people, to return the state power to the people, and to restore the democracy, Kyaw Moe Tun said in an appeal that got him sacked by the junta the next day, but drew plaudits for courage. In March, the junta issued an arrest warrant and charged him with high treason for his speech to the UN General Assembly under Article 122(2) of the Penal Code, for those committing the offense outside Myanmar. He had sought foreign help in attempting to destroy the military government, it said. The writers for the popular Facebook page Clean Newspaper are accused by authorities of slandering government leaders in their investigative reports. Vietnamese independent journalists Nguyen Thanh Nha, Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao, and Doan Kien Giang are shown left to right in undated photos. Five Vietnamese journalists accused by authorities in southern Vietnams Can Tho province of slandering government leaders in their investigative reports will now be charged only with abusing democratic freedoms after an investigation failed to produce evidence of more serious State-secrets charges against them. Police investigators on Friday announced that the writers for the popular Facebook page Clean Newspaper (Bao Sach), which discussed Vietnamese social issues and has now been taken offline, have been referred to provincial prosecutors for trial on a charge of abusing democratic freedoms to infringe on the interests of the State and individuals under Article 331 of Vietnams 2015 Penal Code. Four of the reportersTruong Chau Huu Danh, arrested on Dec. 17 last year, and Nguyen Thanh Nha, Doan Kien Giang, and Nguyen Phuoc Trung Bao, arrested on April 20had posted criticisms online of the Jan. 9, 2020 raid by security forces intervening in a land dispute at Dong Tam commune outside Hanoi in which a village elder was shot dead by police. They had also written articles criticizing the widely unpopular build-operate-transfer (BOT) highway schemes adopted by Vietnam in recent years that have sparked rare protests over toll collections described by motorists as unfair. A fifth member of the group, Le The Thang, has also now been charged and is being held under house arrest at his home. Following a first investigation ending in May, a police search of Truong Chau Huu Danhs home uncovered government documents containing confidential material, leading to calls for a new investigation into charges of intentionally disclosing State secrets, appropriating, buying or selling or disposing of items or secrets of the State. The new charge, which is no longer being pursued, would have carried a possible death sentence on conviction. Harsh forms of persecution With Vietnams media all following Communist Party orders, the only sources of independently-reported information are bloggers and independent journalists, who are being subjected to ever-harsher forms of persecution, the press freedoms watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says in its 2021 Press Freedoms Index. Measures taken against them now include assaults by plainclothes police, RSF said in its report, which placed Vietnam at 175 out of 180 countries surveyed worldwide, a ranking unchanged from last year. To justify jailing them, the Party resorts to the criminal codes, especially three articles under which activities aimed at overthrowing the government, anti-state propaganda and abusing the rights to freedom and democracy to threaten the interests of the state are punishable by long prison terms, the rights group said. Vietnams already low tolerance of dissent deteriorated sharply last year with a spate of arrests of independent journalists, publishers, and Facebook personalities as authorities continued to stifle critics in the run-up to the ruling Communist Party Congress in January. But arrests continue in 2021. Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by An Nguyen. Written in English by Richard Finney. The U.S. ambassador to Belarus has said that developments there in the year since a disputed presidential election spawned a popular democratic movement were "an incredibly momentous event in Belarus" driven by the desire of Belarusians to have a voice in defining their future. In an exclusive interview with RFE/RLs Belarus Service published on August 7, Ambassador Julie Fisher stressed that the United States continues to call for "an inclusive dialogue" inside Belarus that "leads to a new election" under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) "after the unconditional release of all political prisoners." "That is what will take us to a legitimate new leader in Belarus, and we really look forward to that," Fisher said. Fisher was sworn in as the first U.S. ambassador to Belarus since 2008 in December 2020 but, because of the leadership dispute in Belarus, she has not taken up her post in Minsk. Belarusian authorities have forcibly expelled or jailed opposition leaders, arrested tens of thousands of people, targeted dozens of NGOs, and refused accreditation to or forced out journalists since a crackdown on massive street protests began after longtime leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka claimed to have won a sixth presidential term on August 9, 2020. His reelection claim has been dismissed by the beleaguered opposition and the West, which has slapped multiple rounds of sanctions to pressure Lukashenka's regime to ease the crackdown, talk with the opposition, and ensure a new, independent election. Exiled opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who considers herself the winner of the disputed election, met with U.S. President Joe Biden and other senior U.S. officials last month in a visit to Washington that Fisher called "absolutely historic." "We spent time thinking about how we can affect what is happening inside Belarus today, how it is we can drive toward dialogue and a new election," Fisher said. "We talked about ways that the United Statesand our partners in Europe can best support those who are seeking the rule of law and a more democratic Belarus." At the same time, Fisher said, the United States has found that diplomacy with the Lukashenka government rarely "leads to engagement and response." "So we will continue to look for additional tools of pressure to affect the decision-making calculation inside Belarus," she said. Fisher added, however, that the standoff in Belarus is between "the people of Belarus and a dictator." "This is about their desire to have their voices heard by their leadership," she said. Boris Guts's latest movie hasn't even been released, but it's already reportedly banned in both Russia and Belarus. That's because the movie deals with a topic highly sensitive for those in power in both countries: anti-government protests, and in particular the series of mass rallies that convulsed Belarus in the aftermath of an election a year ago -- on August 9, 2020 -- that was widely seen as rigged. The Russian director was hopeful that MINSK, his unsettling drama about a young couple in the Belarusian capital who get caught up in the state's brutal crackdown, would reach a sizeable audience. "The goal was to show 90 minutes in the life of a simple couple from Minsk who got embroiled in this horror. So that the viewer would be unable to blink even for a second, and would become part of it," he said in an interview with RFE/RL's Russian Service. But Guts, who has roots in Belarus, soon understood that his chances of winning the hearts of viewers in the two countries he knows best would be scuppered due to a decision allegedly made at the very top. In June, the Telegram channel Nexta-Live published what it said were screenshots of an official report filed on June 26 by Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimer Makey, containing minutes of his meeting with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. High-Level Scrutiny Much of the report focused on trade and diplomatic cooperation over Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014 despite international condemnation. But it also, astoundingly, referenced Guts's film. "I secured support from the Russian side for a ban in Russia on the fictional film MINSK," read the document, whose authenticity has not been established independently by RFE/RL. "[It] is absolutely provocative and aimed at fueling protest moods in Belarus." Guts never expected such high-level scrutiny, but he got a hint of the reception his crew would face when he applied for permission to film in the Tula region, south of Moscow. "We were ultimately prohibited from filming in Russia under various pretexts -- politics, the coronavirus, and so on," he said. The crew ended up moving the project to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, parts of which had Soviet-era buildings that resembled those that dominate the outskirts of Minsk. The trailer for the movie, which was released in July and has close to 400,000 views on YouTube, is a high-octane clip that begins with romantic scenes from the couple's quiet life in Minsk, and quickly unravels into shaky video footage of police beatings and torture. Guts says many of the scenes were reconstructed from videos posted online last summer by protesters and citizen journalists, and the comments beneath the trailer suggest that he's been successful in capturing the atmosphere of those tense days in Belarus. "I could never have imagined how people who survived war felt when they watched films about war," one user, Sergei Vasilyev, wrote. "Now, it seems, I understand it a bit." 'Hell All Over Again' "The trailer alone leaves me feeling funny," wrote Ilya Gubin. "I'm afraid I won't be able to watch this movie, because I don't want to absorb that hell all over again." Guts said it was emotionally the hardest project he's undertaken. To create a realistic atmosphere redolent of the conditions faced by protesters arrested by the regime of Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has ruled Belarus since 1994 and claimed a landslide victory in the election a year ago, Guts says he "morally humiliated" his actors in various ways to elicit anger and emotion. "After every take, all the actors, [camera] operators, the producer and the director, everyone hugged," he said. "Because without affection and intimacy it was hard to endure." Guts said he decided to make the film almost as soon as the protests began following the election. He said he learned that a friend of his had been raped by police officers, and that another friend was arrested while he was walking to a fruit market with his son. "All of this built up inside of me and I immediately decided that I would make a film whatever happens," he said. "I'm not a politician, revolutionary, or journalist. I'm a filmmaker, and that's all I can do to help my friends in Belarus." He said that, despite the report of Russia's decision to ban the film, he will be applying for a distribution license from the country's Culture Ministry, and has at least one distributor lined up and willing to show the film if the license is granted. "The film's not yet ready, no one's yet seen it, the sound is still being edited," he said. "But they've already banned it." Macedonian firefighters, supported by their Austrian, Bulgarian, and Slovenian colleagues, battled a wildfire near the town of Berova in the east of North Macedonia on August 6. Wildfires have been raging for several days in the country, particularly in the east, destroying more than 3,000 hectares of land and forcing the government to declare a 30-day state of emergency. In an exclusive interview with RFE/RLs Belarus Service, U.S. Ambassador Julie Fisher stressed that the United States continues to call for an "inclusive dialogue" inside Belarus that leads to a new election under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) after the unconditional release of all political prisoners. Fisher was sworn in in December 2020 as the first U.S. envoy to Belarus since 2008, but because of the leadership dispute in Belarus, she has not taken up her post in Minsk. She said the vote count in the August 9, 2020, election in which Alyaksandr Lukashenka claimed to have won a landslide sixth presidential term remains unknown and called the democratic movement born out of that event momentous. She said Washington will continue to look for additional tools of pressure as they are the most effective way to make an impression on the regime in Minsk. Wildfires that have plagued southeastern Europe for days were partially extinguished on August 7, while conflagrations in Siberia endangered several villages and prompted authorities to evacuate some residents. North Macedonia and neighboring Balkan countries have been ravaged by fires that have been raging this week, particularly in the east of the country, destroying more than 3,000 hectares. Aid convoys dispatched from Austria reached North Macedonia on August 6, a day after the government declared a state of emergency. Serbia, Bulgaria, and Slovenia also sent assistance. Large fires also burned in neighboring Kosovo and across the border in Albania, where fire crews managed to bring most of the blazes under control. Large areas of the so-called Accursed Mountains -- also known as the Albanian Alps -- have been scorched by wildfires in western Kosovo near the border with Albania. At least one person is known to have died trying to save livestock on his farm. Kosovar armed forces were called in to help local firefighters and NATO forces provided helicopters to drop water from the air. The fires in northern Russia have been burning for weeks, forcing the evacuation on August 7 of a dozen villages. Ninety-three forest fires burned across 1.1 million hectares of Sakha-Yakutia in northeastern Siberia, officials said, making it the worst affected region of Russia. Smoke from the fires covered the Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk regions. The Ministry of Emergency Situations said there is smoke and a burning smell in almost 400 settlements in the Krasnoyarsk territory and in 17 districts. About 10 flights were delayed at the Krasnoyarsk airport and one flight was canceled. A fire engulfed dozens of houses in the village of Byas-Kuel, and all residents were evacuated, according to the local task force dealing with the emergency. Local government leader Andrei Tarasenko said 12 settlements were currently under threat as high winds exacerbated the danger. Elsewhere, heavy rains brought some respite to Turkey, where fires this week killed eight people and led to evacuations. But in neighboring Greece, hundreds of firefighters continued to fight wildfires that destroyed a record amount of woodland and left hundreds of families homeless. In what one local official described as "a biblical catastrophe," more than 100 blazes have broken out in Greece as the country copes with strong winds and a heatwave. The fire service said more than 1,450 Greek firefighters were battling the fires, and reinforcements arrived from other countries, including France, Ukraine, Cyprus, Croatia, Sweden, Israel, Romania, and Switzerland. One volunteer firefighter has died and at least 20 people have been treated in hospitals. Fires in neighboring Turkey along the southern coast have been described as the worst in decades. The top Turkish forestry official said 217 fires had been brought under control since July 28 in over half of the countrys provinces. Greek and European officials have blamed climate change for the large number of fires. With reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa, and RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities To those wondering who deserves the credit for the interior of The Prime Smokehouse: Barbecue & Beyond being so distinct in appearance, th 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. Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. 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. FUJAIRAH, United Arab Emirates (AP) The British navy warned of a potential hijack of a ship off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday, though the circumstances remained unclear. The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the West over Tehran's tattered nuclear deal with world powers and as commercial shipping in the region has found itself caught in the crosshairs. Most recently, the U.S., the U.K. and Israel have blamed Iran for a drone attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman that killed two people. Iran has denied involvement. The British militarys United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations initially warned ships Tuesday that an incident is currently underway" off the coast of Fujairah. Hours later, the authorities said the incident was a potential hijack," but provided no further details. Shipping authority Lloyds List and maritime intelligence firm Dryad Global both identified the vessel involved in the incident as Panama-flagged asphalt tanker Asphalt Princess. The vessel's owner, listed as Emirati free zone-based Glory International, could not immediately be reached for comment late Tuesday. Satellite-tracking data for the vessel showed it slowly heading toward Iranian waters off the port of Jask early Wednesday, according to MarineTraffic.com. The U.S. militarys Mideast-based 5th Fleet and the British Defense Ministry also did not immediately return calls for comment. The Emirati government did not immediately acknowledge the incident. Earlier, six oil tankers announced around the same time via their Automatic Identification System trackers that they were not under command, according to MarineTraffic.com. That typically means a vessel has lost power and can no longer steer. At the same time, if they are in the same vicinity and in the same place, then very rarely that happens, said Ranjith Raja, an oil and shipping expert with data firm Refintiv. Not all the vessels would lose their engines or their capability to steer at the same time." One of the vessels later began moving. An Oman Royal Air Force Airbus C-295MPA, a maritime patrol aircraft, flew in circles for hours over the waters, according to data from FlightRadar24.com. Apparently responding to the incident, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh called the recent maritime attacks in the Persian Gulf completely suspicious. He denied that Iran was involved. "Irans naval forces are ready for help and rescue in the region, Khatibzadeh said. From Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters it was too early for us to offer a judgement just yet about the events unfolding in the Gulf of Oman. But citing the recent assault on an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire that killed two crew members in nearby waters, Price said, We have seen a very disturbing pattern of belligerence from Iran, including belligerence in the maritime domain. The West has blamed Iran for launching the drone strike last week on the oil tanker off the coast of Oman, which marked the first known attack to have killed civilians in the yearslong shadow war targeting commercial vessels in the region. Iran denied playing any role, though Tehran and its allied militias have used similar suicide drones in past attacks. Israel, the United States and United Kingdom have vowed an unspecified collective response to the attack. The Gulf of Oman is near the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil passes. Fujairah, on the UAEs eastern coast, is a main port in the region for ships to take on new oil cargo, pick up supplies or trade out crew. For the past two years, the waters off Fujairah have seen a series of explosions and hijackings. The U.S. Navy blamed Iran for a series of limpet mine attacks on vessels that damaged tankers. In July 2019, Iran seized the British-flagged Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz as it was headed from the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas to Dubai. The raid came after authorities in Gibraltar, a British overseas territory, seized an Iranian supertanker carrying $130 million in crude oil on suspicion it was breaking European Union sanctions by taking the oil to Syria. Both vessels were later released. Last year, an oil tanker sought by the U.S. over allegedly circumventing sanctions on Iran was hijacked off the Emirati coast in July, following months of tensions between Iran and the U.S. The vessel and its crew ended up in Iran, though Tehran never acknowledged the incident. And in January, armed Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops stormed a South Korean tanker and forced the ship to change course and travel to Iran. While Iran insisted it stopped the ship for polluting, it came as Tehran sought to increase its leverage over Seoul ahead of negotiations over billions of dollars in Iranian assets frozen in South Korean banks. ___ DeBre reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Follow Isabel DeBre and Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/isabeldebre and www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP. WASHINGTON (AP) Despite a rocky week of fits and starts, President Joe Biden on Friday praised the Senate for edging the bipartisan infrastructure plan closer to passage, ahead of a key vote on the $1 trillion package. As Biden spoke from the White House, he compared the historic investment to building the transcontinental railroad or the interstate highway system lofty themes he has touched on before as he nudges Congress along. The public works projects being unleashed will be powered by good-paying, blue-collar jobs, he said. The presidents note of encouragement offers a reset for lawmakers after frustrations mounted and tempers flared overnight as the Senate stalled out, unable to expedite the package to completion. Senators will be back for another weekend session. Its a bill that would end years of gridlock in Washington and create millions of good-paying jobs, put America on a new path to win the race for the economy in the 21st century, Biden said. The public works expenditure will enable us not only to build back but to build back better than before the economic crisis hit, he said. Its nearing decision time for Congress, and particularly the Senate, to make gains on the presidents infrastructure priorities first with the bipartisan bill thats on track for passage as soon as this weekend, and quickly followed by Democrats more sweeping $3.5 trillion budget blueprint they plan to shoulder on their own. Senators had hoped to wrap up the bipartisan bill late Thursday, before many of them departed to attend funeral services Friday in Wyoming for a colleague, the former Republican Sen. Mike Enzi. But the Senate ground to a halt with new problems as senators worked late into the night on amendments and to counter objections from Republican opponents of the plan to expedite the process. A procedural vote was set for Saturday. Weve worked long, hard and collaboratively to finish this important bipartisan bill. said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., just before midnight. In announcing Saturdays schedule, he said, We very much want to finish. Called the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the thick bill is a first part of Bidens infrastructure agenda and would inject billions of new spending on roads, bridges, waterworks, broadband and other projects to virtually every corner of the nation. If approved by the Senate, it would next go to the House. The late-night session stalled out as new debates emerged over proposed amendments to change the 2,700-page package. Senators have processed nearly two dozen amendments so far, and none has substantially changed the framework of the public works package. With more than a dozen amendments still to go, senators struggled to reach agreements. A much anticipated analysis of the bill from the Congressional Budget Office also drew concerns, particularly from Republicans. It concluded that the legislation would increase deficits by about $256 billion over the next decade, though the bills backers argued that the budget office was unable to take into account certain revenue streams including from future economic growth. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., an ally of Donald Trump's and the former presidents ambassador to Japan, said he objected to expediting consideration of the bill because of the high price tag. I could not, in good conscience, allow that to happen, Hagerty said in a statement early Friday. He said he was especially concerned that passing the bipartisan bill would pave the way for Democrats to move quickly to their $3.5 trillion tax-and-spend spree. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., encouraged the senators on but also reiterated that her chamber will consider the infrastructure bills together. Whatever you can achieve in a bipartisan way, bravo, she said at a Capitol press conference. Were going to do this when we can do it all. One of the amendments generating the most attention Thursday involved cryptocurrency. The bill would raise an estimated $28 billion over 10 years by updating IRS reporting requirements for cryptocurrency brokers, just as stockbrokers report their customers sales to the IRS. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and others who wanted to narrow the definition of who must file those IRS forms are concerned that crypto miners, software developers and others would be subject to the new reporting requirement. Toomey warned that the provision, as written, could have a chilling effect on the development of this technology, and thats what I am most concerned about. The White House weighed in late, suggesting it favored a different approach from Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and other senators. White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said the compromise amendment would reduce tax evasion in the cryptocurrency market. Overall, the infrastructure bill calls for $550 billion in new spending over five years above projected federal levels for a nearly $1 trillion package, in what could be one of the more substantial investments in the nations roads, bridges, waterworks, broadband and the electric grid in years. If senators wrap up work on the bipartisan bill, they will turn to the much more partisan undertaking on Bidens agenda: a $3.5 trillion proposal for what the White House calls human infrastructure child care support, home health care, education and other expenditures that are Democratic priorities that Republicans have pledged to reject. Debate will extend into the fall. Schumer wants the Senate to pass both the bipartisan package and a budget blueprint for the bigger proposal before senators depart for an August recess. ___ Associated Press writer Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this report. SEATTLE (AP) Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz on Friday fired two police officers who authorities have said violated the law while attending events in Washington D.C. during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Married officers Caitlin and Alexander Everett were fired because they crossed the outdoor barriers established by the Capitol Police and were directly next to the Capitol Building, Diaz said in a statement. It is beyond absurd to suggest that they did not know they were in an area where they should not be, amidst what was already a violent, criminal riot," he said. Diaz also called the officers' presence at the Capitol that day as "an attack on our profession and on every officer across the country. Mike Solan, president of the Seattle Police union that represents officers, did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment about the decision to fire them. The officers, in a report released by Seattle's Office of Police Accountability, said they stayed on grass 30 to 50 yards (27 to 45 meters) away from the capitol building and never saw any signs of a disturbance. Its not known if the officers are under criminal investigation by federal authorities for their actions. The Everetts were among six Seattle officers in the nations capital for President Donald Trumps Stop the Steal rally. The couple's trip became public after Caitlin Everett posted a photo on Facebook of her and Alexander Everett at the demonstration. Four other officers later admitted they were also there but said they were not involved in the riot. Friday marked the first time that the Everetts have been named. The police department has not named the other four officers. The Washington Supreme Court announced Thursday that it would hear a lawsuit filed by the officers against people who filed public records requests seeking to disclose their identities. Last month's investigation by Seattle's Office of Police Accountability found that the Everetts violated the law by trespassing at the U.S. Capitol while rioters stormed the building. The police discipline report stated that they also lied about their activities. Despite the Everetts' claim that they didn't see a disturbance, FBI photographs showed them directly next to the Capitol building at about 2:30 p.m. about 30 minutes after the demonstration had been declared a riot, the police accountability report said. The officers told investigators that they had no idea that the event had turned violent, the report said. But nearby, and within your line of vision, numerous people were scaling a stone wall to the Capital steps, climbing the scaffolding, and crowds were surrounding the building, the report added. Diaz said the Everetts' presence there was unacceptable: More than a hundred officers sustained serious injuries some career-ending through outright assault, He added: Hundreds more, across all agencies called to respond, bear the physical and emotional scars of that day. The participation of these two officers in that crowd is a stain on our department, and on the men and women who work every day to protect our community, serve those in need, and do so with compassion and dignity. Both officers came to Seattle after working with police departments in Texas. The officers worked together at the Dallas Police Department as patrol officers before they were married, according to police reports released through a public records request. Alexander Everett graduated from the University of North Texas with a Bachelor's Degree in criminal justice in 2008 and worked in Dallas for four years before taking a job as an officer in Round Rock, Texas. Caitlin Everett worked for the Dallas police for four years under her maiden name Caitlin Rochelle, the records said. It was not immediately know if the Everetts have a lawyer. The attorneys representing them and the four other Seattle officers in the public records case withdrew from the case after the accountability office investigation was completed last month. _____ This story has been updated to remove an erroneous reference to Alexander Everett having worked for the U.S. Air Marshals. _____ Associated Press writer Jake Bleiberg in Dallas contributed to this report. ____ Follow Martha Bellisle on Twitter @marthabellisle TOKYO (AP) Japanese police said Saturday they arrested a man who stabbed 10 passengers on a commuter train in Tokyo hours earlier, in what Japanese media reported to be a random burst of violence unrelated to the ongoing Olympic Games. The 36-year-old man told police he wanted to kill women who appeared happy, and chose his targets at random, public broadcaster NHK said. The initial victim, a woman in her 20s, was in serious condition, according to NHK and other Japanese media. Police identified the attacker as Yusuke Tsushima. The Tokyo Fire Department said nine of the 10 injured passengers were taken to nearby hospitals, while the 10th was able to walk away. All of the injured were conscious, fire department officials said. The Japanese capital is currently hosting the Olympics, which end Sunday. The site of the stabbing spree was about 15 kilometers (9 miles) away from the main National Stadium. The man dropped his knife after the handle broke and fled, and later walked into a convenience store and identified himself as the suspect on the news, and said he was tired of running away, according to Japanese media. The store manager called police after seeing bloodstains on the mans shirt. TBS television said Tsushima told police he developed the intent to kill women who looked happy, and stabbed a woman who happened to be seated near him in the carriage. He also told police that he chose to stage the attack inside a train because it offered the chance to kill a large number of people. The suspect, who boarded the train with the knife, scissors, cooking oil and a lighter, moved to other carriages after stabbing the first woman. In one car, he poured cooking oil on the floor and tried to set it on fire, Kyodo News agency reported, quoting police. He intentionally chose an express train that makes fewer stops, having passengers stay on board longer, the report said. The man also told police he initially planned to attack a female shop employee who reported him shoplifting to police earlier in the day, but realizing it was past closing time, he decided to carry out attacks on the train, TBS reported. A witness at a nearby station where the train stopped said passengers were rushing out of the carriages, shouting that there was a stabbing and asking for first aid. Another witness told NHK that he saw passengers smeared with blood come out of the train, as an announcer asked for doctors and for passengers carrying towels. The stabbing occurred near Seijogakuen station, according to railway operator Odakyu Electric Railway Co. While shooting deaths are rare in Japan, the country has had a series of high-profile killings with knives in recent years. In 2019, a man carrying two knives attacked a group of schoolgirls waiting at a bus stop just outside Tokyo, killing two people and injuring 17 before killing himself. In 2018, a man killed a passenger and injuring two others in a knife attack on a bullet train. In 2016, a former employee at a home for the disabled allegedly killed 19 people and injured more than 20. ___ Follow Mari Yamaguchi on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchi PARIS (AP) Chahinez Daoud was 31 years old in May when her former husband shot and burned her alive in the town of Merignac, near Bordeaux. Two months earlier, she had filed a complaint for domestic violence, but it was mishandled and no action was taken. She was among scores of women killed annually by a partner in France 102 last year. The police officer who took her complaint had himself been allegedly convicted of habitually beating his wife, according to a newspaper investigative report. This has spurred calls for action over the long-taboo subject of domestic violence by some French officers. Yet despite a new official push to tackle domestic abuse, such violence by law enforcement remains unaddressed. Victims and lawyers are pushing for solutions such as training and independent internal police investigations. There were many human failings leading to my client not being protected, Solene Roquain-Bardet, Daouds lawyer, told The Associated Press. This latest news is astounding. Daouds ex-husband had been in prison for domestic violence against her until December 2020. After his release, he attacked her again, and in March this year, she filed another complaint at the Merignac police station. But the police officers filing was illegible and never got properly forwarded to court authorities, according to a state review of how the case was handled. State inspectors wrote that there are serious doubts regarding the care with which the danger evaluation documents were completed. One key fact missing from the state inspection document: The officer who took her complaint had himself allegedly been found guilty in February 2021 of habitual violence against his ex-wife, the Canard Enchaine, a reliable, well-sourced weekly, reported last month. He received a suspended 8-month prison sentence and was in disciplinary proceedings when he took Daouds complaint. Only after her killing was he moved out of a public-facing job, according to Canard Enchaine. For Daouds lawyer, theres a leniency by the hierarchy which tells itself that, in the end, taking complaints is not that big a deal. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin this month made fighting domestic abuse a top priority. Regarding the officer who took Daoud's complaint, he told the daily Le Parisien that "his superiors should not have allowed him to be in contact with the public. In another layer of dysfunction, the officers conviction was not disclosed to state inspectors reviewing the events leading to Daouds death. Darmanin said the IGPN police oversight agency was investigating whether there was an intentional attempt to hide that. If so, he said, sanctions will be taken. Police stations in the region where Daoud was killed declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation, or to say whether other complaints the officer took were under review. TheFrench Interior Ministry and the Ministry for Equality Between Women and Men did not respond to requests by The Associated Press for comment. There are no known studies in France on the issue of intimate partner violence involving police, though the problem within law enforcement in France and elsewhere is not new. A 1991 U.S. study by Arizona State University professor Leanor Boulin Johnson found that 40% of a sample of 900,000 officers admitted to having committed domestic violence within the previous six months. British TV network Channel 4 released in May its own investigation on domestic violence by British police, saying more than 125 women reported their officer partners in the last two years. It cited a Freedom of Information request by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism that found that from 2015 to 2018 there were almost 700 reports of domestic violence involving police officers and staff in Britain. In France, Sophie Boutboul and Alize Bernard, a journalist and former victim of domestic abuse by a police officer, co-wrote a 2019 book on the subject. Bernards ex-partner received a suspended 6-month prison sentence for inflicting violence over two years, but the judge decided to keep the information off his disciplinary records. I took it as preferential treatment, Bernard told the AP. The officer continued to train police for arrests and self-defense and kept his service revolver. And he worked near Bernard's home. When driving, she would plan detours to avoid his patrol area. I was scared, scared of stumbling into him patrolling, scared of being arrested, scared of what could happen, she said. When I crossed (his patrol area) I was always with someone with a phone ready to record. You cant live like that. Journalist Boutboul found a pattern in women victims of police domestic violence. The fear will often be exacerbated by specific threats, Boutboul said, things like Im the law, The complaint will come to my desk, I know the prosecutor. The lack of statistics pushed feminist organizations to petition the government to organize a national count of violence by police. More than 20,000 people have signed on in the past two weeks. The online magazine Bastamag, which specializes in social and ecology issues and keeps a record of police-related deaths, said that since 1990 about 40 people, mostly women and children, were fatally shot by a partner or parent in the police. Most killings happened off duty, with the officer using his service weapon. In 12 cases, the officers also killed themselves, according to Bastamag. In 2017, Frances national hotline for domestic violence counted 93 calls from partners of police officers out of 1,328 calls, the latest figures available. The small police union SUD Interieur is a rare voice within French law enforcement to speak about the issue. It has called for an independent authority to investigate police actions, replacing the internal General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) that now oversees alleged misconduct. We cant ask that the police control the police," a union official said, reiterating what critics have long contended: That police officers are often sympathetic to members of their ranks, a tendency that can influence investigations. He asked not to be identified for fear of retribution. Boutboul questions why officers found guilty of a crime can remain on the job. Why arent there automatic procedures when theres a complaint for violence against police? Boutboul asked. The officer who took Chahinez Daouds complaint in March was only removed from that position after her death. He shouldnt be taking complaints. He's in front of women victims of violence like he himself perpetrated, Boutboul said. Its a vicious circle. BEIRUT (AP) The leader of the militant Hezbollah group said Saturday his group will retaliate against any future Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon, a day after his supporters fired a barrage of rockets toward Israel. Hassan Nasrallah said it would be wrong to assume Hezbollah would be constrained by internal divisions in Lebanon, or the countrys harsh economic crisis. Nasrallahs comments came a day after his group fired rockets toward Israel, calling it retaliation for Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon a day earlier. Thursdays airstrikes the first in years were in response to mysterious rockets that were fired from Lebanon toward Israel on Wednesday. Fridays rocket fire was the third day of attacks along the volatile border with Lebanon, a major Middle East flashpoint where tensions between Israel and Iran, which backs Hezbollah, occasionally play out. Any airstrike by Israels airforce on Lebanon will be retaliated in a suitable way because we want to protect our country, Nasrallah said in a televised speech marking the 15th anniversary of the end of the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. Israel and Hezbollah are archenemies and have fought several wars in the past, the last of which ended in August 2006. The 34-day conflict ended with a draw that left 1,200 dead in Lebanon. mostly civilians, and 160 dead Israelis, mostly soldiers. Dont miscalculate by saying that Hezbollah is busy with Lebanons problems, Nasrallah said, adding that the firing of rockets was a clear message. He added that Hezbollah had fired 20 rockets toward open fields only, because the Israeli airstrikes on Thursday had themselves hit open fields. Lebanon is passing through its worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history, which the World Bank describes as among the worst the world has witnessed since the mid 1800s. Israel estimates Hezbollah possesses over 130,000 rockets and missiles capable of striking anywhere in the country. In recent years, Israel also has expressed concerns that the group is trying to import or develop an arsenal of precision-guided missiles. We always used to say that we are not looking for war and we dont want war but we are ready for it, Nasrallah said. Nasrallah in his speech harshly criticized the judge leading the investigation into last years massive blast in Beiruts port that killed and wounded many people. Nasrallah said the work of judge Tarek Bitar is politicized. Nasrallah asked why Bitar filed charges against outgoing Prime Minister Hassan Diab, but not the premiers who preceded him. LAS VEGAS (AP) A Nevada Highway Patrol trooper who died in the line of duty last week was remembered Friday as a soft-spoken family man with a warrior spirit growing up in rural Massachusetts and living since 2008 in the Las Vegas area. The good deeds of good officers will always be remembered, as they should be, NHP Col. Anne Carpenter told hundreds of people, many in law enforcement uniforms, who filled an arena-sized church in suburban Henderson to remember Trooper Micah David May. May had an impeccable work ethic, Carpenter said. He specialized in identifying and arresting impaired drivers and won a Medal of Valor in 2014 for a New Year's Eve pursuit similar to one that took his life. Micah was a true silent guardian, with a warrior spirit, said Mays best friend, retired NHP Sgt. Russell Marco. He loved (his wife) Joanna dearly, and his children Raylan and Melody were his world. He appreciated recognition for his accomplishments but was uncomfortable receiving it, Marco added. May, 46, a 13-year NHP veteran, died July 29 from injuries he received two days earlier trying to deploy a tire-flattening device during a vehicle chase led by a carjacking suspect on busy Interstate 15 in Las Vegas. The car that struck May was then disabled by crashes from NHP vehicles, and the driver was shot and killed by law enforcement officers. The service, with full honors for a line-of-duty death, was livestreamed by the Nevada Department of Public Safety and local television stations. May was posthumously awarded another Medal of Valor and a Purple Heart. Carpenter, the highway patrol commander, noted that four people received his donated organs when he died. Mays brothers, Paul May and Seth May, remembered growing up in Greenfield, Massachusetts splashing in streams, climbing trees, jumping from the roof into snowdrifts and once when their 17-year-old older brother, who didnt have a drivers license, crashed the family car off a dirt road into a ditch near the Vermont state line. Seth May, who was 8 or 9 at the time, said he walked home and never told their parents until this week that he had also been along for the ride. Paul May said their boyhood image of heaven was of people looking down on the living from beyond the clouds. Both Paul May and Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman invoked images of rainbows around Micah May. Surely he is a hero, the mayor said said of Micah May, a role model, an idol and a champion ... who chose to be a selfless caretaker of others in law enforcement and as a first-responder. A 90-minute procession of emergency vehicles escorted Mays white hearse from downtown Las Vegas to Central Christian Church passing the spot on the interstate where he was struck and moving down Las Vegas Boulevard, where onlookers jammed pedestrian bridges. Casino marquees and T-Mobile Arena displayed memorial messages with Mays photo and badge number. The Dodge Charger patrol car that he drove, decorated now with handwritten messages, was parked outside the church where his flag-draped coffin was carried inside. Another procession led mourners from the church to his burial at a Las Vegas cemetery near McCarran International Airport. May was the 10th Nevada Highway Patrol trooper or state police officer killed in the line of duty since 1911, and the first since patrol Sgt. Ben Jenkins was shot and killed by a motorist he stopped to help on a remote state highway in March 2020. Jenkins' assailant recently pleaded guilty but mentally ill and faces life in prison without the possibility of parole at a sentencing hearing in September. ____ This story has been corrected to show that May was the 10th trooper or state police officer killed in the line of duty since 1911, not 1941. Seattle is in for another spell of hot weather. A strong upper ridge will bring dry weather to the region next week, the National Weather Service in Seattle wrote in its Friday forecast discussion. Temperatures will warm with record highs possible Thursday and Friday of next week. Mary Butwin, a meteorologist in the weather services Seattle office, said temperatures are expected to climb into the upper 80s Wednesday and then remain in the low to mid 90s on Thursday and Friday. Butwin said its possible that the area will see triple-digit temperatures, but stopped short of calling it a certainty. In June, the Pacific Northwest was ravaged by a heat wave that killed nearly 100 people. On June 28, Seattle broke a record for the highest temperature ever recorded by the National Weather Service here: 108 degrees. The previous high of 105 degrees had been set in July 2009. Keene, NH (03431) Today Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. The pattern has played out repeatedly: A devastating wildfire. Neighborhoods reduced to charred rubble. The likely culprit a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. power line. PG&E equipment caused major fires in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Now the company may be at fault for the Dixie Fire, the most severe blaze to ravage drought-plagued California so far this year and second-largest wildfire in state history. Company leaders have said repeatedly that theyre trying to make their electric system safer and more resilient to a hotter, drier California, one where a single spark is much more dangerous because of climate change. After revealing that it may be responsible for the Dixie Fire, PG&E quickly announced a plan to bury 10,000 miles of power lines perhaps its most intense fire-prevention effort yet. But putting many more lines underground wont be easy or inexpensive. It will also take years to achieve. Meanwhile, as California deals with unrelentingly severe wildfire conditions, PG&Es critics and many of the 16 million people it serves wonder: When will Northern California finally get a break from menacing fires sparked by the utilitys power lines? When, if ever, will the companys dismal safety record turn around? PG&Es pattern of conduct raises serious questions about whether they are willing to learn from their mistakes and change their ways, said Catherine Sandoval, a former regulator at the California Public Utilities Commission. She now represents concerned PG&E customers advocating for changes before the federal judge who oversees the companys probation for a deadly gas line explosion in 2010. While the cause of the Dixie Fire is still under investigation, PG&E has said one of its employees found blown fuses and what appeared to be a healthy, 70-foot-tall green tree lying on a power line near the fires origin point. The company has also said it found a tree on another line near the ignition site of the Fly Fire, a smaller blaze that merged with the Dixie Fire, which started on July 14. On Friday evening, a federal judge overseeing PG&Es probation for felony convictions tied to the deadly 2010 San Bruno gas pipeline explosion ordered the utility to explain its role in igniting the Fly Fire. U.S. District Judge William Alsup said the response should also include drone images of the tree that may have started the Dixie Fire and to identify each blaze PG&E is suspected of starting this wildfire season. PG&Es responses, Alsup said, will not be deemed as an admission by PG&E that it caused any fire, but they will serve as a starting point for discussion. The responses are due back to court by Aug. 16. The Dixie Fire has devastated a large swath of the northern Sierra Nevada near Lake Almanor. The fire flattened much of the historic Gold Rush town of Greenville and forced thousands of people to flee. Sandoval said PG&E should have acted faster to prevent the Dixie Fire from getting out of hand, noting that it took several hours for the company to discover flames spreading at the scene. Its frustrating to Sandoval, because PG&E has a well-known history of trees falling on its lines and setting off sparks with devastating consequences. They just dont learn from their mistakes, and then they also tend to cling to really old ways of doing things, Sandoval said. Paul Chinn/The Chronicle 2019 The poles and wires in the area where the Dixie Fire began were inspected in detail in May, according to company spokesperson James Noonan. Inspectors did not find any equipment in need of repair, he said in an email. PG&E also ordered a tree-trimming inspection of the line in question in January, and that did not find any trees that needed work, Noonan said. The next vegetation management patrol of the area was supposed to happen next month. PG&E recently announced several steps to reduce the risk of power-line ignitions as the statewide drought deepens and fire season approaches its most dangerous period. The company said it will try to fix any fault or outage on power lines in high-fire threat areas within 60 minutes. In the same areas, PG&E is also increasing the sensitivity of fault-sensing devices and undertaking extra patrols of power lines in areas most affected by the drought. We are taking steps every day to improve the safety and reliability of our electric system, Noonan said. By far the companys most ambitious project, however, is its newly launched power-line-burying effort. While details remain scarce, executives have said theyll focus first on areas with a large concentration of trees that could fall on distribution lines, the main wires that transport power around its vast service area. Michael Wara, director of the climate and energy policy program at Stanford University, said he had a lot of questions about how the undergrounding program would play out. He wondered, for example, how the company would account for long-term investments in above-ground lines that were supposed to be paid for over time. He also wondered whether it might make more sense for PG&E to continue its reliance on shutting off power during high winds while ensuring that affected customers have enough backup batteries and solar panels to keep the lights on. The proof will be in the pudding, Wara said. We need to see way more information. Noonan, the PG&E spokesperson, said the company will leverage customer and public funding to pursue undergrounding, as the benefits for customers for the long run are clear. He said buried power lines would improve safety, require PG&E to spend less on tree-trimming and lead to fewer fire-prevention power shutoffs. Over time, we have the potential to trade ongoing and recurring vegetation management expenses for this capital investment and minimize customer rate changes, Noonan said. While PG&E presses ahead with its years-long undergrounding program, the Dixie Fire may have more immediate legal repercussions for the company, as Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey investigates whether criminal charges are warranted. If he decides they are, it wont be the first time Ramsey has sought to hold PG&E criminally responsible for harming public safety. Just last year, Ramsey got PG&E to plead guilty to 85 felony counts 84 for involuntary manslaughter and one for unlawfully starting a fire stemming from the 2018 Camp Fire, which virtually destroyed the town of Paradise. It was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire California has ever seen. It was also just a little bit west of the Dixie Fire. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle 2018 But the Dixie Fire isnt the only possible legal problem PG&E has to worry about. Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett has said she will pursue criminal charges against PG&E over the Zogg Fire, which killed four people and destroyed more than 200 buildings outside Redding last year. California investigators concluded the fire started after a pine tree hit a PG&E power line. Also, Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch has already filed criminal charges against PG&E over the 2019 Kincade Fire, which destroyed 374 structures and forced many thousands of people to evacuate. The fire was started by a broken cable on a PG&E transmission tower in the hills outside Geyserville, according to state officials. PG&E is still on probation for felony convictions that arose from the 2010 San Bruno gas pipeline explosion, which killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes. The probation, overseen by Alsup, ends in January. After that, the company will be overseen by a new, independent safety monitor who the California Public Utilities Commission says will be functionally equivalent to the court-appointed federal monitor who currently reports to Alsup. The agency is expected to select the safety monitor, who will serve a five-year term, before PG&Es probation ends. Utilities commission leaders have also forced PG&E to submit to more state oversight because of its failure to adequately trim trees around its highest-risk power lines in 2020. The company was placed into the first of a six-step process of escalating regulatory enforcement that was created as a condition of its exit from bankruptcy last summer. Commission spokesperson Terrie Prosper could not say how PG&Es placement in that enforcement process might be affected if the agency finds that the company violated state utility regulations in the Dixie and Fly fires. But if the agency finds PG&E did run afoul of state regulations, the company could be fined up to $100,000 per day, per violation, Prosper said. J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris Note: This story contains detailed allegations of sexual assault that may be upsetting to readers and survivors of sexual violence. Jon Jacobo, a rising political star in San Francisco and an influential affordable housing advocate, resigned from his building inspection commission seat late Friday and took a leave of absence from his nonprofit work after a woman, in a tweet and an extensive online post, accused him of raping her. Sasha Perigo, a 26-year-old tenant rights advocate, said she had visited Jacobo at his apartment in the Mission District one evening in early April when he forcibly groped and kissed her that night and raped her the next morning. Perigo said she told Jacobo no dozens of times during both encounters, and tried to push him off her and block his advances, but that he repeatedly ignored her pleas and persisted. Resources Bay Area Women Against Rape: An Oakland agency offering free services, peer counseling, training and advocacy for over 40 years: (510) 845-7273 The National Sexual Assault Hotline is 24/7, confidential and free: (800) 656-4673 and through chat Verity: Sonoma County's Rape Crisis, Trauma and Healing Center. Rape crisis intervention hot line: (707) 545-7273 See More Collapse In a series of tweets Friday night, Jacobo, 32, said, My memory of these events is different than her memory. I believed then, as I do now, that our relationship was completely consensual. He wrote that every woman needs to be heard and that he is deeply saddened by the deep pain being experienced by Sasha Perigo, which she says I caused. Jacobo did not respond to requests seeking comment other than to refer reporters to his tweets. In the hours and days after the alleged incident, Perigo said she began telling her friends and family that Jacobo had sexually assaulted her and went to San Francisco General Hospital to have a forensic exam conducted as part of a rape evidence kit. Perigo said she didnt file a police report because of her fundamental distrust of law enforcement and her previous friendship with Jacobo. But she said that when a friend told her in June about an unsettling experience with Jacobo, she felt compelled to detail her account publicly. I chose to come forward to protect other women from being victimized, Perigo said in an interview with The Chronicle. And to lift the weight of bearing this secret off of my shoulders. A hospital spokesperson declined to comment on the case, citing patient privacy laws. A spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department also would not comment beyond acknowledging that the Special Victims Unit is aware of the social media posting and is looking into the matter. Due to the sensitive nature of the allegation, we cannot comment further. Jacobos response on Twitter included an announcement that he was resigning his position on the Building Inspection Commission and that he was taking a leave of absence from work. A Mission District native, Jacobo is a policy director with the South of Market nonprofit Tenants and Owners Development Corp., known as TODCO. Last year, he worked as a press secretary in the Latino community for Sen. Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, and rose to greater prominence as the chair of the health committee on the San Francisco Latino Task Force, helping to lead coronavirus testing efforts in the Mission and drawing attention to racial disparities in infections and aid. He said he was stepping away from his work for the sake of the community, which I owe so much, and to avoid distraction from the important work of addressing and preventing the spread of COVID-19 which has been my mission this past year. His response came as the allegations spread quickly through the tight-knit affordable housing advocacy community and City Hall, where Jacobo had been widely expected to run for a Board of Supervisor seat in 2024, when District Nine Supervisor Hillary Ronen is termed out. My thoughts go out to the victim for her courage and bravery for speaking out on this awful situation that no one should ever experience, District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton, the board president, tweeted before Jacobos resignation. These are very serious allegations against a City Commissioner. My office is conferring with the City Attorney on legal options. The Chronicle interviewed Perigo on Friday and spoke to three friends whom Perigo told about the alleged assault in the ensuing hours and days. Reporters also reviewed contemporaneous journal entries in which Perigo described the alleged assault and her efforts to work through the emotional trauma it had caused, as well as text messages between Perigo and Jacobo and Perigo and her friends and other documentation that was consistent with her account. Perigo publicly posted portions of these documents, including a part of her discharge paperwork from the hospital after the sexual assault exam and a letter from the Police Departments Special Victims Unit, in a Google Doc she shared online Friday titled A Prominent San Francisco Politico Raped Me. He Cant Have Any More Victims. Perigo told The Chronicle she met Jacobo in November 2019 when she was writing a column for the San Francisco Examiner focused on the housing crisis and interviewed TODCO head John Elberling. Perigo, who does communications and organizing for Tenants Together, a statewide tenant rights organization in San Francisco, said she had admired Jacobos reputation in the housing advocacy world. That day, Perigo said, she and Jacobo struck up a conversation about Marin County and how affordable housing could be built on parking lots. Perigo, who grew up in Marin County, was passionate about trying to improve the enormous housing disparities in that area. She said she instantly felt a connection to Jacobo. It was really cool to meet Jon, who I had admired a lot, and to hear him talking about the issues I cared about so much, Perigo said. I looked up to him. Perigo said their initial connection turned into a friendship. The pair had sex in November 2020 once, and sexted off and on for a while afterwards, Perigo wrote in her online post. But Perigo said she broke it off in February, telling Jacobo that she preferred to be platonic friends. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle 2020 Perigo said she had remained friends with Jacobo when, on April 3, he invited her to hang out. Perigo agreed, but she emphasized that she did not want to engage in anything sexual. They decided to meet at Jacobos apartment that night to talk and have some drinks, according to Perigo and a text thread she shared with The Chronicle. (Also I dont think this was your expectation but just to be sure, I started seeing someone so Im not looking to hook up!) Perigo texted Jacobo around 10 p.m. Jacobo hit a heart button in response and texted back, Thanks for the heads up! Thats important and sad news. He followed up with a laughing emoji. An Uber receipt provided to The Chronicle indicates Perigo arrived at Jacobos South Van Ness apartment at 11:51 p.m. She also texted her friend Rebecca Peacock that night before she left, saying she was going to meet up with Jacobo but had established that their relationship was platonic. Perigo said that after she arrived at Jacobos apartment they talked for hours, sharing personal stories, while having a few drinks. At around 4 a.m., Perigo said, she told Jacobo she was going to get an Uber home, but he offered to have her sleep over. Perigo said she agreed to sleep in a bed with Jacobo and told him they could cuddle. But she said she reinforced that she did not want anything sexual to occur. Almost immediately upon lying down, however, Perigo said Jacobo forcibly kissed her and put his hands inside her shirt and pants, groping her breasts and buttocks while she told him no, and that she was uncomfortable. She said she tried to push his hands away from her but that Jacobo persisted for about 45 minutes, ignoring her demands that he stop. She said she was so stunned by what was happening that she remained in the bed. I said no dozens of times, Perigo told The Chronicle. I knew he was assaulting me, dont get me wrong, but I didnt want to rock the boat and I didnt want to think that about him. Perigo said she then brought up her boyfriend and that she didnt want to cheat on him. She said Jacobo finally stopped, but asked whether he could masturbate. Perigo said she told Jacobo no, and that he would have to go into the bathroom or she would leave. She said he didnt and they both fell asleep. In the morning, Perigo said, they woke up around 8:30 a.m. She said Jacobo again started forcibly kissing her and groping her breasts and buttocks as she told him no and tried to push him off her. Perigo said she continued to tell Jacobo no while he pulled her pants off, forced oral sex on her and then raped her. Perigo said she froze in shock. A few minutes in, my emotions caught up with me, and I could no longer deny what was happening, Perigo wrote in her online post. I told him I was uncomfortable and that I wanted to stop. He ignored my request, and proceeded to finish inside of me. At no point had he asked if I wanted to use a condom. Perigo said she went to the bathroom and then came back and lay next to him. I think I was looking for some warmth in that moment because I didnt want it to be this moment where my friend was so vicious to me, Perigo told The Chronicle. But she said Jacobo exclaimed, That was fun! and asked her whether she wanted to go on vacation with him to Cabo San Lucas. Perigo took an Uber back to her apartment at about 10 that morning, according to a receipt she provided The Chronicle. Once at home, she said she fell asleep for several hours. When she woke up, Perigo said she began telling her friends and family about what had happened, as well as writing in a journal. Jon Jacobo raped me this morning, she wrote in a handwritten diary entry dated April 4 that she shared with The Chronicle. I feel completely empty and very, very alone. At around 5 p.m. on April 4, Perigo texted her friend Serena Kamlani: So I took my friend Jon up on an offer to hang out last night to get my mind off things and slept over, making very clear that I was just crashing there and was 0% interested in hooking up because I was seeing someone. He raped me this morning, Perigo wrote in the text thread she shared with The Chronicle, which she partially redacted. Thats disgusting, Kamlani wrote back. What the f. In a separate interview on Saturday afternoon, Kamlani said Perigos text left her reeling. I just felt my stomach drop, Kamlani said. It is the text message you never want to receive from anyone ever, particularly not a close friend. And then it is also that sense of dread of, Not again, not another person, when does this stop. Peacock told The Chronicle that Perigo also told her on April 4 that Jacobo had sexually assaulted her after she went to his apartment to hang out. She described this relentless experience of saying, No, no, no. The things youre trying to do with me, Im not interested in it, Peacock said. She got so overwhelmed with it all. On April 5 at around 3:30 p.m., Perigo texted Jacobo, confronting him about the alleged sexual assault, according to a text thread Perigo posted online and a more extensive version that she shared with The Chronicle. You ignored dozens of nos you literally made eye contact with me and took my pants off AS I WAS TELLING YOU NO Im not sure what you think rape looks like, but it looks like this, she wrote. Reading this hurt deeply, that you even feel this way is heartbreaking, Jacobo texted back, adding that he had tried to call her. Later that day, after consulting with Peacock and other friends, Perigo went to San Francisco General Hospital for a sexual assault examination, allowing medical personnel to take samples to analyze for DNA evidence, according to Perigo, Peacock and discharge paperwork that Perigo provided The Chronicle. Perigo, who is a part-time student at Stanford University finishing a degree in computer science, said she did not file an accompanying police report because her work in advocacy and tenant rights has given her a deep distrust of law enforcement as a path toward justice. She also said she had no interest in enduring a retraumatizing reporting process and a potential legal case. A lot of the work I met Jon through was also anti-police-brutality work, Perigo said. I consider myself an abolitionist and support defunding the police. In the next weeks, Perigo experienced worsening depression and had trouble getting out of bed and going to work or any events where she might encounter Jacobo, according to Perigo, Peacock and Perigos journal entries. Peacock said the change in her friend was noticeable. It really debilitated her, Peacock said. Shes had a difficult time getting out of bed most mornings. Its been really, really hard. I wish I could just snap her out of it. On April 15, Perigo agreed to meet Jacobo in person in Golden Gate Park the next day to discuss the alleged incident, according to text messages she shared with The Chronicle and friends she later told about the meeting. Perigo said another friend accompanied her to the meeting, but Perigo declined to provide the friends identity, saying the friend had requested anonymity. The conversation seemed to go well, Perigo wrote in her online post. He cried his way through it, admitted wrongdoing, and told me hed started therapy. We said our goodbyes and have not talked since. In his tweet on Friday, Jacobo wrote, In April, we attempted a restorative process and I will continue to work to understand why and how she feels I caused her harm. On April 22, a San Francisco police sergeant with the Special Victims Unit wrote a letter to Perigo saying the agency had developed a DNA Profile from the swabs that were collected during her medical examination. The DNA was entered into a national DNA Data Bank and may identify the involved suspect, the sergeant wrote. The sergeant said that as of that date, Perigo had not followed up with an investigator, but referred her to the Special Victims Unit address if she wanted to proceed. At the time, Perigo said, she was still grappling with the emotional trauma from the alleged incident. She said she was regularly going to therapy and unable to go to work. In some ways it feels like Jon ripped apart and dismantled me as a person, Perigo wrote in a journal entry dated April 23. Who am I? How do I relate to the world? Im floating. Then, shortly before her birthday in early June, Perigo said she told a younger friend that Jacobo had raped her. Perigo said the friend relayed that she, too, had a concerning experience with Jacobo. Perigo said she did not ask the woman for more details. Perigo referenced the conversation with the younger friend in her online post. Perigo said she resolved to pull together her allegations about Jacobo and post them online to warn other women. Perigo said she wrote a draft of the public post in June, but was unable to fill out the details of the sexual assault because it was too traumatizing to relive. In early August, Perigo completed the post, and she tweeted it out on Friday at 8:59 a.m. One of the reasons I kept this story to myself for so long is that I didnt want to hurt Jon by coming forward. I cared about him deeply, and Ill forever be heartbroken that someone I once admired could violate me in this way, Perigo wrote. But moving on means accepting that Jon isnt the person I thought he was. I need to free myself from the burden of shielding him from consequences. Cynthia Dizikes and Matthias Gafni are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: cdizikes@sfchronicle.com, matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @cdizikes, @mgafni Once the busy headquarters of the mighty Firemans Fund Insurance Company, the 63-acre property at 777 San Marin Drive in Novato today is a ghost town populated by lizards, dragonflies and geese. Its vast parking lots are pocked with weeds; its employee picnic tables splinter and sag. The basepaths of its baseball diamond are overgrown with tall grasses and strewn with old batting helmets and catchers masks. But while the vacant 770,000-square-foot suburban office park it once housed 2,500 workers has been a weak spot in Novatos economy since the insurance company left seven years ago, it is now positioned to give the northern Marin County city something that could make it the envy of its neighboring communities: a major source of new housing. Bay West Development, which bought the property with a partner in January for $28 million, is proposing to knock down the three concrete office buildings and replace them with 1,081 housing units. The plan calls for single-family homes along the western portion of the property, townhomes within the projects core and 55-foot multifamily apartment buildings fronting Redwood Boulevard. The apartment buildings would have a bike and pedestrian connection to the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit station across the street, to the SMART train that runs between Santa Rosa and Larkspur, near the ferry terminal. About 26 acres would be public open space. While the planning process for the redevelopment likely will take two years, the timing could not be better for Novato, which, like all California cities, is under increasing pressure to meet state-mandated housing goals. The 1,081 units would represent more than half of the 2,090 homes Novato likely will be required to produce in the next eight-year Regional Housing Needs Allocation cycle, known as RHNA, which will run from 2023 to 2031. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle Novato City Councilmember Susan Wernick, who represents the neighborhood where the Firemans Fund campus is located, said she feels fortunate to have 63 acres on which to build housing at this juncture. When Wernick moved to Novato in 1982, the bucolic Firemans Fund campus was just being built and was heralded by the city as both a revenue generator and a source of good jobs. Now all these years later there is a lot less demand for office space, but we have this housing crisis we have no choice but respond to, said Wernick. I think we could end up with a really great project. In total, Marin County will be required to build 14,000 housing units during the RHNA cycle. Several Marin cities are appealing the RHNA allocations: Sausalito is asking for a 83% reduction and San Anselmo is requesting a 67% drop in its goals. But experts say those appeals are unlikely to succeed. Novato, a city of about 50,000, sits at the threshold of Marin and Sonoma counties. It is 11 miles north of San Rafael, Marins county seat and 11 miles south of Petaluma. Home to Biomarin Pharmaceutical, and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato is far enough away from job centers like San Francisco and Silicon Valley that it has not attracted the big tech firms such as Google or Facebook. Commercial rents are 22% cheaper than San Rafael and 44% less expensive than Larkspur. Its 2 million square feet of industrial space is nearly fully occupied. And Novato is not only a more affordable place to do business; its housing costs are also less than other Marin towns. While the average home price has jumped 16% since the pandemic started to about $1 million, it is still cheaper than Marin cities like San Anselmo, where homes average $1.59 million; Corte Madera, where homes average $1.7 million; or Mill Valley and Larkspur, which both are approaching average listing prices of $2 million, according to Zillow. San Rafael is about 30% more expensive than Novato. Novato is more like Sonoma County than southern Marin in terms of having a balanced economy, Sonoma State economics professor Robert Eyler. Its always been that bridge between the more suburban and more rural part of the North Bay. Alvin A.H. Jornada/Special to The Chronicle Haden Ongaro, managing director at the commercial real estate brokerage Newmark, said that it made sense that the Firemans Fund land would go residential. The campus was far too big for most Marin tenants, the majority of which require less than 5,000 square feet, and too far from mass transit options to appeal to the tech giants like Google and Facebook. The pressure from Sacramento to produce housing gives home-builders increased confidence that they can overcome Marins famously anti-development politics, he said. Ongaro compared the Firemans Fund proposal to that of the Northgate Mall in northern San Rafael, where a new owner recently proposed a plan that would add more than 1,300 housing units to that largely vacant retail complex. Residential developers are eyeing several other obsolete commercial sites in the county, he said, including several around downtown Novato. There is a lot more pressure to deliver housing that is something that I hear in my dealings with local officials, he said. A residential developer can justify paying a little more for a site than they would have because there is a better chance it wont take eight years to get approved. Beyond satisfying the state-mandated housing goals, adding several thousand residents to the Firemans Fund property could help pump more life into downtown Novato, which is about 1 mile to the south. The shopping district has seen an influx of new businesses in the past few years, including the restaurant Blue Barn, Masas Sushi, Rustic Bakery, two wine tasting rooms, two tap rooms and two bike stores. Other businesses include Copperfields Books, Irish bar and grill Finnegans Marin, and Village Child, a kids clothing store. Stephanie Koehler, executive director of the Downtown Novato Business Association, said the Firemans Fund project would bring much-needed customers to the burgeoning districts 411 businesses. Our downtown has improved drastically since Firemans Fund closed we have much better stores and restaurants, she said. But we could use more foot traffic. The thing about any downtown is its like chicken and the egg you need the people to come buy the stuff or go to the restaurants. Other housing developments proposed for downtown Novato include 32 units at 1107 Grant Ave., a former hardware store, and 227 units of affordable housing at Novato Medical Center at 1316-1320 Grant Ave. although that project faces opposition due to lack of proposed parking, Koehler said. Alvin A.H. Jornada/Special to The Chronicle Emily Rich, who owns Village Child on Grant Avenue, said foot traffic is up 30% since she opened in October of 2018. Novato is a sleepy town in general, she said. Its not a destination like some of the other Marin cities. Its a little bit the ugly stepchild of Marin you say you are from Novato and there is a sense that, Well thats not quite Marin. But I think we are coming into our own. Novato has a rich underbelly of culture and community that may not be obvious to outsiders. There is a lot of civic pride and a lot of people who have been here for decades. J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen Mark Wineman / Getty Images Two men were treated in a hospital for stab wounds early Saturday following a confrontation with four men on a downtown Petaluma street, police said. The victims, who suffered non-fatal injuries, told police they had been approached by the group sometime after 2 a.m. on Kentucky Street near Washington Street. Vaccine maker Novavax announced Thursday it has asked regulators in India, Indonesia and the Philippines to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine -- offering its shot to some low-income countries before rich ones with ample supplies. U.S.-based Novavax partnered with the Serum Institute of India to apply in the three countries, and plans later this month to also seek the World Health Organization review needed to be part of the COVAX global vaccine program. Novavax CEO Stanley Erck called the submissions an important step toward access to millions of doses of a safe and effective vaccine for countries with an urgent need to control the pandemic. The company announced it also plans to submit applications in Britain soon, followed by Europe, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, but not in the U.S. until later in the year. The Novavax two-dose shot is made with lab-grown copies of the spike protein that coats the coronavirus. Thats very different than other widely used vaccines that deliver genetic instructions for the body to make its own spike protein. The Novavax shots are easier to store and transport than some other options, and have long been expected to play an important role in increasing supplies in poor countries desperate for more vaccine. In June, Novavax announced the vaccine had proved about 90% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 in a study of nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. and Mexico. It also worked against variants circulating in those countries at the time. Side effects were mostly mild. As for the highly contagious delta variant that now is circulating in much of the world, Novavax also announced Thursday that giving a booster six months after a second shot revved up virus-fighting antibodies that could tackle that mutant. Additional studies in Britain and elsewhere are testing if the Novavax shot could be used as a booster after other types of COVID-19 vaccines. Erck said that mix-and-match data might lead to its vaccine becoming the universal booster of choice in rich countries. And the company said Indonesia already had expressed interest in using the Novavax vaccine as a booster following some Chinese-made shots. The Gaithersburg, Maryland, company said it was on track to produce up to 100 million doses a month by the end of the third quarter and 150 million doses a month by years end. ___ 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. He sat in a camping chair outside City Hall on Tuesday evening, shivering in the cold as the sun sank behind the buildings golden dome. His stomach grumbled after nearly 60 hours without food. His boredom grew intense. But if Gary McCoy was miserable, he was also ecstatic. He had just learned his hunger strike had spurred some swift action on San Franciscos drug overdose catastrophe, which kills an average of two people every day. Its a crisis that city officials have failed to treat as an all-hands-on-deck emergency, like the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed far fewer people in the city. McCoy, profiled here in April for his incredible recovery from drug addiction and homelessness, had pledged to not eat for at least eight days. His demand? A city commitment to finally, after years of talk, open the countrys first safe consumption site, a facility where people can use their own drugs under supervision and get immediate help if they overdose. Well, he got that commitment sort of. Supervisor Matt Haney pledged to introduce legislation calling on the city to declare an emergency on drug overdoses and open a safe consumption site without state or federal approval. Six more supervisors quickly joined in, texting McCoy their support. That puts the spotlight on Mayor London Breed, whos long wanted to open a site but is keeping mum on whether shell move without state approval and, if so, how quickly. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle Jeff Cretan, the mayors spokesperson, said declaring an emergency wouldnt help with overriding state or federal law. It only allows the city to bypass its own laws to, say, ink contracts or build temporary facilities more quickly. He pointed to the mayors opening of 400 new substance use and mental health treatment beds and the citys new street overdose response team as indications the mayor takes the crisis seriously. A safe consumption site is one part of a broader strategy, he said. But its an important part. The city needs to look its maverick history, and be bold. After all, San Francisco has never shied away from stepping out in front of the state and federal governments. And think of the victories that arrived as a result: Same-sex marriage. Medical marijuana. Protections for immigrants who lack legal status. Needle exchanges. When its the right thing to do, San Francisco often does it. You do what you can do to save peoples lives, McCoy said as he sat in his little folding chair, a beanie pulled low over his forehead. You go for it. McCoy, 43, decided to wage his hunger strike after learning his former boss, state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco, had once again lost his bid to secure state approval for San Francisco to open a site. Assembly Member Jim Wood, the Santa Rosa Democrat who chairs the health committee, postponed the bill for a year to see if the federal government weighs in on the sites legality. So, the city is waiting to see what the state says, and the state is waiting to see what the federal government says, even as the bodies pile up. If it waits for approval, the earliest San Francisco could open a site is January 2023 enough time for 1,000 more people to die of overdoses. Wiener said he would back the city opening a site without state approval, but will continue to work to pass the state legislation. The grim numbers argue for urgency. San Francisco has lost 567 people to COVID-19 since March 2020. It lost about 700 people to fatal overdoses last year and an additional 344 in the first six months of this year. McCoy has lost six friends to drug overdoses this year alone, including one who was just 20 years old. Its happening everywhere, said McCoy, who worked for a string of local politicians including Breed, Wiener and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi before taking a job as the director of public affairs for HealthRight360, which runs drug treatment programs in the city. This is a very clear emergency. Now may be a better time to open a safe consumption site than any in recent memory. For starters, San Francisco wouldnt be totally alone and out on a limb. Rhode Islands governor signed legislation last month authorizing safe consumption sites to open there. Plus, its hard to imagine Gov. Gavin Newsom or Attorney General Rob Bonta coming down on those who work at the sites or use drugs in them. At the federal level, can you picture President Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris a friend to many people whod be involved with the launch seizing nonprofit groups assets or putting people in handcuffs? City Hall insiders, though, speak of potential political obstacles. As Newsom tries to fight off a potential recall next month, the last thing he needs, some say, is another round of, San Francisco is crazy! headlines. But you know whats actually crazy and worthy of scorn? Dont tell Newsoms Republican challengers, but San Francisco lets an open-air drug market thrive in the Tenderloin, with bodies splayed at dealers feet, and does little about it. Breed and public health leaders have repeatedly said their decisions related to COVID-19 have been based on data, science and facts. So why arent those standards being applied to fatal drug overdoses? Alex Kral is a San Francisco epidemiologist from RTI International, a nonprofit health research institute, and has studied an undisclosed, underground safe consumption site that he says has operated in a United States city for the past five years. He said people there have used drugs 10,000 times and overdosed 33 times, but that workers intervened with medication to counteract the events and nobody died. In fact, he said, no one has even had to call 911, saving expenses from paramedics and hospitalizations. About 200 similar sites exist in Australia, Canada and Europe, some dating to the 1980s. Tens of millions of people have used drugs in them and again, nobody has ever died, Kral said. These sites save people, he said. We need to try this intervention now. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle When Kral studied crime in the few blocks surrounding the secret site in the United States, he found it dropped after the site opened. That site has no links to treatment facilities because its not sanctioned, but Kral said 500 people per year are connected to treatment at a sanctioned site in Vancouver. What is becoming clearer by the day is that we need to throw every possible strategy at this crisis and see what works. Safe consumption sites, treatment on demand, far more outreach workers coaxing people to enter treatment, and real consequences for the people selling deadly poison in the form of fentanyl in the Tenderloin. Haney, who represents the Tenderloin, said the city doesnt seem to have a clear strategy for addressing fentanyl deaths, leaving the neighborhoods misery to fester. Opening a safe consumption site quickly would help, he said. You walk around and people are just out there shooting up, no intervention, no counseling, no stopping them, no public information, he said. Its way too hands-off. At least somebody took action. After McCoy secured the seven supervisors support, his husband picked him up from City Hall and drove him home for a bowl of split pea soup, bread and tea. He fell asleep by 8 p.m. If one mans public protest draws the political attention that hundreds of bodies in our city morgue havent, then kudos to McCoy. But also, shame on City Hall. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf - Cal Fire: See incident reports from Cal Fire's website. - Maps: View maps from the U.S. Forest Service. - Road closures: Get updates from Caltrans District 2's Twitter feed. - Evacuations: Find the latest information from Cal Fire. - Dixie Fire information line: (530) 538-7826. ::: California's Dixie Fire burning 250 miles northeast of San Francisco has torn through mountain communities in recent days, including Greenville and Canyondam. But amid an explosion in fire activity Wednesday through Friday, firefighters were able to save Chester. More for you News This is what you need in your wildfire preparedness kit,... "The town of Chester is doing OK right now," said Cal Fire spokesperson Edwin Zuniga. "The fire has surrounded it but we have crews on the line around the town. Zuniga explained that the fire burned to the edge of the town's perimeter. "We let the fire burn the vegetation around the town," he said. "It gives it a buffer. The firefighters on the ground were able to protect the main hub. Prior to the fire getting to Chester we brought in truck engines." Illustration: SFGATE/ Getty Images Chester is a small mountain town of about 2,100 that's mostly known as a home base for exploring Lake Almanor and Lassen Volcanic National Park. Photo journalists on the ground covering the fire took images of homes and buildings in the community that are still standing and posted them on Twitter. Craig Philpott shared photos of the Bidwell House built in 1904. Philpott also posted a photo of Olsen Barn. "Good morning Chester CA history lives on and the Olsen Barn still stands. #DixieFire," he wrote. In some photos, homes are splattered in red fire retardant. Sparked near Cresta Dam in the Feather River Canyon on July 14, the Dixie Fire has destroyed at least 184 houses and other buildings, according to Cal Fire, and torched a bone-dry landscape and triggered thousands of evacuations in a region still recovering from the 2018 Camp Fire, California's deadliest blaze. More than 5,000 personnel are fighting the blaze. PG&E has said its equipment may have started it. The burn area grew to 446,723 acres Friday, making it the third largest fire in California history, Cal Fire said. Containment stands at 21% a drop from where it was on Thursday at 35%. "The containment has gone down after reassessing the size of the fire," Zuniga said. "The 35% was prior to the fire getting to the size it is now." Noah Berger/Associated Press Containment is expected to increase in coming days with favorable weather conditions, mainly due to the heavy smoke overhead. "The smoke in the area is blanketing the fire perimeter, and its shielding us from the direct sunlight and heat," Zuniga explained. "Cooler temperatures means less extreme fire activity. It allows our firefighters to be more direct in putting out the fire." The Dixie Fire exploded Wednesday afternoon amid extreme weather conditions with winds up to 40 mph and humidity levels as low as 6%. Flames engulfed the small mountain town of Greenville Wednesday night, leveling much of the historic Main Street and scorching surrounding homes. On Thursday the fire activity was severe again and flames tore through Canyondam, a hamlet with a population of about three dozen people located near the dam that forms Lake Almanor. It's 13 miles north of Greenville. "We're seeing truly frightening fire behavior and I don't know how to overstate that," Chris Carlton, the supervisor for Plumas National Forest said in a recent briefing. "We have a lot of veteran firefighters who have observed for 20 years and have never seen conditions like this especially day after day. We really are in uncharted territory." VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) An alleged getaway driver in the fatal shooting of Clark County sheriffs detective Jeremy Brown is now facing charges of second-degree murder, possession of a stolen firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to court records. Abran Raya Leon's brother, Guillermo Raya Leon, 26, is accused of shooting Brown on July 23 as Brown conducted surveillance in an unmarked vehicle at an east Vancouver apartment complex. An arrest warrant was first issued for Abran Raya Leon, 28, on July 27 for rendering criminal assistance, The Columbian reported. He has been in federal custody since the night of the shooting. He is currently at the Columbia County Jail in Oregon. It wasn't immediately known if he has a lawyer to comment on his behalf. An amended probable cause affidavit states that he was helping his wife, Misty Raya, traffic stolen firearms on the day of Browns shooting. Raya, 35, is accused of breaking into a Hazel Dell storage unit in June and stealing dozens of guns along with 20,000 to 30,000 rounds of ammunition and the owners credit cards. Her friend picked up the trio from a Target parking lot in Portland earlier in the afternoon and brought them to The Pointe Apartments, according to court records. Abran Raya Leon told police the friend was messaging a potential buyer for the guns. He said he knew the guns were stolen and that his brother had one of the stolen guns at the time of the shooting, the affidavit states. Court documents describe Guillermo Raya Leon as paranoid they were being followed by law enforcement throughout the day. At the apartment complex, he approached Browns unmarked SUV to confront him about watching them, the affidavit says. Guillermo Raya Leon told police he asked Brown if he was looking for someone. He said the detective pulled out his gun and told him to get back. He said he stepped back, pulled out his gun, shot at Brown and ran away, according to court records. He later told his brother that Brown shot at him first and that he returned fire, court records state. Afterward, Abran Raya Leon drove the trio away from the apartment complex in a Toyota SUV and evaded pursuing police. The SUV was later found crashed and abandoned, according to the affidavit. Police found and arrested Abran Raya Leon and his wife that night in a backyard. Officers also found the stolen revolver they believe Guillermo Raya Leon used to shoot Brown, court records say. Guillermo Raya Leon stole a Toyota Prius from the house and fled, according to court records, and was arrested July 25 in Salem. He is facing aggravated first-degree murder and possession of a stolen firearm charges in Browns death. He is due back in court next week, jail records show. Attempts to reach his lawyer have not been successful. Raya pleaded not guilty Wednesday at her arraignment to charges of burglary, identity theft and 32 counts of firearm theft. LEVITTOWN, Pa. (AP) Having helped vanquish the Nazis during World War II, Mae Krier, 95, of Levittown, Bucks County, went to work fighting COVID-19, proving theres not a scourge that the overachievers of the Greatest Generation wont take on. Its a story that requires some explaining. Krier is an original Rosie the Riveter, a catchall referencing the women who flooded factories and shipyards during World War II to build the planes, ships, and bombs needed to thwart Hitlers Germany and a bellicose Japan. As it happens, Krier was an actual riveter at the Boeing Aircraft Co. in Seattle starting in 1943. Rosies are best symbolized by an iconic 1943 poster by the graphic artist J. Howard Miller. A woman in a blue work shirt displays her right bicep, on her head a red bandanna with white polka dots. The copy reads, We Can Do It! For years, Krier sewed Rosie bandannas that she distributed free of charge, all while lobbying for recognition for her sisters in armaments, who are credited with helping to win the war, and for showing a still-stodgy world that women were capable of doing mens jobs with grace and ease. When the pandemic hit, Krier switched to making masks with the same distinctive look, harnessing the World War II can-do spirit. As a tribute to Krier and the other Rosies, Boeing, now known as an aerospace company, plans to fire an unmanned rocket to the International Space Station that will contain Rosie the Rocketeer, a mannequin wearing a bandanna and mask made by Krier. The launch is to test a so-called astronaut taxi that may send space travelers to the station in the future. Its amazing the experiences Ive had, Krier said the other day, reflecting on a lifetime of achievement. These arent the kinds of things that happen when you decide to just sit home in your rocking chair. A Congressional Gold Medal Last fall, the peripatetic Krier achieved a long-sought dream when the federal government decided to award the Rosies the Congressional Gold Medal, a civilian honor to recognize the accomplishments of an estimated 12 million to 18 million women. Its unclear how many Rosies are still alive. Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) helped champion the legislation to confer the medal. Krier is credited with making the Rosies accomplishments known to official Washington with decades of campaigning. Her followers on Facebook pressured senators to sign on to the bill. Mae worked really hard on this, said Tammy Brumley, a docent at the Rosie the Riveter WWII Homefront National Park in Richmond, Calif., outside San Francisco. She really stomped the halls of Congress, giving out bandannas and talking up her cause. Lauding the Rosies, Casey last fall said they were among our nations greatest living heroines, and they deserve this long-overdue recognition for their tremendous service to our country. Krier recalled that, in a private moment, Casey leaned over and said: `Mae, do you know how hard it is to get a bill passed in Washington? And you did it. If I had a problem, Id want you on my team. I thought that was so cute. I was so proud. Krier is expected to receive the medal, which has yet to be struck by the U.S. Mint, in the fall of 2022. Repurposed resolve As the pandemic wore on, Krier said she felt helpless having to quarantine while Americans were suffering. She decided that, with minimal alterations, bandannas could be turned into masks, and that a symbol of resolve in the face of adversity could be successfully repurposed. It was an attitude Mae brought from World War II, said Deb Woolson, 66, of Phoenixville, a friend and a retired staffer for former State Sen. Andrew Dinniman (D., Chester County). Lets come together and do this for our country. Woolson put out the word on Facebook that Kriers masks were available for free, and they went viral, with orders from around the nation and six countries, she said. People love Mae and the masks, Woolson said. They just cant get enough. They have written her things like: Youre a ray of light in a dark sky. Thank you for bringing the Rosie attitude to COVID. Krier filled more than 5,000 orders between June 2020 and last May. She herself sewed more than 3,000 masks; the balance were completed by volunteers. Kriers social media followers contributed materials. That was a lot of sewing, Krier said with a laugh. When I sit that long, I get a kink in back. My only exercise was trips to the refrigerator. Thats not to say Krier is simply sitting back. She still mows her own lawn on an old lawn tractor and is invited to take part in a ceremony on Dec. 7 for the 80th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The trips are expensive. Brumley said itll cost $14,000 to take Krier and two other Rosies to Oahu; so far, theyve raised $8,000. In 2019, Brumley collected $33,000 in contributions to send Krier and four other Rosies to France for the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Despite her age, Krier loves to travel, a joy she first indulged when she turned 17 in her native Dawson, N.D. On a lark, she and a friend ventured to Seattle, where they set about building B-17 bombers. Krier drove endless numbers of rivets into the planes metal sheathing for 93 cents an hour half of what men got. She kept at it for two years, helping fill the skies with machines that saved the world from fascism. Hitler once said American women were too interested in makeup to work, Krier said. We showed him what American women were made of. Krier met her husband, Norm, in Seattle. After the war, they moved to Morrisville, where she spent most of her years as a homemaker. Norm worked as a machinist. They had two children, four grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren. Norm died at 93 in 2014 after nearly 70 years of marriage. It always angered Krier that when the war ended, women were expected to drop out of the workforce. Currently, Krier is acting on yet another perceived slight: There are no Rosie statues in the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Shes been meeting with a sculptor to see what can be done about that. They tell me its difficult, she said. But getting that medal was difficult, and look what happened. If there ever is a Rosie statue made, Krier said, she and her surviving sisters will be happy to help out. You can tell anyone in Washington, Krier added, theres still enough of us Rosies around to screw the thing to the floor. ___ Online: https://bit.ly/3zWVuYu LUETZERATH, Germany (AP) About 2,500 people in western Germany demonstrated Saturday for a quick halt to coal mining in the region, where a village could be bulldozed to make way for a mine. Participants in the protest formed a 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) human chain between the threatened village of Luetzerath and nearby Keyenberg. Luetzerath stands a few hundred meters (yards) away from a vast pit where German utility giant RWE is extracting lignite coal to burn in nearby power plants. Coal mining is due to end in Germany by 2038, but environmentalists say it needs to stop at least 10 years earlier if the country is to play its part in meeting the Paris climate accord goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). "If we want to survive on this planet, we have to take measures now," protester Michael Zobel told The Associated Press. Survival on this planet is endangered and it starts right here. So coal mining needs to be stopped, and there will need to be other measures, too. The village of Luetzerath is located in North Rhine-Westphalia state, which was among the regions of Germany hit hardest by floods last months that killed more than 200 people and caused billions of euros (dollars) worth of damage. Scientists have said that while its hard to attribute specific storms to climate change, extreme weather of the kind that caused the flash floods in parts of Western Europe last month will become more severe and frequent in a warming world. ___ Follow AP's climate coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-change FLORENCE, Ariz. (AP) The state Land Department has pulled back an application asking Pinal County to plan for development of a large tract of trust land in the Gold Canyon area, with provisions for preservation of open space, accelerated road construction and property targeted for jobs creation. The department said Tuesday in a letter to County Manager Leo Lew that it was withdrawing its application to focus resources on other key areas of our state, the Casa Grande Dispatch reported. PHOENIX (AP) The state commission that will draw new congressional and legislative districts for use in elections during the coming decade is wrapping up a series of public hearings for Arizonans to provide input on how the districts should be drawn. The 15 listening tour" hearings, which began July 23 in Florence and will end Monday in Mesa, have focused on how the Independent Redistricting Commission should heed its constitutional duty to respect communities of interest to the extent practicable. Many attending the hearings already conducted told the current commission where the speakers think the last one went wrong, the Arizona Capitol Times reported. At one hearing, Tempe resident Tracey Ireland said her community that is now part of Legislative District 27 identifies more with neighboring Legislative District 18, which has comparatively less areas that are in the city of Phoenix We have different school boards, different city councils, different everything except for legislative leadership, Ireland said. The candidates are always going to be from South Phoenix; theyre never going to be from our community of interest. While turnout was better than expected for the first several hearings, commission Chair Erika Neuberg said during the commissions July 27 regular meeting she was concerned about voices not heard. For example, people that are remarkably satisfied with their districts, theyre probably not showing up, Neuberg said. She suggested that the commission consider doing more proactive work with soliciting information" from county supervisors, city council members and others. Mapping consultant Doug Johnson that people attending the hearings were unlikely to be those happy with current districts but said more input is expected once grid maps are drafted. Grid maps are the precursors to draft maps that later evolve into final maps. The grid maps outline districts that are compact and have equal population but dont factor in other criteria. They are created with the goal to start the redistricting process from scratch, without regard to the current map. Its a useful starting point. But its a starting point that is a bit of a mess, obviously, by design, Johnson said. In addition to aiming for compactness and equal population, commissioners are also supposed to create districts that respect communities of interest; comply with the U.S. and state constitutions and the federal Voting Rights Act; use visible geographic features, city, town and county boundaries and undivided census tracts to draw lines; and are competitive. Actual mapping will begin after the commission receives detailed 2020 U.S. Census population data this month. The commission has set a tentative timeline that calls for adopting grid maps by Sept. 14 and draft maps by Oct. 27, with time after each for public input. Commissioners hope to approve final maps by Dec. 22. Once grid maps are adopted, the commission could hold another listening tour or just hear from the public at the commission's weekly meetings or online, Johnson said. He added that even if the commission doesnt hear from a particular community, that doesnt mean commissioners arent aware of it or wont factor it into their maps. Some groups are working to ensure more communities and their interests are heard. Kendra Alvarez, All On The Line Arizona's state director, said her organization is holding training sessions for people to attend ahead of the listening tour meetings. She said the sessions focus on teaching redistricting concepts so that people can advocate for their communities of interest effectively. All On The Line is an anti-gerrymandering organization funded by the National Redistricting Action Fund, an affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. Alvarez said in addition to encouraging participation in the listening tour, her group will be watching how the commission builds on the public comment. Fair Maps Arizona is also encouraging people to testify, providing an outline of what to include and telling people to send their drafts to the organizations statewide director, Jay Wilson, who will help you finish it up and offer one-on-one assistance, according to the groups website. Fair Maps Arizona was founded by Republican Steve Gaynor, the Republican candidate in 2018 for Arizona secretary of state, to hold Arizonas elected leaders and the IRC accountable during this year's redistricting. The commission is made up of two Democrats, two Republicans and one independent, Neuberg. The Independent Redistricting Commission was created by voters in 2000 to limit political influence by the Legislature in redrawing congressional and legislative district maps. The process is politically important because redrawn district lines can influence how many legislative and U.S. House seats each party can realistically win. Republicans generally liked the district maps drawn after the 2000 Census, while those done following the 2010 Census were regarded as more favorable to Democrats, prompting strong criticism from Republicans. The new maps should be in place for the 2022 elections. CARNEY, Mich. (AP) A person who died in a large fire at a cedar mill in Michigans western Upper Peninsula has been identified as an employee of the business. Menominee County deputies were attempting to locate workers Thursday at Superior Cedar Products in Carney when the employee was found on burning equipment, the sheriffs office said in a news release. LA HABRA, Calif. (AP) A police officer was shot and a suspect killed Friday night in a shooting in front of a Southern California police station, authorities said. The shooting occurred at around 7 p.m. and the suspect reportedly died at the scene. La Habra police said in a statement that officers had responded to a disturbance call at the front entrance of the police department. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) An eastern Iowa official is participating in a trial for a COVID-19 booster shot and it's the second time she's been part of one. Cedar Rapids City Council member Ashley Vanorny traveled Friday to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for the trial for a booster shot manufactered by Pfizer, KGAN-TV reports. The trial is expected to last a year. DENVER (AP) As ominous storm clouds gathered in western Colorado over a large area blackened by a recent wildfire, torrential rain fell and the charred land stripped of vegetation gave way, sending a rush of mud and boulders tumbling down steep canyon walls and onto a major highway. The July 29 mudslides stranded more than 100 people in their vehicles overnight and caused extensive damage that closed Interstate 70, capping several weeks of perilous conditions in a scenic canyon carved through the mountains by the Colorado River. It marked the latest in a string of closures over the past two years for an area that serves as a key transportation corridor between the Rocky Mountains and the West Coast. Each forced long detours for semitrailers that deliver fuel and food, and inflicted economic pain on businesses that cater to tourists in the popular summer destination of Glenwood Springs. The closures illustrate the kind of damage scientists have long warned can follow wildfires made worse by climate change: dangerous mudslides caused by rain in burn-scarred terrain. Though no injuries were reported, such slides have caused deaths and destruction in recent years in California and other parts of the U.S. West. Those who live and work in the Glenwood Canyon area have been adjusting to the inconveniences of closures for years, but mudslides have become more frequent and intense since the Grizzly Creek Fire scorched about 50 square miles (130 square kilometers) last summer. Transportation officials have closed a 46-mile (74-kilometer) stretch of the interstate and are telling motorists traveling between Denver and Glenwood Springs, on the west end of the canyon, to take another route that adds about 250 miles (402 kilometers) to the trip. Meanwhile, long-haul truckers have been advised to detour north onto Interstate 80 through Wyoming until the canyon is reopened, which could take weeks. On average, thousands of commercial vehicles travel daily on the interstate through the canyon, according to state transportation officials. Much of the fuel, food and other products that are distributed in the western part of the state come from Denver via I-70, and the detours are adding several hours to each trip, said Greg Fulton, president and CEO of the Colorado Motor Carriers Association. In some cases, that means truckers cant make the round trip without running afoul of federal limits on how long they can be behind the wheel. This is a ripple effect because were not getting the truck back until the next day. ... It takes it out of sync in terms of those drivers, and effectively, you need more drivers and more trucks, said Fulton, who warned that the delays could lead to gas and food shortages, late deliveries and higher prices. When were bearing additional mileage and were having additional time, and then even possibly bearing the cost of a motel room, that has to be passed on at some point, he said. The mudslides also have significantly impacted tourism in Glenwood Springs, which typically attracts thousands of visitors this time of year for its hiking, biking, fishing and other outdoor activities. Lisa Langer, the citys tourism director, said many attractions and some hotels went from full occupancy to being half-full, and some lost between 25% and 50% of their normal revenue during the weekend following the canyons closure. The biggest problem is people from Front Range cities such as Denver canceling their trips because they dont want to take the long detour, said Langer, who has shifted her focus toward attracting tourists from areas that still have easy access. Meanwhile, whitewater rafting companies have had to reroute their itineraries, and some businesses have been short-staffed because employees live on the other end of the closed interstate, an engineering marvel that winds through a narrow passage constrained by the Colorado River and cliffs towering hundreds of feet. Max Vogelman, who co-owns Stoneyard Distillery, said the closure has had a pretty huge effect on the finances and logistics of his business, which makes alcoholic spirits from sugar beets. The company opened a tasting room in Glenwood Springs in May, but the distillery is at the other end of the canyon, in Dotsero. Vogelman said the companys sole employee in Glenwood Springs has picked up extra shifts to keep the tasting room open, and another worker in Dotsero has been traveling nearly an hour out of her way on a series of winding, dirt roads every few days to deliver supplies. It definitely puts us in a bit of a conundrum here, but were trying to make it work, said Vogelman, who also is trying to figure out how to continue distributing to areas west of the canyon and how to keep people coming to the distillery for tours and drinks. We get a lot of RV traffic coming through. A lot of them stay overnight on a property here. Theyre all canceled, he said. He and other business owners and residents are quickly realizing they will have to adjust to what could become the canyon's new normal. Scientists say special calculations are needed to determine how much global warming is to blame, if at all, for a single extreme weather event. But a historic drought and recent heat waves tied to climate change have, no doubt, made wildfires harder to fight in the American West. Climate change has made the region much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and is expected to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive, which could lead to more mudslides as rain falls on burn scars. Andy Hoell, a meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said last summers precipitation over the Four Corners states was the lowest on record, and drought conditions are getting worse. In this case, its really the compounding and cascading effect of an active fire season last year, followed by heavy precipitation events this year that came together to produce these big effects on I-70, said Hoell, who studies drought and extreme events in a changing climate. A recent study led by U.S. Geological Survey researchers mapped landslide vulnerability in Southern California and found the area can now expect small, post-wildfire landslides almost every year, and major events roughly every 10 years. It said the state faces increased risks of both wildfires and landslides caused by climate change-induced shifts in its wet and dry seasons. One particularly devastating post-fire slide occurred in Southern California in 2018, when a river of mud, trees and boulders slammed into the town of Montecito. More than 20 people died, and hundreds of homes were destroyed. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said Monday he hopes any state or federal infrastructure package has climate resiliency at the very heart of it. We need to look at things like fire risk mitigation, retaining walls, in a new and different way given the reality that we face on the ground in Colorado, he said. WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) Cyber attacks have become a common occurrence that can impact all kinds of businesses and organizations. Hackers are constantly trying to break into computers connected to the internet every 39 seconds on average, according to a University of Maryland study. A new information technology program launching this fall at Hawkeye Community College will produce graduates equipped to respond to the attacks. The associates degree of applied science in cybersecurity was developed in response to a need across Iowa for the service. Todd Bengen, a Hawkeye business and information technology instructor, told the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier theres a big push at all levels in the state of Iowa to try and implement security as businesses become increasingly reliant on the internet. The drivers behind it are statistics from all kinds of different agencies, said Bengen, projecting a huge amount of growth in cybersecurity careers and a large shortage of workers. U.S. Bureau of Labor figures show an expected 12% increase in computer and information technology occupations nationwide or the addition of 546,200 jobs from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all careers. IT administrators at some Cedar Valley businesses are glad to see the college offering the new degree. 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. 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. In recent months, companies across the country like Colonial Pipeline and meat processor JBS have dealt with ransomware attacks, and computer hackers got into the network of Iowa-based Wolfe Eye Clinic. Educational institutions in Iowa have been affected, as well, including Des Moines Area Community College and La Porte Citys Union Community Schools. DMACC shut down online and in-person classes for nearly two weeks in early June due to a ransomware attack and Union Schools discovered a data breach this spring when hackers gained access to the districts computer system. Hiring IT professionals with a degree focused on cybersecurity can help employers better prepare for the inevitable attacks on their computer networks. Some of that training comes after new employees are hired if they dont come with the credential. These are guys who can hit the ground running because theyre learning practical application, said Bracken of those who will graduate from the Hawkeye program. Its a big advantage for companies having those skills baked into people already when they start a job. Cybersecurity students will take the same classes on basic networking and software skills during their first year as those in the existing information systems management and network administration and engineering programs. During the second year, the program will diverge into specialized degree-specific classes. The first year we hope to have between 12 and 14 students. Currently, we have eight, Bengen noted, with the beginning of classes about three weeks away. Some of those are Hawkeye IT graduates coming back to take the cybersecurity-specific courses. We feel really good about where were at, enrollment-wise, he said. VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) Nearly 50 years after skyjacker D.B. Cooper vanished out the back of a Boeing 727 into freezing Northwest rain wearing a business suit, a parachute and a pack with $200,000 in cash a crime historian is conducting a dig on the banks of the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington, in search of evidence. KOIN reports that Eric Ulis, a self-described expert on the infamous D.B. Cooper case, began a two-day dig on Friday. Ulis and four volunteers are searching for evidence about 10 to 15 yards away from where a boy found $6,000 of Cooper's ransom money in 1980. Ulis said his theory is that Cooper buried the parachutes, an attache case and the money at the same time, but dug smaller holes instead of one large one. The case of Cooper has become infamous, not only in the Pacific Northwest but also in the country. The FBI Seattle field office called the investigation one of the longest and most exhaustive in the agencys history. On Nov. 24, 1971, the night before Thanksgiving, a man described as being in his mid-40s with dark sunglasses and an olive complexion boarded a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. He bought his $20 ticket under the name Dan Cooper, but an early wire-service report misidentified him as D.B. Cooper, and the name stuck. Sitting in the rear of the plane, he handed a note to a flight attendant after takeoff. Miss, I have a bomb and would like you to sit by me, it said. The man demanded $200,000 in cash plus four parachutes. He received them at Sea-Tac, where he released the 36 passengers and two of the flight attendants. The plane took off again at his direction, heading slowly to Reno, Nevada, at the low height of 10,000 feet. Somewhere, apparently over southwestern Washington, Cooper lowered the aircrafts rear stairs and jumped. He was never found. But a boy digging on a Columbia River beach in 1980 discovered three bundles of weathered $20 bills nearly $6,000 in all. It was Coopers cash, according to the serial numbers. Over the years, the FBI and amateur sleuths have examined innumerable theories about Coopers identity and fate, from accounts of unexplained wealth to purported discoveries of his parachute to potential matches of the agencys composite sketch of the suspect. In July 2016, the FBI announced it was no longer investigating the case. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) It didn't take much for the White House to set Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis off. As coronavirus cases rise across the Sun Belt, President Joe Biden asked GOP governors to get out of the way of efforts to contain the virus. DeSantis fired back that he did not want to hear a blip about COVID from you, thank you, adding, Why don't you do your job? The exchange was unusually direct and bitter, particularly for politicians dealing with a crisis that is killing Americans in rising numbers. But it was a sign that the now-familiar cudgels of virus politics debates pitting freedoms against masks and restrictions remain potent weapons. And DeSantis, in particular, appears eager to carry that fight into next years midterms election, and beyond. He has become, I would argue, the leading voice of opposition to the Biden administration, said Rob Bradley, a Republican who recently left the Florida Senate because of term limits. Its not a surprise to see Biden and DeSantis going at it. The strategy comes with risks. DeSantis is up for reelection next year and is frequently mentioned as a 2024 presidential contender. His national profile has risen in large part because he spent the early part of the pandemic pushing a message that prioritized his states economy over sweeping restrictions to stop the spread of the coronavirus. But his state is now an epicenter of the latest surge. Florida has repeatedly broken records for hospitalized patients this week, and it and Texas accounted for a third of all new cases nationwide last week, according to the White House. DeSantis has responded by banning mask mandates in schools and arguing that vaccines are the best way to fight the virus while new restrictions amount to impediments on liberty. Florida is a free state, and we will empower our people," DeSantis said in a fundraising email keying off his hitting back at the president. "We will not allow Joe Biden and his bureaucratic flunkies to come in and commandeer the rights and freedoms of Floridians. Biden's willingness to call out the Republican governor of Florida as well as his colleagues in other hot spots like Texas marks a new confrontational turn for him as well. For months, the White House has tried to minimize the perception of distance between the president and governors in hopes of depoliticizing the vaccination process. It had sought to prevent a nationwide panic over the spread of the delta variant and to make good on the promise that the nation was ready to move past the pandemic. But with new cases averaging more than 70,000 a day above the peak last summer before vaccines were available the messaging has shifted. The White House is now casting whats occurring as a more localized concern primarily affecting areas of the country that have lagging vaccination rates and that have not followed federal guidance recommending face masks in areas with high case rates. But the hardest-hit areas tend to be run by Republicans like DeSantis. Biden is proving more reticent than DeSantis to continue the feud. When asked Thursday about DeSantis' response to his comments, Biden simply asked, Governor who? and grinned. Still, that didn't stop White House press secretary Jen Psaki from turning up the administrations criticism, saying it was a fact that DeSantis has taken steps that are counter to public health recommendations. Frankly, this is too serious, deadly serious, to be doing partisan name calling, Psaki said. She added that administration officials remained in touch with Floridas public health officials, despite DeSantis posture. Psaki also said the White House was focused on ensuring Floridians know what steps they should be taking to safeguard their health, even if those are not steps taken at the top of the leadership in that state. Republican governors attacking Democratic presidents and vice versa is nothing new, meanwhile. And even heated partisan back-and-forth as the coronavirus rages has happened before. During the early months of the pandemic last year, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomos daily press briefings were carried live on national television and cheered by Democrats across the country as a science-based antidote to then-President Donald Trumps own daily sessions with the media. One day when Cuomo was holding his briefing, Trump tweeted that the New York governor was doing too much complaining and should get out there and get the job done. Stop talking. Cuomo was asked about that and shot back, If hes sitting home watching TV, maybe he should get up and go to work. Cuomo is now under intense pressure to resign after an investigation found he sexually harassed nearly a dozen women and worked to retaliate against one of his accusers. But his state is no longer the virus hot spot that Florida is. Biden also rarely channels his predecessor's combative tactics, underscoring how strange the political dynamics of the latest virus surge are becoming. Another indication that the back-and-forth between Biden and DeSantis could foreshadow similar future clashes as the midterms loom is that the governor and president recently put aside their differences and appeared together after the deadly collapse of a condo building in Surfside, Florida. Thats a far cry from whats happening now. Hes only telling us what hes against, Bernard Ashby, a Miami cardiologist who leads the Florida chapter of the Committee to Protect Health Care, said of DeSantis. I think its up to him, as leader of our state, to actually do something to decrease the amount of people that we see getting infected, hospitalized, ending up in the ICU and ultimately dying. DeSantis is nonetheless doubling down. His harsh words for Biden have already caused a stir in conservative online circles, and the governor has since appeared on Fox News to reiterate them. Thats been his strategy his entire existence ... whatever plays on Fox News is where hes going, said Kevin Cate, a Florida-based Democratic strategist and veteran of Barack Obamas 2008 presidential campaign. Cate, a campaign consultant for Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who is running for governor and has been an outspoken DeSantis critic, said if the Florida loss of life now occurring because of the coronavirus had been a hurricane, the governor would have suited up for disaster response without worrying about the political optics. If Ron DeSantis had one-tenth of the vitriol against the virus that he spews about Joe Biden, he said, people would not be dying in Florida. ___ Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report. MILWAUKEE (AP) A Milwaukee man convicted of fatally stabbing his former partner was sentenced Friday to three years in prison, after the victim's family pleaded for leniency. Jacob Paradinovich, 33, was found guilty in May of second degree reckless homicide and use of a dangerous weapon in the June 2019 death of Timothy Theis. Prosecutor Michael Lonski said his gut reaction was to seek a 10-year prison term but dropped his recommendation to five years after talking to members of the Theis family. LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP) A former northern New Mexico mayor has been ordered to apologize to Las Vegas city officials and contractors as part of her sentence in a corruption case. District Judge Abigail Aragon on Friday ordered ex-Mayor Tonita Gurule-Giron to publicly apologize and write letters of apology to city employees and contractors impacted by her interfering in city contracts to benefit her boyfriend. COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) The only South Carolina lawmaker to go to prison so far in a recent Statehouse corruption investigation is no longer an attorney. Former state Rep. Jim Harrison agreed to give up his law license without a fight, the South Carolina Supreme Court said in a Wednesday order. FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) A central Kentucky school district has spiked a proposal to delay the opening of school due to an increase of coronavirus cases. According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, the proposal failed in a tie vote when it was presented before the Franklin County Schools board on Friday. It needed a majority vote to pass. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) A historic building spree is soon to begin in Indiana after legislators set aside more than $1 billion for construction projects, including a new law enforcement training facility, a remodeled prison and a state fairgrounds pavilion. The new state budget adopted in April by the Republican-controlled General Assembly is awash in federal coronavirus relief money, allowing the state to give sizeable funding to projects that had for years been shelved and left out of spending plans. Legislators created a $550 million fund for possible construction projects still in the planning phase. An additional $900 million of federal money was set aside for unspecified future state construction projects. Another $60 million was earmarked for the states recreational trails construction program. Because the budget bill did not specify amounts, projects will tap the money on a first-come-first-served basis. The State Budget Committee has so far authorized more than $100 million in spending on early planning and designs for nearly a dozen proposed projects. Among the first projects underway is the replacement of a century-old swine barn at the Indiana State Fairgrounds with a new multi-use facility, renamed Fall Creek Pavilion. State officials in June released money for the $50 million project thats anticipated to include a restoration of the front facade of the original swine barn and total reconstruction of the rest of the structure. That includes an addition of 50,000 square feet (1.15 acres), bringing its total size to 197,000 square feet (2.23 acres), which will allow the facility to host large sporting events. Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb broke ground at the site Friday, lauding the upgrade as a long-term revenue generator. What we didn't want to do is find ourselves in a position where we were just growing government. We wanted to be able to pay off or avoid debt, avoid interest payments, Holcomb said of the state's investment in construction projects. Indiana has never seen a three-, five-, 10-year horizon like we're looking at right now. Fair officials said the goal is to finish the project before the start of the 2023 fair. A new state archives building and an inn at northern Indianas Potato Creek State Park are also coming to fruition six years after former governor and Vice President Mike Pence failed to finance the projects as part of the state's bicentennial celebration. The former Republican governor's contested plan to pay for the construction endeavors by leasing out state-owned cellphone towers through a public-private partnership were scrapped by Holcomb, Pences successor, shortly after taking office in 2017. The state archives moved from the basement of the state library to an Indianapolis warehouse in 2001. The move was meant to be temporary however, given that the location is not equipped for long-term preservation of some of the states most important documents, including the states constitutions, governors' papers, and acts of the Indiana General Assembly. An initial $5 million approved by the state budget committee will go toward designs for the facility, which executive director Chandler Lighty said will have improved archival capabilities for materials needing rigorous preservation. Some records, including those with shorter retention schedules, will continue to be housed in the current warehouse building. Any leftover funds could be used to secure a site for the new building. Another $5 million has been released to begin conceptual and design processes for a new state park inn the first to be built in Indiana since 1939. The new state budget additionally set aside more than $500 million for public safety and prison projects. Nearly a half-billion dollars is budgeted for Northwest Indiana projects. The larger project -- a $400 million rebuilding of the Westville Correctional Center in LaPorte County will demolish and rebuild nearly all of the 76-year-old prison. The facility will include new inmate housing, administration, programming and treatment facilities, according to the Indiana Department of Correction. The budget committee has so far approved $12 million for architectural and engineering design work to begin. Construction could start as early as 2022. A second project will see the construction of a new $25.5 million Indiana State Police Post and laboratory in Lowell. State police said constructing a post and lab inside one building at Lowell will add needed space, bolster operational functionality and improve energy efficiency. Championed by lawmakers, however, is the allocation of $70 million to upgrade the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy's nearly 50-year-old training facility in Plainfield. The academy, which trains roughly 65% of the states officers, is still determining what improvements are most needed, executive director Tim Horty said. Once that's decided, construction is likely to take several years to complete, but classes at the facility will continue. The initial expenses are to start a campus renovation, and move us towards a more modern, adult-type of learning environment, where the students are more hands-on and away from the classroom and a pen and pencil kind of examination, Horty said. Other big ticket capital projects eligible for state dollars include a new Evansville Police Post and Lab, a new consolidated campus for the Indiana School for the Deaf and the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and improvements to the former GM Stamping Plant in Indianapolis. ___ 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. WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Republican Party official in Wichita is accusing her county's GOP chairman of breaking state law by preventing her from voting on filling a Kansas House vacancy. Precinct Committeewoman Cindy Miles said Segwick County Chairman David Thorne blocked her from voting in the party convention Thursday night to replace the late Republican Rep. Ron Howard. Thorne disputes her account of events, The Wichita Eagle reports. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) Taliban fighters entered the capital of northern Afghanistans Jawzjan province Saturday, a provincial lawmaker said, after sweeping through nine of 10 districts in the province. The government did not deny lawmaker Mohammad Karim Jawzjani's claim that Taliban fighters had entered Sheberghan, but said the city had not fallen. If the city falls, it will be the second provincial capital in as many days to succumb to the Taliban. Several other of the country's 34 provincial capitals are threatened. On Friday, the Taliban took control of the southwestern Nimroz provincial capital of Zaranj, where the government says it is still battling insurgents inside the capital. Sheberghan is particularly strategic because it is the stronghold of U.S-allied Uzbek warlord Rashid Dostum, whose militias are among those resurrected to aid the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces. Heavy airstrikes were reported by residents of Sheberghan who also said the Taliban had freed prisoners from the city jail. They requested to remain anonymous fearing retaliation from both sides. Taliban fighters have swept through large swathes of Afghanistan at surprising speed, initially taking districts, many in remote areas. In recent weeks they have laid siege to several provincial capitals across the country as the last U.S. and NATO troops leave the country. The U.S. Central Command says the withdrawal is more than 95% complete and will be finished by Aug. 31. The U.S. Air Force continues to aid the Afghan air force's bombing of Taliban targets in southern Helmand and Kandahar provinces as Afghan security forces try to prevent a Taliban takeover. On Saturday, the U.S. and British embassies in Kabul repeated a warning to its citizens still there to leave immediately as the security situation deteriorated. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul also issued a statement Saturday condemning the Taliban' s military onslaught saying it was contrary to the insurgent group's claim to support a negotiated peace settlement. The statement called for an immediate end to fighting and a start to negotiations to end the suffering of the Afghan people and pave the way for an inclusive political settlement that benefits all Afghans and ensures that Afghanistan does not again serve as a safe haven for terrorists. On Friday, Taliban fighters assassinated Dawa Khan Menapal, the chief of the Afghan governments press operations for local and foreign media. It came just days after a coordinated attempt was made to kill acting defense chief Bismillah Khan Mohammadi in a posh and deeply secure neighborhood of the capital. In a report to the U.N. Security Council on Friday the U.N. envoy for Afghanistan urged the council to demand the Taliban immediately stop attacking cities in their offensive to take more territory. Deborah Lyons also called on the international community to urge both sides to stop fighting and negotiate to prevent a catastrophe in the war-torn country. In Afghanistan's Helmand and Kandahar provinces in the south of the country thousands of Afghans were displaced by the fighting and living in miserable conditions. In Helmand's provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan's elite commando forces aided by regular troops were trying to dislodge the Taliban but with little success, said Nafeeza Faiez, a provincial council member. Taliban are in control of nine of the city's 10 police districts. Faiez said conditions for residents are desperate as they hunker down inside their homes, unable to get supplies or get to hospitals for treatment. Many of the public buildings have also been badly damaged in the fighting. People have no access to any service, she said More than half of Afghanistans 421 districts and district centers are now in Taliban hands. While many are in remote regions, some are extremely strategic, giving the Taliban control of lucrative border crossings with Iran, Tajikistan and Pakistan. The insurgent force on Friday closed one of the country's most lucrative borders with Pakistan at Spin Boldak in southeastern Afghanistan. The Taliban were protesting a demand from Pakistan that all Afghans crossing the border must have Afghan passports and Pakistani visas. The group said Pakistan was implementing the demands of the Afghan government and demanded that previous procedures in which identities were rarely checked as people crossed the border be reinstituted. Thousands of Afghans and Pakistanis cross the border daily and a steady stream of trucks passes through, bringing goods to land-locked Afghanistan from the Arabian Sea port city of Karachi in Pakistan. Hundreds of people were waiting Saturday to pass through and more than 600 trucks, many loaded with perishable fresh foods, were backed up in both countries. Islamabads relationship with Kabul has been troubled, with both sides accusing each other of harboring militants. Afghan Taliban leaders live in Pakistan and Kabul is bitterly critical of Pakistan for aiding them and treating their fighters in hospitals in Pakistan. Islamabad meanwhile charges that Kabul provides a safe haven to the Pakistani Taliban, a separate militant group that regularly stages attacks in Pakistan. ___ Gannon reported from Islamabad. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) When he was a teenager, Dr. George Robinson III said he was lucky to come into contact with Dr. Clyde Raby, a Black veterinarian who practiced in Baton Rouge. He allowed me to come over to his practice, and I liked it, Robinson said. That led him to decide he wanted to become a vet when he was 14 and to a career that took him from LSUs veterinary school to a private veterinary practice in New Orleans and later as an executive with a number of national veterinary chains. That culminated in 2016 with Robinson joining with a private equity group to launch Heartland Veterinary Partners, which manages business operations at more than 150 clinics across the U.S. An interest in being a vet ran in the family. His father, George Robinson, the former dean of the Southern University College of Agriculture, wanted to be a vet but didnt get a chance to. How many kids have that opportunity in the African American community? said Robinson, a north Baton Rouge native who now lives in Florida and is grateful for his encounter with Raby. You have to have that outreach. Robinson earned a bachelors degree in animal science from Southern and was admitted to LSU School of Veterinary Medicine when he was 19. He was the first Black Louisiana resident to go to the school. Forty years after he graduated, Robinson has given a major gift to the LSU vet school, as part of an effort to increase the number of Black veterinarians. The scholarship for Black students covers all of the costs of attending. The first student to receive the scholarship, Amber Fairley, will start next month. I appreciate the effort Dr. Robinson is doing to recruit minority students, Fairley said. I can come to LSU and focus on training and studying and not worry about how much debt Im going to be in when I graduate. Veterinary sciences has not done a good job of recruiting Black students, Robinson said. He said a veterinarian is the Whitest profession in America, and the numbers back him up. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Black people make up less than 1% of the vets in the country. LSU said of the 1,448 students who have been admitted into the vet school over the past 14 years, 28 were Black, an average of 1.9%. People are not exposed to African American veterinarians, Robinson said. Theyre not in the forefront of their thoughts. ... Veterinary medicine has not made an outreach to tell these people We want you to be a part of our profession. Over the years, Robinson has donated more than $650,000 to the LSU vet school. While Robinsons scholarship is a transformational type of gift, it pales in comparison to the fact that he has been so willing to give up his time to serve as a role model and mentor to LSU veterinary students, said Dr. Joseph Taboada, who served as an associate dean at the LSU vet school for about 20 years. Thats probably his biggest legacy, Taboada said. Robinson has been a tremendous role model for students because of his varied background in the veterinary profession, said Taboada, who met Robinson in 1988, when he started teaching at the vet school. He really shows the students all of the different opportunities out there and how its possible to take advantage of the different opportunities, he said. After graduating in 1981, Robinson went to work with a private practice in New Orleans. He left that job after less than a year. I was sitting at home and one of my good clients called me and said, Are you going to take care of my dog or what?, Robinson said. That motivated him to start his own veterinary practice, one which featured house calls. Robinson operated veterinary clinics in New Orleans from 1983 to 2002. He learned the basics of operating a business and how to manage relationships. But he said maintaining a work-life balance was difficult. When I first started, I thought 70-hour weeks were the way to go, he said. Along with his practice, Robinson had other community interests, such as serving on the New Orleans City Planning Commission, the Southern University System Board and making a couple of runs for a state House seat in New Orleans East. But all of that activity caught up with Robinson, and he developed burnout. He sold his practice, moved to Atlanta and took a job with a veterinary group. I wanted a break, he said. Robinson enjoyed working as part of a veterinary group and just taking care of animals. After a couple of years, he left the practice and moved to Florida as part of a noncompete clause. While he was in Florida, he started working for Banfield Pet Hospital, a national chain of clinics and quickly moved into management. My path accelerated tremendously, he said. Two years later, Robinson became Banfields medical director for San Diego. He became responsible for overseeing other big markets, such as Las Vegas and Orange County, California. By the time he left Banfield in 2009, Robinson was medical director for more than 180 veterinary practices in the West. I got my MBA from the school of hard knocks, he said. I was hungry for information, and I would just go to the source. In 2011, Robinson left Banfield and became director of divisional operations for National Veterinary Associates, a group of 500 hospitals and 1,000 veterinarians. His years working with corporate veterinary groups and managing multiple clinics and his experience as a veterinarian with a single practice gave Robinson a perspective on how to best manage operations. I wanted to do it my way, to build a better mousetrap, he said. This led him to found Heartland. Heartland handles all of the backroom business operations that many veterinarians dont like to do, such as payroll, managing finances and scheduling. This frees vets to concentrate on taking care of animals. Were vet-centric; we dont interfere with clinical autonomy, he said. Heartland doesnt rebrand the clinics it owns and allows veterinarians to determine if they want to get a salary or be paid on a production basis. Setting up a veterinary practice is like having a baby, and one baby is different from another baby, Robinson said. We dont have a cookie-cutter approach. After helping Heartland grow to more than 150 clinics and post over $200 million in revenue over a five-year period, Robinson sold the company to a San Francisco-based investment group in 2020. Equity groups create businesses to grow them to a certain level, he said. When the business gets to a scale, it needs more resources, so a larger private equity group with more resources, more resources and more infrastructure, helps them grow and sustain. Robinson now serves as vice chairman of Heartlands board of directors. He serves as a consultant to vet practices and makes frequent visits to vet schools, talking to students about financial issues. People need to understand that being a veterinarian is a business, he said. Youve got to get paid. CHICAGO (AP) The Chicago home where blues legend Muddy Waters once lived and recorded music is a step closer to landmark status and becoming a museum in his honor. The Commission on Chicago Landmarks on Thursday granted final approval of landmark status to the brick two-flat home in the South Side neighborhood of North Kenwood, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. It now moves to the City Council Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards and, if approved, to a vote of the full council. Waters, known as the Father of Chicago Blues, moved to the city from rural Mississippi in 1943. He moved his family into the home in 1954 and purchased it in 1956. Waters' family lived on the first floor of the house. He rented out the upstairs and had a recording studio in the basement. Waters' great granddaughter, Chandra Cooper, now owns the property and is converting it into The MOJO Muddy Waters House Museum. Cooper was elated and happy that the landmarks commission recognized and is honoring Waters' musical legacy and history. Were on this great path toward becoming one of Chicagos landmarks, and we are looking forward to working with the blues community, the city and the alderman on this project to leave a piece of his legacy for the city of Chicago," she said. After arriving in Chicago in the 1940s, Waters played parties at night for extra cash and later became a regular performer in local nightclubs. Chess Records released his first hits by 1948, and by the early 1950s his blues band had become one of history's most acclaimed. Waters' Chicago home was a gathering place for musicians, and some including legends like Chuck Berry and Otis Spann lived there at one time or another. Waters lived in the home until his wife died in 1973. He then moved to suburban Westmont, living there until his 1983 death. LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell has renewed her call for Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan to deploy the New Mexico National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border. As the lone Republican member of the states congressional delegation, Herrell has been a supporter of the border wall and immigration reform. In her latest request, she cited an increase in COVID-19 infections amid high levels of summer border crossings. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently renewed emergency powers that allow federal authorities to expel families at the border on the grounds it prevents the spread of the coronavirus. The situation is dire, and the Biden administration continues to ignore the crisis they have created, Herrell wrote. States must step up to the plate and do what the Biden administration will not and supplement the existing federal resources at the border. Instead of placing unscientific mandates and restrictions on New Mexicans, we ask you to work to blunt the surge at our border that shows no end in sight. The letter was also signed by Republican colleagues from Texas, Arizona, Florida and Virginia. Herrell made her first request in April in response to large increases of traffic at the border. At the time, she said Border Patrol agents were overworked and under-supplied. The congresswoman, whose district covers all of southern New Mexico, is asking Lujan Grisham to join her for a visit to Luna and Hidalgo counties to see how this situation is affecting our farmers, ranchers, and ordinary citizens. Nora Meyers Sackett, the governors spokeswoman, suggested that Herrell's concerns were partisan and based on disinformation. She also said the state National Guard has been engaged in pandemic-related missions from staffing testing sites and helping at vaccine clinics to delivering food, water and personal protective equipment. The governors office did not respond to Herrells request for a joint visit to the border, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported. Lujan Grisham visited the border soon after taking office. But Herrell said in her letter that she is disheartened that the governor hasn't visited more recently. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) New Mexico's Democratic governor and dozens of other elected officials are urging the state's business community to require that employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 or alternatively undergo regular testing. Those steps are necessary to stop the current increased spread of the coronavirus as infections increase, according to the letter released Friday and sent to employers and business groups. The 28 signers include Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham., U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Lujan and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Reps. Teresa Leger Fernandez and Melanie Stansbury but not U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell, the congressional delegation's sole Republican member. Requiring vaccination of your workforce and/or requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test of the patrons who visit and support your business is within your right as an employer," the letter said. Implementing that sort of policy to help New Mexico finally end this pandemic is within your power as a community leader. New Mexico state employees are required to be vaccinated or get tested regularly. The elected officials' letter cited increased cases and hospitalizations. In short, the pandemic is not over, the letter said. An increasing number of private employers across the country recently have started requiring employees to get vaccinated, and the officials' letter encouraged private businesses to do the same. Vaccine resistance often fueled by misinformation and propaganda stands in the way, the letter said. We need to finish the job. And we need your help. Terri Cole, president and CEO of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, said some employers have legitimate liability concerns about mandating the vaccines without a state order to do so. Cole said the concern might be reduced if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration moved beyond emergency-use authorization and granted full approval to the vaccines. As a business community, Cole said, we obviously believe that the way out of this pandemic is to get workers and residents vaccinated. We cant say that strongly enough." Matthew Dominguez, the general manager of Sadies of New Mexico restaurant chain, said what the elected officials wanted wasnt a bad idea but that it could hurt business. If its not mandated and just recommended, and we are part of only a handful of restaurants trying to implement something like that, then 100% I think that is something that would hinder us from getting new employees, Dominguez said. University of New Mexico law professor Josh Kastenberg said union agreements, religious beliefs and medical conditions could limit what employers do in regard to their employees but refusing service to unvaccinated customers would pose no legal issue. COVID-19 hospitalizations in New Mexico, reached their highest level Friday since February - 216 patients in state hospitals, three times as many as a month ago. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) A snake collector whose escaped zebra cobra caused a frenzy for days this summer in a North Carolina neighborhood has pleaded guilty to a charge, agreeing in turn to pay restitution and give up his snakes. Christopher Gifford, 21, had been charged last month with 40 misdemeanors stemming from the venomous snakes escape. Authorities ultimately captured it in a Raleigh neighborhood in late June. The snake actually had escaped last November, according to Gifford's lawyer, but he hadn't told anyone, media outlets reported. Under Fridays agreement in Wake County court, Gifford pleaded guilty to failing to report the missing snake. In exchange, the other 39 counts were dropped. The charge he pleaded guilty to also will be dismissed if Gifford successfully completes his probation. It was a huge mistake, Gifford said after the court hearing. Whatever I can do to fix it, Ive been trying to do. The deal requires no time behind bars. He must pay $13,162 in part for the emergency and police response to locating the loose snake. And the dozens of snakes that he must relinquish will be used for anti-venom and cancer research, said Anna Smith Felts, Giffords attorney. This gentleman has never been in trouble before and clearly there was a lack of judgment on this day back in November, Felts said. But he has done absolutely everything he can to rectify the situation. Venomous snakes are legal to own in North Carolina, but they must be kept in escape-proof, bite-proof enclosures and owners must notify law enforcement if one escapes. The cobra was reported outside a home on June 28 and captured two days later. During the search, residents were told to stay away from the snake if they saw it and call 911. LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) Pakistani authorities briefly detained two prominent journalists in the eastern city of Lahore on Saturday, drawing condemnation from human rights activists, political leaders, and the countrys media. A senior official from Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency, the FIA, said Amir Mir and Imran Shafqat were detained after posting scandalous content" on social media, prompting a complaint from the government's minister. He did not say whether the two had been charged with any crime. They uploaded scandalous content on YouTube and they are being questioned about a complaint lodged by a minister, Murad Saeed," said the FIAs Babar Bakht Qureshi. Later, the FIA issued a statement saying that the two had been released on bail after questioning and that charges would later be filed in court. The video in question was an informal roundtable discussion where journalists discussed the army's role in politics and the judiciary in Pakistan. The government did not have any immediate comment about the detentions, which were made in two separate raids. Mirs brother Hamid broke news of the two detentions on Twitter. Hamid is himself a prominent journalist, who hosted a popular TV talk show but was taken off the air two months after criticizing the countrys powerful military. Since then the elder Mir has not been reinstated by his channel, Geo News. The other journalist who was detained Saturday was Imran Shafqat. He had worked for several newspapers and is also active on social media. The detentions come as press freedom is increasingly under threat in Pakistan, where advocates and journalists often accuse the military and its agencies of harassing and attacking them. In one recent unsolved case, Asad Ali Toor, a critic of the army's role in politics, was beaten up by three unidentified men in his apartment in Islamabad. Police said those involved would be brought to justice, but so far no one has been apprehended. The government insists it supports freedom of speech. In a statement on Twitter, Pakistan's Human Rights Commission denounced the detentions, urging the end to what it called a heinous practice threatening HOUMA, La. (AP) Police are looking for a teen they say shot and wounded a woman waiting to pick up her grandchildren outside a school Friday. Houma police issued warrants to arrest 17-year-old Jamanie Dotch on charges of attempted-first-degree murder and possession of a firearm in a school zone. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) A 73-year-old South Dakota man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for sexually molesting two young girls five years ago. Leonard Brings Plenty, of Porcupine, pleaded guilty in December 2020 to abusive sexual contact. He was accused of molesting a 4-year-old girl and 6-year-old girl in 2016 at his residence on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) An annual Greek festival in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis has been canceled because of recent unrest in the district, sponsors said Friday. St. Marys Greek Orthodox Church sponsors the Taste of Greece festival, which showcases food, music, dancing and other celebrations of Greek heritage. It had been scheduled for Sept. 9-11. EAGLE HARBOR, Mich. (AP) A Michigan county that has become a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts might create a search-and-rescue team in the Upper Peninsula. Keweenaw County is on the Keweenaw Peninsula, surrounded by Lake Superior. Two people stranded for hours on Porter's Island during a recent storm were rescued. Their inflatable boat was no match for high waves, The Daily Mining Gazette reported. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) Communities and organizations across Rhode Island are eligible to apply for a portion of $3 million in matching grants to protect valuable green space, according to the state Department of Environmental Management. Funding provided through the 2016 Green Economy Bond and the 2018 Green Economy and Clean Water Bond which Rhode Island voters approved by a margin of almost 80% last November is capitalizing the grants. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Wood products company Interfor Corp. will reopen an idled sawmill in southwestern Louisiana, creating 170 jobs at the facility. Gov. John Bel Edwards and Interfor on Friday announced the company's plans to spend up to $8 million to revive the old Georgia-Pacific sawmill near DeQuincy. The new workers will earn an average salary of $62,000, plus benefits, according to the governor's office. Louisianas lumber industry is one of our most profitable agricultural exports, and the market for lumber is red hot right now," Edwards said in a statement praising the investment. Interfor, one of North Americas largest lumber producers, recently bought the facility after it was shuttered in May 2020. The mill has an annual lumber production capacity of 200 million board feet. The Canadian company said it plans to restart operations in the first half of 2022. We greatly appreciate all the support in getting this mill back up and running, Bruce Luxmoore, Interfors senior vice president of Southern operations, said in a statement. The state said it will give the company a property tax break and tax incentives for creating high-paying jobs with benefits, and also will help the company with workforce training. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) A 47-year-old Waterloo man has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison over a shootout in the parking lot of a liquor store that the judge called not unlike the Wild West. U.S. District Judge C.J. Williams in Cedar Rapids imposed the sentence this week on Charles Antony Ware for being a felon illegally in possession of a firearm. Ware pleaded guilty to the charge in March. GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) Given the choice of what to hear first, good news or bad news, Powder River Basin coal producers and the thousands of people who work the mines are used to asking for the good news only to be told there is none. Five years of working through a historically swift decline, thermal coal regions like Campbell County and the PRB have settled for most of the mines still operating at any level as the best news they could reasonably hope for. Now for the first time in nearly six years, when electing to hear the good news first, PRB producers are reporting increased production, lower costs and that the mines are profitable. Overall, a 6% increase in production for the first half of 2021 for the basins 12 Campbell County mines may not seem like much. Going from 101.85 million tons through the first half of 2020 to 107.9 million this year isnt enough to be considered a trend, jump or leap. But as the nations economy continues to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic thats lingered for nearly 18 months, its a welcome reprieve from the 22.5% decline thermal coal saw last year. With natural gas prices also rising above $4 and the pandemic rebound, it was expected there would be more of a leveling off for a beleaguered thermal coal industry, said Robert Godby, a leading energy economist and interim dean of the University of Wyoming College of Business. This is exactly what we expected, he told the Gilette News Record. As the economy recovers, we knew this was coming. But even (to this level) has kind of surprised us. Originally, we though it might be a one-year jump and then moderate, but now its looking like coal could maintain this pump through a good chunk of next year. Other experts agree, with the federal Energy Information Association projecting that by the end of the year, coal production will increase by 15% over 2020 levels. That also could result in some idled U.S. coal mines reopening. That would be good news for the Powder River Basin, which produces 43% of all coal mined in the United States. Its not enough to believe coal could rebound to pre-2016 levels, but it is good short-term news for Wyoming and Campbell County, Godby said. Leading the way are the two largest and only publicly traded producers in the basin, Peabody Energy Inc. and Arch Natural Resources. Their five mines produced about 70 million tons in the first half of 2021, or about 35% of the basins overall production, according to the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration. They also employ 2,383 of the basins overall 3,816 coal employees, or 62%. Both companies reported their costs went down, their revenues are up, their volume is up and the market looks like its going to be strong into the fall and winter, Godby said. They have a lot of momentum and its likely they can keep going through the fall. Also working in the short-term favor of thermal coal is that natural gas prices have remained high enough to entice power companies to resume burning coal, he said. That has led to a draw down of some stockpiles at power plants, which means they may order more coal to replenish those stockpiles. This is good news, Godby said. It means that, for now in places like Gillette, theyre hiring people back. Its a bit of a reprieve. Coal is still going to decline, but its not going to decline to zero anytime soon. He also points out that the bump for coal also is a bump for whats been a seriously strapped Wyoming state budget, which relies on energy for the bulk of its funding. While still not out of the woods, The state budget picture is not nearly as dire as we expected even six months ago, Godby said. Perhaps as important as the bottom line showing a little black for a change instead of perpetual red is the impact a couple of positive financial quarters can have for the outlook of Wyoming residents, he said. A grain of salt While 2021 may go down as a decent year for coal in the PRB, theres no question this year isnt a turnaround or launching point for another run for thermal coal in the United States, Godby said. Arch and Peabody both had their second quarter earnings call last week, and while the numbers were positive, the long-term message was still clear, with Arch, which continues to hold the line on its intent to get out of mining thermal coal and the Powder River Basin. In fact, its openly calling the strategy for its Black Thunder and Coal Creek mines a cash harvest, meaning it is making enough money to provide the company some cash and pay for its own reclamation obligations. Cash harvesting is an honest way to put it, Godby said. Metallurgical coal is basically benefiting the most from the (pandemic economic) recovery and the high value of steel. And on the thermal side, you see international prices being solid. Arch is being very clear that this is a short-term phenomenon and theyre more than happy to take the cash. On the other side is Peabody, which seems to be riding out Archs accelerated efforts to leave the PRB. With Arch out of the way, Peabody would be the only big dog left in the kennel. In the PRB, with Black Thunder signaling that its willing to back out, it really does suggest that North Antelope Rochelle (Peabodys flagship mine) may still have some life left to provide cash. NARM is going to be the strongest mine in all that, Godby said. Other signs While this year seems more stable for PRB coal, it may not last much past 2021, according to the Energy Information Administration. Two reports the agency released last week show how coal continues to decline in the overall portfolio of U.S. power generation. The number of producing mines for all types of coal fell to 551 last year, the lowest number since production peaked in 2008. While the report doesnt break out how many were thermal mines, most were. Overall, the 151 shuttered mines last year represent an 18% drop and a large part of an overall 62% decline in coal mines since 2008. A comparable drop in producing U.S. coal mines happened in 2016 at 17% when producers faced challenging market conditions that resulted in numerous bankruptcies and industry consolidation, according to a July 30 EIA report. The declining number of new mines in recent years reflects reduced investment in the coal industry in the United States, less demand for coal internationally and less demand for coal in the U.S. electric power sector. Along the way, renewable sources of energy continue to gain more of a foothold in the U.S. power generation picture. For the first time, renewables moved up the ladder to the No. 2 spot of electricity producing sectors at 21% in 2020, just beating out nuclear at 20%. Now a close No. 4 on the list is coal at 19% last year. Outpacing all at No. 1 is natural gas, which accounts for 40% of the nations electricity. Because of a significant hit to thermal coal from the pandemic, the EIA expects the small rebound in 2021 will put coal back to No. 2 this year, but not by much. We expect coal-fired electricity generation to increase in the United States during 2021 as natural gas prices continue to rise and as coal becomes more economically competitive, according to a July 28 EIA report. Based on forecasts in our short-term energy outlook, we expect coal-fired electricity generation in all sectors in 2021 to increase 18% in 2021 and 10% in 2022. More time to plan In the meantime, the rest of the PRB has a little extra time to plan for when coal begins to decline again, Godby said. While the EIA reports that 62% of active coal mines since 2008 have closed, the Powder River Basin has been almost immune. So far, the basin has seen only one mine closure, the Decker mine in Montana, which closed in December as part of a bankruptcy by its parent company, Lighthouse Resources. Arch Resources has its Coal Creek mine on track to be the second PRB mine to be shut down and 80% reclaimed by the end of 2022. Arch also has announced its accelerating the closure process of Black Thunder unless a buyer for the mine emerges. That type of contraction is overdue in the PRB, Godby said, adding that its simple math that the same 12 mines cant afford to keep taking smaller slices of the same pie. Since 2014 when the PRB mines produced 381.8 million tons of coal, production dropped by 46% by the end of 2020, when 206.9 million tons were mined. While nobody wants to see mines close, the reality is that contraction will make the mines that are left stronger and more stable even as coal remains an important part of the domestic energy picture, if no longer dominant, Godby said. People have been kind of dying for some good news, he said. And for now, Wyomings coal industry will welcome any good news it can get. Convenient home delivery of the Ludington Daily News Unlimited website access 24/7 Unlimited e-Edition access 24/7 The best local, regional and national news in sports, politics, business and more! Get the Ludington Daily News delivered straight to your door and receive unlimited access to our website and e-Edition when you purchase a Print + Digital Subscription. It is often said that laughter is the best medicine, yet I have never written a prescription Bonomade Machude Omar of the Islamic State (IS)-Mozambique; Sidan ag Hitta, Salem ould Breihmatt and Ali Mohamed Rage of the Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM); and Abdikadir Mohamed Abdikadir of al-Shabaab have been designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under Executive Order 13224, as amended, the Department said in a statement on Friday. Washington, Aug 7 (IANS) The US State Department has designated five leaders from three terrorist groups for "committing atrocities in Africa". According to the Department, Omar leads the Military and External Affairs Departments for IS-Mozambique and serves as the senior commander and lead coordinator for all attacks conducted by the group, as well as the lead facilitator and communications conduit. Hitta is a senior leader and commander responsible for the Kidal region in Mali within JNIM. He was among the group responsible for the January 20, 2019, attack on the MINUSMA base in Aguelhoc, Mali. He was also responsible for hostages in the Kidal Region, said the State Department. Breihmatt is a JNIM senior leader and emir of Arbinda and Serma in the Mopti region of Mali. He is also charged with the oversight of the group in Burkina Faso and is an explosives expert and instructor. Rage is al-Shabaab's spokesman and a senior leader of the group. He replaced Sheikh Mukhtar Robowas al-Shabaab's top spokesman in May 2009. Rage has been involved in attack planning that has targeted areas in Kenya and Somalia. Abdikadir is a facilitator and operational planner. As of November 2019, Abdikadirwas an al-Shabaab senior leader and served as the Head of Operations and Logistics. Taking to Twitter, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: "Today, the State Department designated five leaders from IS-Mozambique, JNIM, and al-Shabaab, terrorist groups that have committed atrocities in Africa. "The US is committed to disrupting terrorist financing, limiting their ability to conduct attacks against civilians." --IANS ksk/ Witnessing the stable Covid situation has encouraged many countries to open borders to travellers from India. Good news from the UK has provided hope for travellers from the country; the United Kingdom (UK) has now moved India from the "red" list to "amber," a categorisation created for international travel during the Covid-19 pandemic. Well, the classification eases the travelling protocols for foreigners travelling to the UK. The British traffic light system, as it says, classifies countries into three categories: red, amber, and green. The categorisation is based on "risks posed by individual countries and regions." The UK government is analysing the traffic-light system at the interval of every three weeks. And it comes up with the latest announcement of relief for Indian Diasporas, as India comes under the amber list. However, the UK also stated that "if the situation changes suddenly, a country or territory may be moved between lists without warning. How the traffic-light system works Reaching the UK from any other country depends on where you have ten days before your arrival. The three categories of the traffic light stand for different testing and isolation guidelines. Red list: The UK has advised its citizens not to travel to red list countries. Furthermore, only British and Irish citizens, or those who have the right to reside in the UK, can enter the country from the red list locations. After arriving in the UK, travellers will be subject to restrictions. They must remain in hotel quarantine for ten days and undergo three Covid19 tests, including one before leaving their home country. Amber list: Entering the UK from an Amber List location needs three Covid19 tests: the first, at least three days before departure; the second, the day of arrival or before the second day; and the third, the eighth day or later. The 10-day home quarantine is also mandatory. For fully vaccinated British citizens, no isolation or 8-day testing is required. And the fully vaccinated people in the United States or many European countries do not require to be isolated after arriving to the UK or on the eighth day of tests. Green list: Before entering the UK, the protocol demands a Covid-19 test. Upon arrival, a second test is mandatory to be taken on or before the second day. If the test result is positive, then only quarantine is required. However, some countries are at risk of moving from green to amber; these come under the "Green watchlist". As India has come under the amber list, Indians travelling to the UK need to follow only the required instructions. It includes the three Covid-19 tests, as mentioned above, that have to be taken. Due to the second wave of Covid-19 and some cases of the Delta variant in India, the UK had banned the travellers from the county unless they were British citizens. UK Transport Secretary mentioned through a tweet, "UAE, Qatar, India and Bahrain will be moved from the Red List to the Amber List. All changes come into effect Sun 8th August at 4am." As of now, the UK hasn't recognised Indian vaccines - Covishield (Serum Institute of India), Covaxin (Bharat Biotech) or Russia's Sputnik. But Covishield, the Indian version of Oxford-AstraZeneca, is expected to get approved. And a representative of the UK's Department of Health and Social Care stated, "We recognise there are a large variety of Covid-19 vaccines being administered worldwide and work is ongoing to determine which non-UK vaccines and certification solutions to recognise." (Source-The Indian Express) Status of travel to other international destinations The UK's decision has been made for relaxing travel regulations for some Indian passengers in several other countries, including Spain, France, Germany and the United Arab Emirates. Although the Indian government has banned regular international flights, the flights still operate under the air bubble arrangements with many countries. Nevertheless, countries such as The Philippines, Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Italy, Kuwait, New Zealand, Oman, Singapore, etc., are still closed to travellers from India. Yet, a few have eased restrictions for students. As per a report, the deployment of Delta Covid-19 variants and the Covid-19 situation of the country might be the reasons behind the country that extended the ban on Indian travellers. Minister of State, External Affairs, V Muraleedharan has said to Parliament that the United States, Britain, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands had accelerated restrictions on Indian students. In so far, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Georgia and other countries have relaxed travel restrictions for Indian students, and it is expected that more countries will open up travel in the future, the minister added. Moreover, the other countries could now consider resuming the gateway to Indian travellers. As the limitation on international travelling is also affecting the Indian as well as the global economy in several ways. And vaccine has rolled out in maximum number with the declining rate of Covid-19 positive result in India. Therefore, other countries too need to consider allowing open their borders with required protocols. 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! The Story of Australia, Don Watson, Black Inc., $32.99 Credit: For decades year 9 students have been subjected to plodding, imbalanced courses in Australian history, and, inevitably, found it boring. Don Watsons primer for young readers, originally conceived in the 1980s, would make a first-rate middle school text. As a historian Watson lets the fascinating tale of Australia unfold in simple, accessible writing from Indigenous history, reaching back thousands of years, the arrival of the First Fleet, the clash of cultures, and the emergence of the Australia we know today locked in the struggle against COVID-19. Watson is particularly adept at creating vivid snapshots, in concentrated chapters, such as early life on the Collingwood flat or the impact of new technology, the wireless, television and IT. A sweeping enterprise, skilfully and entertainingly told. Roots: Home is Who We Are, Various, Hardie Grant/SBS, $34.99 Credit: This collection of memoirs from the SBS Emerging Writers Competition is bursting with an array of voices from diverse racial, ethnic and national backgrounds. The contributors range from the young to the mature, mostly reflecting the Australian experience from the outside looking in. The Darkness by Caitlyn Davies-Plummer movingly documents depression from an Indigenous point of view, charting the years of racism she has endured. Maha Sidaouis Checkpoint Charlie is an amusing portrait of a Lebanese family and three young women on the town at a nightclub. Assyrian-Australian Monikka Eliah doesnt just remember feeling alienated at school but being labelled an alien, while Jason Phu shares a meditative reflection on fishing with his Vietnamese father. Tales that are distinctive and ring with authenticity. FICTION PICK OF THE WEEK Credit: Widowland, C.J. Carey, Hachette, $32.99 Alt-historical fiction set in Nazified Britain isnt new, with Robert Harris Fatherland perhaps the best known. Widowland marks its own imaginative territory, and more than holds its own as a feminist contribution to the subgenre. Its 1953 and Britain never went to war with Germany, instead forming a Grand Alliance with the Third Reich. Edward VIII and his queen, Wallis Simpson, reign a puppet regime; the sinister Alfred Rosenberg holds the real power. Women adhere to a strict caste system, and Rose Ransom works at the Orwellian Ministry of Culture, rewriting the Brontes and George Eliot, among others, to better reflect the new ideology. When graffiti (in the form of quotes from forbidden female authors) and hints of rebellion begin to emerge, Rose is sent to Widowland an impoverished ghetto where childless women past child-bearing age have been exiled to stamp out dissent before the Leader arrives. A darkly dystopian, and meticulously constructed, feminist political thriller. The Five Wounds, Kirstin Valdez Quade, Allen & Unwin, $39.99 Credit: The Five Wounds began life as a short story for The New Yorker, about a Latino no-hoper from small-town New Mexico, chosen to be Jesus in an annual re-enactment of the Passion of Christ. Amadeo alcoholic, unemployed, 33 and still living with his mother gets nailed to the cross before a crowd, including his pregnant teenage daughter Angel, in a symbolic act of redemption. The story is possessed of a terrible perfection that must have made a daunting foundation for a novel. And if the strain of construction is initially apparent, the books redemptive theme soon plays out effortlessly through Amadeos strangled attempts to make good, through the irrepressible Angel shuffling between high school and caring for her baby, and through Amadeos long-suffering mother, Yolanda, confronting a medical diagnosis she hides from her family. A multi-generational novel of great vividness, humour and compassion. What You Can See From Here, Mariana Leky; trans., Tess Lewis, Bloomsbury, $29.99 Credit: Whenever Selma dreams of an okapi the shy and strange-looking African animal that resembles a hybrid of a giraffe and a zebra someone in her West German village dies. A whimsical premise, perhaps, but the charm of Mariana Lekys novel shines through and the eccentricity never grates. Told from the perspective of Selmas grand-daughter Luise, we follow the villagers lives and their responses to Selmas premonitions. Theres an optician secretly in love with Selma, a boy who dreams of becoming a champion weightlifter, a married couple who cant admit each wants to part ways from the other, and a woman devoted to her own misery. Life and death, love and loss are portrayed with affectionate absurdity. And as Luise herself grows up and falls for a celibate monk, the bittersweet tale comes into its own, unassumingly captured in this sly, understated translation from Tess Lewis. Tunneling to the Centre of the Earth, Kevin Wilson, Text, $22.99 Credit: Kevin Wilson wrote the novels Nothing to See Here and The Family Fang (adapted into a film with Nicole Kidman and Christopher Walken). His career has blossomed since his debut collection of short stories, Tunneling to the Centre of the Earth, now published in Australia for the first time. In Blowing Up on the Spot, a young mans parents spontaneously combust without explanation, leaving him tentative about pursuing romance. The disconcerting Grand Stand-In follows a woman whos made a career replacing various families absent or defective grandmothers. Mortal Kombat sees two adolescent boys engaging in homosexual experimentation, before taking revenge on each other in a violent video game session. The stories have a delicious and unpredictable black comic sensibility to them, often with complex emotions squirming towards expression underneath. For mere mortals in their 20s, life is a constant balancing act between cramming for exams, juggling part-time jobs, and paying off student debt while still finding enough funds to have some fun. Thats not the case for media/property heir Luca Catalano, son of Antony The Cat Catalano, the former Domain boss who now chairs Australian Community Media. The son of media-property mogul Anthony Catalano attended a party in Byron Bay that breached the public health order. Credit:Instagram One of Catalanos nine children, Luca was attending college in southern California. But hes spent the past year back home in Australia having quite the eventful time. He didnt win a medal but there is no disputing runner Peter Bol walked away from Tokyo an Australian Olympic golden boy following his historic 800 metres final which galvanised the nation. Bol, whose refugee backstory alone is inspiring, is at the forefront of a new crop of Olympic sporting stars Australians have embraced over the past fortnight. However the landscape they are moving into is a vastly different one than their forebears Ian Thorpe and Cathy Freeman enjoyed, and cashed in on. Peter Bol. Credit:Getty While big name Tokyo stars like swimmer Emma McKeon seem guaranteed to reap the rewards of their well-earned success with endorsement deals, there has been a rise in more savvy sports media deals over the past 20 years. Basketball, the rise of womens sport and the ever-more sophisticated marketing machines behind the AFL and NRL has gobbled up more sponsor money than ever before. These sports offer corporates greater guaranteed exposure, theyre broadcast more often and provide a speedier return than the long-term investment required to back an Olympian who may never win a medal. FIVE BEDROOMS Series return Wednesday, Paramount+ The cast of Five Bedrooms: Katie Robertson, Stephen Peacocke, Kat Stewart, Doris Younane and Roy Joseph. Credit:Paramount+ Two of Australias best-loved television actors, Kat Stewart and Rodger Corser, have been circling each other for years. They both had roles on Stingers and Last Man Standing. While filming Underbelly, Corser was awestruck by Stewarts ability as Roberta Williams to release a single tear from one eye, take after take, when learning of Benji Veniamins death. Stewart always found Corser charming but it wasnt until Corser was cast as Stuart the dastardly ex-husband of Stewarts luckless lawyer Liz Wendell in the second season of Tens hit sharehousing drama, Five Bedrooms that they had the chance to work intimately together. The infuriating thing is, Id built up Stuart as this monster in season one, Stewart says of the previously unseen online trader who completely ruined Lizs life. And then they cast Rodger Corser, and I was like, Oh, damn it!, because hes so charming. But on the upside, you can kind of understand how it all happened. Its much more nuanced and complex than him just being a baddie. Stewie is a good guy!, Corser insists. He just made some really bad cryptocurrency decisions and got some bad advice from the Internet. I think whats really great is, its a lot easier to introduce a character when youre not having to explain them all in that episode. Everyone who followed Five Bedrooms for season one will know exactly who this guy is and where he sits within the dynamics of the show. We hit the ground running with him. You were born and raised in Matraville, in Sydneys south-eastern suburbs, the second of five kids. Did you grow up poor, working-class, middle-class or rich? Definitely working-class. Dad was a carpenter, constantly covered in sawdust, working seven days a week. Mum worked nights for 16 years at the Matraville drive-in. We didnt have holidays, never had luxuries, no big gifts. My parents came from nothing, but created a life for their children and sent us to good schools. I went to a private Catholic girls school, with Volvos pulling up outside; my father would come in his Kombi, me sitting on a milk crate in the back. I got this work ethic from my parents. Each week, Benjamin Law asks public figures to discuss the subjects were told to keep private by getting them to roll a die. The numbers they land on are the topics theyre given. This week, he talks to Anita Heiss. The Wiradjuri professor, writer and public speaker, 52, is an author of novels, non-fiction and books for children. Her latest novel is Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams). Does that mean youre now rich? Im rich in books. Unless youre selling hundreds of thousands of copies, youre not rich from writing. Studies show published Australian authors earn an average of $12,000 a year from their creative work and that its other work that makes up the bulk of their income. Lead me through the pie chart of your earnings. If we take out my salary at the University of Queensland [where Heiss is a professor of communications], Id say 80 per cent of my income is from public speaking. What I get paid for one keynote can be the same as the advance on a book. But books give us the platform to talk about the issues. Loading In 2011, you were part of a group of plaintiffs who won a federal court ruling against columnist Andrew Bolt, who was found to have breached the Racial Discrimination Act. No one received compensation from that case. If it wasnt about money, what was it about? We could have pursued a case around defamation and potentially made claims for money. But for me, and many others, it was about seeing a change in the way the media represents Aboriginal people and other minorities. It put the media on notice about whats acceptable, ethical and lawful. It ensured media professionals understood they could no longer crucify Aboriginal people in their columns without being accountable to their readers. People who hadnt read the witness statements or testimony asked, What about my freedom of speech? Id say, What is it you want to say about someone that you cant say under the law? If I never did anything in my life after that, Id be okay with having made that contribution. Who am I to not take a stand when so many people before me have put their lives on the line for the rights of our people? I thought about Windradyne [an early 19th-century resistance warrior] and the war he waged for the Wiradjuri mob in the Battle of Bathurst [against the incursions of white settlers]. And I thought, Who am I not to give it a crack? What is your greatest extravagance? Im collecting something from every Tiffany & Co around the world. I dont have kids, and I dont have a man, so I buy myself things Id expect someone to give me for my birthday and Valentines Day and Christmas. Im the best Valentine Ive ever had. Trent Zimmerman, federal MP for North Sydney, was working the hustings at the Lane Cove plaza shops, just before the last federal election, when Kristen Lock, a former nurse and Young Liberal, stopped him. I asked him what he was doing in the party to effect a moderate position on a lot of policies, recalls Lock. I said I was thinking of not voting Liberal because no matter what positions he took, the Liberal Party seemed to be swinging too far away from the small l Liberal he claimed to be. More than two years on from that meeting Lock hasnt changed her mind and with the backing of some deep-pocketed businesspeople North Sydney is the countrys fourth richest electorate - she has set up a group to field an independent candidate to compete against Zimmerman, a government backbencher. Trent seems a nice enough guy, hes just impotent when it comes to effective policy change, Lock says. We feel like our voices are being subdued by the LNP party bosses who are telling Trent how to vote. So it was a drive for change rather than just complaining for another three to six years. Trent Zimmerman on the campaign trail in 2015. Credit:James Brickwood Locks group, North Sydneys Independent, with grassroots campaigns Voices of North Sydney and Times Up Trent, expects to announce a candidate at the end of next month, and its likely to be a woman. Were looking for a positive, progressive, active voice very similar to Zali Steggall, Helen Haines and Rebekha Sharkie - centrist sensible crossbenchers - who potentially could have the balance of power and could steer this country into climate action and an urgent establishment of a federal ICAC, Lock says. Whats happening in North Sydney is being replicated elsewhere across the country, in several dozen electorates that are mostly held by Liberal National Party MPs. There are the Voices of Bradfield in Paul Fletchers seat, We Are Hughes and Hughes Deserves Better (Craig Kellys seat), We Are Fadden (Stuart Roberts seat), Voices of Mornington Peninsula (Greg Hunts seat), Voices of New England (Barnaby Joyces Seat), Voices of Hume and Vote Angus Out (Angus Taylors seat) and Voices of Groom (Garth Hamiltons seat), to name a few. Six weeks into being locked down, Sydney musician Jack Colwell was celebrating a successful Dry July and staring down another month of his mop growing shaggier by the day. So he decided, for the first time in his life, to get out the clippers and shave his head. Well, half of it. Mr Colwell, 31, said in his teenage years he aspired to the long locks of Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis. But these days hes happy to take inspiration from Kiedis famously buzzed bandmate, Flea. Musician Jack Colwell says shaving all but the top of his head was a cathartic experience. Credit:James Brickwood You dont have to look far on social media to find fellow Sydneysiders who have taken to themselves with clippers. Hairdressers are reporting plenty of DIY jobs that theyve been called in to fix, or talk their clients through, over FaceTime. Casey Hughes, a hairdresser at Newtowns Guilles Salon, said she receives messages pretty much every day from clients saying I need to cut my fringe, what can I do? or Ive shaved my head, does it look OK? Developers exploited light-handed regulation with generous floor space provisions and little sense of comprehensive redevelopment with the exception of Australia Square. But brooding mega-renewal schemes driven by the state government were envisioned on the citys fringe in The Rocks and Woolloomooloo to community consternation. A May 1967 retreat of the Planning Institute was achingly aware that planning had attracted a negative perception as conservative, cautious and finite rather than liberal, imaginative and continuing. Aldermen Leo Port and Andrew Briger with a plan for the proposed pedestrian way for Martin Place in November 1972. Credit:Archive Things took a turn for the better when the Civic Reform Association gained a Council majority to replace a gung-ho triumvirate of development-friendly state-appointed commissioners in late 1969. Anti-Labor but progressive, they had already commissioned Jim Colman to report on a new plan that encapsulated Sydneys problems in J.K. Galbraiths words: private affluence and public squalor. Aldermen Andrew Briger and Leo Port drove forward the idea of a strategy. By March 1970, the new Council had more than 20 submissions to undertake the $100,000 study, a sizeable sum for a city planning project. The successful consortium headed by Urban Systems Corporation (USC) was led by George Clarke. Clarke (1932-2005) had positioned himself astutely to take on the task. Hugh Stretton described him as one of those archetypal architect-planners that thought of planning as above all a mode of social reform. Charismatic, articulate, and a self-styled urbanist, George Clarke was the strategic plans architect. Credit: Charismatic, articulate, and a self-styled urbanist as his Paddington plaque proclaims, Clarke had worked and studied in the US with mentors such as Lewis Mumford and Kevin Lynch. He returned to Sydney with a keen understanding of urban renewal, conservation, community planning, and Lynchs emphasis on the image of the city. The USC was not only the first substantial planning consultancy formed in post-war Sydney but the first integrated firm spanning planning, design, architectural, transport and research. Clarke assembled a large cast to prepare the plan alongside architects McConnel Smith and Johnson and management consultants W.D. Scott. A total of 39 additional specialists making up the team including overseas specialists created a formidable line-up of cross-disciplinary expertise. Many were to later make their individual marks on Sydney into the 21st century. In gathering information, hundreds of stakeholders including unions, churches, charities, companies and government departments were invited to make submissions. Many were said to be astonished at being approached but people were bubbling over with ideas. This experiment in community consultation, however rudimentary, was a novel methodology for the times. Under each of its four guiding aspirations were four thematic policy areas which in turn generated more than 80 action priorities. The city was differentiated into five distinct districts (central spine, eastern, south-eastern, Pyrmont and University) creating more than 30 planning precincts. This was Clarkes response to addressing the citys complexity as an urban system. Five main management levers were identified: reasserting the city as the Councils domain; slashing developers as-of-right floor space entitlements to encourage taller buildings to deliver civic amenities; presaging a series of detailed action plans for key precincts and projects; looking to a three-year review cycle; and modernising the citys planning administration. Key overall objectives were to confine large-scale commercial development to a central core, discourage vehicle traffic, increase pedestrian-only spaces, promote bypass routes, enhance urban design quality, preserve historic buildings, secure more cultural diversity and conserve inner-city residential villages. They dont sound revolutionary now but it was an innovative package half-a-century ago. Major proposals included closure of Martin Place to traffic and rehabilitation of the threatened Queen Victoria Building. Other suggestions betray the high modernism of the period: a World Trade Centre; a downtown airport for new technology aircraft at Central Station; a planetarium for Ultimo; an investigation of monorails; thousands of peripheral car parking spaces; and traffic separated pedestrian environments with a predilection for tunnels, bridges, arcades and moving footways in contrast to the modern paradigm of street walkability. The architect Robin Boyd astutely recognised a scheme that sought to balance inventiveness and practicality without ruffling feathers. This was largely accomplished backed by a vigorous public relations campaign. The most outspoken critic was Harry Seidler who identified a toothless tiger which highlighted the problem of a strategy of ideas rather than a plan of controls. Loading Perversely, the Askin state government belatedly gazetted the Citys statutory plan in development since the 1940s only days before the CSSP was unveiled. Developers preferred its more forgiving rules which were extended, creating a rush of development applications. The misalignment was not fully corrected until the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act in 1979 which folded in many of the planning tools envisioned by the CSSP. By then, the plan had already been reviewed twice, green bans had come and gone, a state heritage act was in operation, and the Department of Urban and Regional Development had injected Commonwealth interest in the city. The planning bandwagon moved on. Even George Clarke, who had exported his formula into the City of Adelaide Planning Study in 1973-74 to solidify his national profile, had had enough: relocating to Bali and a peripatetic life as an international design guru. The CSSP remained far and away his crowning achievement according to Elizabeth Farrelly and it drifts in and out of her recent book Killing Sydney as an enlightened bellwether as Sydneys first foray into people-friendly, tree-planting, street-conscious, pedestrian-oriented planning strategy. The Snowy Mountains and Jindabyne will be transformed into an all-year playground with increased accommodation, glamping and helicopter commutes to Perisher, Thredbo and Charlotte Pass under a 40-year state government plan. The draft master plan for the Snowy Mountains special activation precinct proposes an extra 4000 beds distributed across the skiing resorts - an increase of about 40 per cent - as well as more parking, a significant expansion of Perisher village and turning Charlotte Pass into a year-round tourist destination. The master plan aims to diversify the Snowy Mountains from a winter destination to a year-round tourism drawcard. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Major changes are also proposed for the nearby town of Jindabyne including a new town square, the requisite eat street, a Southern Connector Road to bypass the town, a sports and education precinct and more housing. The draft master plan is on public exhibition until August 23, and the Planning Department will hold forums at Rydges Horizons this week for business and community stakeholders, before it finalises the plan in the first half of next year. The NSW government is resisting pressure from federal counterparts and the state opposition to implement a stricter lockdown, arguing a lack of compliance with the current rules was the key driver of Sydneys rising number of COVID-19 cases. After the state reported a record 319 new cases and five deaths on Saturday, and Sydney began its seventh week of lockdown, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard told The Sun-Herald there was no immediate need to increase restrictions. Health Minister Brad Hazzard has stood by NSWs restrictions, despite suggestions from federal authorities the state could do more. Credit:Rhett Wyman We are satisfied that the orders in place are appropriate, he said. The real problem remains: it doesnt matter what orders you put in place if people ignore them. Its about time that part of the community that is not taking responsibility for their own actions started doing it. Privately, senior members of the federal government who declined to speak on the record - suggested NSW did have more options available. That could include a ring of steel police presence on the outskirts of Sydney to stop people leaving a measure Melbourne introduced last year and which Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has demanded Sydney copy. Five patients have now died after catching COVID-19 in Liverpool Hospitals geriatric and neurology wards in an outbreak Deputy Chief Heath Officer Jeremy McAnulty has described as a tragedy. There were three deaths linked to the hospital cluster announced on Saturday, including Bossley Park grandfather Kat Ditthavong, 80, whose son said he died in a manner that lacked the warmth of the life he lived. Kat Ditthavong died at Liverpool Hospital on Saturday morning after catching COVID-19 in his ward. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong The two other deaths were reported in a woman in her 80s and a man in his 90s. Another man in his 80s and a woman in her 60s died earlier this week after catching the virus in the hospital. Liverpool Hospitals cluster began when a partially vaccinated student nurse tested positive last month. Twenty-nine patients have now tested positive after catching COVID-19 in the hospital, in addition to four staff members. The federal government has issued more than 12,000 of its controversial new global talent visas during the pandemic, while nearly 19,000 existing holders of previously issued skilled visas have remained stuck offshore. The global talent 858 visas are a fast track to permanent residency for skilled migrants, introduced in December 2019. Experts have warned the economic value of the visa is unproven and murky criteria leaves it open to influence peddling. Figures obtained by The Sun-Herald under freedom of information laws reveal 19,345 holders of temporary skilled visas were outside Australia in April this year, with more than 7500 of these visas due to expire by the end of this year, and another 9200 by the end of 2022. The figures include the 457 and 482 temporary skills shortage visas and the 491 and 494 regional skilled visas. Katie Morris at her parents home in Kansas is still hoping to return to her life in Sydney. Credit:Steve Puppe Many of these people were caught outside Australia when the borders closed or needed to travel for urgent personal reasons and have been unable to obtain a travel exemption to return to their homes and jobs in Australia. Some may have left permanently, while others are still hoping to return. The family that lives in the Flemington building, which is home to at least 400 people, has been moved to a different location. A pop-up COVID testing clinic at the Flemington housing towers on Saturday. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui Residents on the 17th floor the same floor as the ill family have been designated tier-1 primary close contacts, meaning they must stay in their apartments for 14 days. The other 19 floors are considered a tier-2 exposure site. New exposure sites revealed on Saturday include a swim school in Point Cook, a burger restaurant in Altona North and multiple supermarkets in the citys west. Genomic sequencing has indicated cases in the two new clusters have close genetic connections to the NSW-linked clusters that prompted Victorias last lockdown, though no identical match has been found, Mr Andrews said. Weve got a couple of mystery cases that drive each of those two separate chains of transmission. We simply cant work out where they got it from and that means theres at least two other people out there, and potentially more, who have the virus and have given the virus to the people that were dealing with now. But we cant identify them as yet; we may never be able to. Four of the new cases were linked to the City of Maribyrnong case discovered on Thursday. That case, the first in the cluster, interacted with people who returned to Victoria on July 15 after spending two weeks in a NSW quarantine hotel. These people tested negative during their hotel stay but returned weak positive results on Friday. It is unclear if the NSW returnees passed on the virus to the City of Maribyrnong case. Professor Baxter said she is concerned by the probability that there are two separate sources of the mystery cases that sparked the lockdown this week, or that they have come from the same source, but had been undetected for a long period of time. Theres a lot of positive sewage testing, from places that it doesnt seem like there were cases before, so that makes you think that there are more cases out there, the head of the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health said. In recent weeks there have been five unexpected COVID-19 detections in samples from the catchment that includes Balwyn, Camberwell, Canterbury, Mont Albert and Surrey Hills, for example. New wastewater detections were also made in regional areas including Benalla and Healesville. Professor Catherine Bennett said the new clusters may be linked to last months outbreaks. Credit:Jason South Professor Baxter and Professor Bennett said authorities may have to consider an even more cautious lifting of lockdowns in future to be more confident the virus has been extinguished. Weve got a lot of work to do, Professor Bennett said. Professor Bennett said the new clusters may be linked to last months outbreaks by positive cases that could have been missed due to an isolation protocol loophole. During last months lockdown, Professor Bennett and Latrobe University Associate Professor Hassan Vally raised concerns about the approximately 25 per cent of close contacts who were not being tested until day 13 of their mandatory isolation. Primary close contacts are asked to get tested earlier but are not required to under the law, and thousands during the last outbreak waited until the end of their quarantine to get a test. The meant their movements prior to isolation were not tracked until the positive result. The epidemiologists believe this may have led to undetected chains of transmission. Also, some people who may have been positive may no longer have the virus by day 13, meaning their household contacts are cleared without being tested and are free to return to the community, even though they could still be positive because they werent infected by their contact immediately. Professor Bennett called for mandatory testing of household contacts on day 13 if the primary contact did not receive a test early in their quarantine. She estimated, based on the average positivity rate of close contacts, cases in the double-digits may have been missed among the 26,000 contacts in the previous outbreak. Most early cases in that outbreak spent a day or two infectious in the community in mid-to-late July, around the same time as the estimated infectious period for the first cases in the newest clusters. Ms Bennett said these cases may be the missing links that join the new and old clusters. I dont know why the health department dont understand the risk, she said. If there were cases among the untested, weve never looked at their exposure sites, weve never called people to come forward for testing and we havent gone beyond their household contacts. Opposition leader Michael OBrien said the language of health officials indicated testing was mandatory for close contacts as soon as they were deemed at risk. But if the law doesnt actually require it, then theres a huge disconnect, he said. Professor Bennett and Mr OBrien suggested the government create incentives for close contacts to get tested on day one. The Coalition leader said the government could allow contacts to use rapid antigen tests in their homes and verify positive results with nose swab PCR tests. Antigen tests are only approved by the TGA for use with medical supervision. Fourteen of Saturdays cases were students at Al-Taqwa College, which is now one of a string of clusters centred around Victorian schools in the past month. Dozens of students and teachers have also tested positive for COVID at Bacchus Marsh Grammar, Trinity Grammar School in Kew and St Patricks Primary School in Murrumbeena. Schools have also been the centrepoint of Queenslands ongoing outbreak. Loading Professor Baxter said it was still unclear if the COVID strain was more infectious in children, but what was apparent was that the virus spreading among the unvaccinated, and only a small group of vulnerable children are so far eligible for the Pfizer vaccine. They are a group that we are prioritising getting back together in groups, she said. Im not criticising that but its not surprising that the virus finds its way into schools. Victoria, which will soon allow under-60s to receive AstraZeneca jabs at state hubs, is administering an average of 17,600 jabs per day over the past week compared with 23,300 in NSW. Queensland is tracking at 11,500 per day. White Plains: Two men from Myanmar have been arrested for conspiring to seriously injure or kill their countrys ambassador to the United Nations, who has openly defied the military junta that seized power in February. Court documents filed in a New Jersey federal court on Friday detailed a plot to hire the two men, Phyo Hein Htut and Ye Hein Zaw, to tamper with the tyres of ambassador Kyaw Moe Tuns car to cause an accident in the hopes of ousting him from his post. And if that failed, US federal prosecutors allege that the men planned to assassinate him. Myanmar Ambassador to the United Nations Kyaw Moe Tun flashes the three-fingered, a gesture of defiance used by protesters in Myanmar, at the end of his speech to the UN General Assembly in February. Credit:UNTV/AP Htut and Zaw were charged on Friday with plotting an attack on American soil, US Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a release Friday. 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. Medford, NJ (08055) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Brussels, 7 August 2021 (SPS) - Morocco is facing mounting pressure over its crackdown on civilians and human rights activists in the occupied Saharan territories, the International Crisis Group has affirmed. The Group highlighted in its July report - reviewed by Sumoud - that international pressure was aimed at forcing the Moroccan regime to end the repression against Sahrawis, which escalated dramatically after the outbreak of the war in Western Sahara in mid-November. The report noted that the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations on human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, had called on Morocco to stop the criminalization of human rights activists, especially those who demand the rights of the Sahrawi people. The UN official condemned the cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and torture of Sahrawi activists and prisoners, the report added. The report quoted Amnesty International as confirming the escalation of repression against Sahrawi pro-independence activists as the Moroccan regime has intensified its human rights violations since November 2020, including ill-treatment, arrests and harassment with "22 reported human rights violations by Moroccan security forces against Sahrawi activists and human rights defenders. (SPS) 062 Can we talk about your honker? Thats right, your schnoz. If you are vaccinated against COVID-19, your beak can nonetheless house large amounts of the SARS-CoV-2 virus Delta variant, as much as an unvaccinated person would have. You could be very infectious despite not being sick. Thats not good. Sign up to get Colins newsletter delivered to your inbox, for free Its pretty different from what we thought a few weeks ago, which was that vaccinated people did not play a significant role in the chains of transmission spreading the virus. Confused? Lets back up and remind ourselves of a few things. SARS-CoV-2 is a virus. COVID-19 is the disease people get when successfully infected by the virus. Being vaccinated does not keep SARS-CoV-2 from getting in your body and trying to make trouble. Being vaccinated, scientists say, is more like putting a fire extinguisher in your kitchen. It doesnt mean you will never have a fire. It means you will have a way to fight the fire and, most of the time, put it out. Back in the bad old days, SARS-CoV-2 would enter your body through your upper airways, and then treat the rest of your body your lungs, your blood, your heart, your other organs like a trip to Paris. If youre vaccinated, SARS-CoV-2 might still enter your body through the upper airways but then find it very difficult to party in any of those other places, which are now armed to repel it. Instead of going to Paris, it gets stuck in French customs for a few days until it decides that life is not worth living, a reaction we can identify with. The Delta variant seems to allow a lot of obnoxious, noisy, trouble-making viral tourists to cluster up there around the arrival gates, and even though they cant go pile into your cardio-pulmonary spaces as if those were the Champs Elysee, they can mill around the waiting area and maybe catch a Ryan Air shuttle to somewhere else. And somewhere else might not be vaccinated. Or might be unable to fully utilize the benefits of the vaccine because of immuno-suppression. This is a strong argument for wearing masks more rather than less. Its a strong argument for restoring some of the caution we threw to the winds after we got vaccinated. This was put into words very well by Travis Dagenais, a 35-year-old Boston man who was among the people who went to Provincetown over the July Fourth holiday and partied like it was 1999. Or 2019. All indications are that SARS-CoV-2 tourists wearing T-shirts with slogans such as Im with Contagious entered the Charles de Gaulle airport of Traviss nose, where most of them were stopped. A few of them slipped through and made a little trouble in his Arc de Triomphe and a few of his cathedrals. He got sick with flu-like symptoms for a few days. He got better. Its probable that some of the tourists in his upper airways caught connecting flights to other people. Travis appears to have been part of a chain that spread SARS-CoV-2 to about 1,000 people, perhaps 75 percent of them vaccinated. He told the Associated Press. The dominant public messaging has been that the vaccine means a return to normal. Unfortunately, Ive now learned its a few steps toward normal, not the zero-to-sixty that we seem to have undertaken. Bravo, Travis. You got it, and now you get it. None of this would matter if a lot more Americans got vaccinated. Thats still the biggest problem, not the vaccinated people with tourists in their noses. The best number to watch is COVID hospitalizations per 100,000, and the states with high rates are the same states with low vaccination rates and governors with crazy mask policies. The people who will suffer the most are the unvaccinated and the immune-suppressed. The latter group is about 3.6 percent of the population, and the best thing they could do right now is form a movement, design a flag, and get out the old ACT UP playbook. The best thing you could do as a vaccinated person is follow Traviss advice. Vaccination entitles you to take a few steps toward normal but not all the steps you feel like taking. Dont risk becoming an unwitting part of a transmission chain that eventually gets to an organ transplant recipient or a cancer patient. Or even to an unvaccinated person. Granted, theyre pigheaded and annoying, but that shouldnt come with a death sentence. I feel like a broken record. This is not over. How can something be over if its growing? Put a mask over that honker. Colin McEnroes column appears every Sunday, his newsletter comes out every Thursday and you can hear his radio show every weekday on WNPR 90.5. Email him at colin@ctpublic.org. Sign up for his newsletter at http://bit.ly/colinmcenroe. Ashtabula, OH (44004) Today Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. The company asked all 68,500 employees to provide proof of vaccination as soon as possible, and said those who do not will be required to get tested regularly and wear masks at all times in the office. Contractors and subcontractors will have to attest they have been vaccinated before entering Centene premises. The shots are mandatory for employees who visit peoples homes or go into clinical facilities as part of their work. And it will be a condition of employment for new workers starting in October. Neidorff called for strong collaboration between private and public sector leaders. We are deeply committed to protecting our members and employees as the delta variant continues its spread across the U.S., causing a new pandemic of the unvaccinated, Neidorff said in the statement. The St. Louis Fed is requiring vaccines for all 1,430 of its employees, 1,300 of them based in St. Louis. While Reserve bank employees are not government employees, Federal Reserve banks have historically followed the spirit of such broad federal policies, a St. Louis Fed spokeswoman said in an email. General Motors is not mandating the shots, but will require salaried employees to report their vaccination status. At first, we were told we didnt need masks and then we were told we did. I figured the officials lied to us because they knew wed have hoarded masks the way some of us hoarded toilet paper in those early days. Suddenly, there was a shortage. Why the hoarding? Why would there have been a shortage of toilet paper? You dont need logic to frighten the herd into stampede mode. And yet, one year after that first column, we had made a huge turnaround. The vaccines started becoming available around the first of the year. I got my first dose in January. I was lucky. I got my shot from the St. Louis County Health Department. I had friends who traveled long distances to get theirs. By spring, the vaccine was available everywhere. The virus was receding. In June, my wife and I took two of our grandchildren to Disney World. Also in June, George Johnson, a retired Washington University biology professor and biology textbook writer, quit writing an informative and often entertaining blog about the pandemic pandemicletters.com. He concluded that the problems were no longer medical, but political. There was a general sense that the worst was over. Never underestimate the power of the herd. The fire was already too bad in the part where the children slept for the grandparents to rescue them, Mosley explained, adding that Vanicia was treated for smoke inhalation. At daybreak Friday, black soot covered the brick over a second-floor window facing 29th Street, and flames had melted what appeared to be vinyl covering another opening. The Child Death Investigation Task Force, a regional police unit, was interviewing neighbors and relatives, in part to determine whether the children were alone when the fire broke out. The apartment was essentially a one-bedroom unit converted by the family into two living areas: one room for the children and their mother, and one room for the grandparents, Mosley said. A kitchen separated the spaces. Mosley said the extended family of eight had moved into the apartment after being burned out of their previous home earlier this year. They all escaped injury in that fire, and Mosley said she didnt know the cause but said it wasnt suspicious. Officials werent available for comment. Sabrina Dunigan, who works with her father trimming trees, was a single parent. She spoke with investigators after Fridays fire and then left in a private vehicle. 40 years ago: Mom is out gambling as 11 children die in house fire On Jan. 11, 1981, 11 of Virginia Williams' children died in a house fire in East St. Louis. The children had been left home alone and ranged in age from 10 months to 11 years. A side effect of the improved relations between Israel and Arab states, especially in the Arabian Peninsula (UAE, Saudi Arabia), is more Israeli Arabs are joining the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). All Israeli Jews are subject to conscription, as are two special non-Jewish minorities (Druze and Circassians). Each year the Israeli military takes in between fifty and fifty-five thousand new recruits, who will serve for 30 months. Each year a small number of Israeli Moslem volunteer for military service and that number has been going up. In 2020 there were 606 Moslem volunteers, up from 489 in 2019 and 436 in 2018. About half the Moslem volunteers went to combat units. The percentage of Moslem volunteers who leave the military before their term of service also declined as well. In 2020 it was 23 percent compared to 30 percent in 2019. Most of those who leave early do so because of pressure from Israeli Moslems, who are 20 percent of Israeli citizens. That pressure is declining along with Israeli Arab support for the Palestinians. Arabs in general, especially in the oil-rich Gulf states, have long given up on the Palestinians, who prove again and again that they never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity for peace. The Gaza Palestinians have something of an excuse as they are ruled by Hamas, an Islamic terrorist group that took over after winning an election in 2007 and did not allow elections after that. Most Gaza residents are hostile to Hamas, which now depends on Iran for most of its financial support. Iran is officially at war with Sunni Arabs, which is what most Palestinians and Israeli Arabs are. Before the shift in Arab attitudes, there was one group of Arab Moslems in Israel that sided with Israel. The Bedouin Arabs have long contributed most of the Moslem volunteers and continue to do so, in large part because the Bedouin have long been looked down on by other Arabs but get respect from Israelis, especially if they have served in the military. Then there are the Druze, a minority despised by most Moslems. The Israeli Druze asked to be conscripted and that was done. Over the years more and more Druze have become career soldiers and qualified for more high-tech jobs. In 2019 the Israeli Air Force gained its first Druze pilot as he completed the course for helicopter pilots. He could have attended the fighter pilot course but had a preference for helicopters. There is also a Druze serving in the air force as a navigator. That officer had been promoted to lieutenant colonel and became commander of a staff school. While only two percent of Israelis are Druze, they are subject to conscription because they, like Jews, are also hated by most Moslems. The Druze are considered heretics or pagans by Moslems, depending on which misconception you choose. Early on Jews and Druze established a blood covenant in which both Jews and Druze declared their loyalty to Israel and each other. The only other Moslem group subject to conscription are the Circassians, a Sunni Moslem group originally from the Caucasus who were exiled by the Ottoman Empire to what became Israel. Arabs saw the Circassians as foreigners, especially since they looked more European than Arab. Before and during the Jewish war for independence the Circassians, along with the Druze, sided with the Jews and were accepted as Israeli citizens when Israel became a state. The Circassians sought and were allowed to be conscripted. The Circassians were always a small minority because, like European Jews, they sought secular education and had smaller families so all the children could be well educated. There are only about 4,000 Circassians in Israel and they are allowed to attend their own schools in order to maintain their culture. Not all Druze living in Israel belong to the Druze covenant. For example, in late 2018 several dozen Israeli Druze in the Golan Heights held a pro-Assad demonstration that was acknowledged by Syrian soldiers guarding the border who shouted encouragement. The Israeli border police did not interfere. While most of the 20,000 Druze living in Israeli-controlled (since 1967) Golan Heights retained their Syrian nationality, Israel did not hold that against them. A growing number of younger Druze are accepting the offer of Israeli citizenship. But older Syrian Druze are more concerned with kin who still live in Syria and are subject to persecution if the Assad government discovers family members who are Israeli citizens. Many of the Druze in Syria, where they are about five percent of the population, turned against the Assad government by 2015. From late 2014 until 2018 al Nusra Islamic terrorists and other Syrian rebels controlled most of the border adjacent to Israel. This created problems with the Israeli Druze who feared for the safety of the 500,000 Syrian Druze. The 130,000 Israeli Druze have been pressuring Israel since 2013 to rescue or help protect Druze living across the border in Syria. Israel agreed to help but never released a lot of details. The solution apparently involved quietly making deals with Syrian rebels. This solution meant there was no need to allow lots of Syrian Druze into Israel or send Israeli troops across the border to establish a safe zone for Syrian Druze. This would preserve the lands of Syrian Druze and not turn them into refugees, but would also be more expensive in cash and lives for Israel to defend this new border. That never happened. With ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) gone from the Israeli border by late 2017, al Nusra (pro-al Qaeda rebels) and Assad forces controlled most of the border. Al Nusra was driven away from the Israeli border by Syrian soldiers and Iranian mercenaries in early 2018 and from then on, the entire southern border was controlled by the Assad forces. Many Syrian Druze now want to join their Israeli kin, for the same reason Egyptian Bedouin would prefer to be Israeli Bedouin because Israel treats its religious and ethnic minorities far better than the Arab states. Arab Israelis could always volunteer for the military and there were always some who did. But the total serving at any one time was only a few thousand Arab volunteers, and this includes Arab Christians and Bedouins. Military service is admired among the Bedouin so many volunteered to serve and several have won medals for valor in combat while others have become career officers. Many Israeli Arabs, especially young ones, were attracted to Islamic radicalism. For example, in mid-2010 sixteen Israeli Arabs were accused of terrorism or providing assistance to Islamic terrorists. This treason by Israeli Arabs has been an increasing problem. While some 20 percent of Israeli citizens are Arabs, not all are Moslem. About 12 percent of Israeli Arabs are Christian and eight percent are Druze. When Israeli Arabs volunteer, they are first carefully screened. Despite that, one of the Israeli Arabs arrested in 2010 was a career army NCO, who worked on vehicle maintenance in a northern Israel army base. He provided the names of seven local Israeli Arab civilians who, like he, were also working for a drug smuggling gang. What was most troublesome about this was that the drug gang was known to work with Islamic terror group Hezbollah, which controls most of southern Lebanon. The NCO provided information to the smugglers on which border posts were having problems with their surveillance equipment or other gear, and what the patrol schedules were. The drug gangs bring their stuff in from Lebanon, where Hezbollah has to be paid off. Information on the Israeli military is very valuable, and it's believed that Hezbollah was getting what the Israeli sergeant was passing on to the drug gang. The Israeli NCO admitted he did it for the money. Hezbollah has had increasing success getting Israelis, usually Israeli Arabs, to spy for them for cash. Israel also had some problems with Bedouins and smuggling. Bedouins are unpopular in many Moslem countries because Bedouins were nomads for thousands of years and tended to disregard borders. For many Bedouins, smuggling is not considered a crime but an ancient Bedouin tradition. Israeli police can at least get the Bedouin smugglers to cooperate, especially when the Israeli Bedouin were having problems on the Egyptian (Sinai) side of the border. Few Bedouin Israelis get involved with Islamic terrorism. That is an exception. Eight of the Israeli Arabs arrested in 2010 were directly involved in Islamic terrorism. Several of them were charged with murdering three Israeli Jews in 2009. The eight were also involved in buying, selling and smuggling illegal firearms, and seeking to obtain explosives for terror attacks. Several of these men traveled overseas a lot, and it was their trips to Ethiopia and Kenya which put them under investigation. While Israeli Jewish gangsters stay away from terrorism, the Israeli Arab criminals use their ethnic ties, and knowledge of Arabic, to work with gangsters in neighboring Arab states. These gangs are more willing to work with Islamic terrorists, especially in Lebanon and Syria where Islamic terrorism is, for all practical purposes, legal. Israel had adapted to all these ancient customs by carefully screening Moslems seeking to join the military and quietly keeping an eye on the behavior of Moslem troops to detect any signs of problems and, if possible, stop it before the Moslem soldier gets himself in major trouble. Sometimes a quiet discharge or not allowing a Moslem soldier to re-enlist solves the problem. Israel prefers to publicly honor the loyal Moslem soldiers and weed out the questionable ones, quietly if possible. Meanwhile, the first Druze helicopter pilot in the Israeli air force is considered a very successful man by his family and fellow Druze, but he and his family prefer that the pilots name not appear in the media. A Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve patrol encountered a hostile pro-Syrian regime militia at a checkpoint near Qamishli, Syria, Feb. 12, 2020. The 82nd Airborne Division will court-martial Sgt. 1st Class Robert Nicoson, who was involved in an Aug. 17, 2020, firefight during an attack on his convoy near Qamishli. (Jodi Eastham/U.S. Army) An 82nd Airborne Division soldier whose patrol came under fire in Syria last August will face court-martial for a series of charges that include violating orders and reckless endangerment, the military said last week. Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue referred the case against Sgt. 1st Class Robert Nicoson to trial, division spokesman Lt. Col. Brett Lea said in an email Thursday. Nicosons case underwent an Article 32 preliminary hearing in May, similar to a civilian grand jury proceeding, to review evidence against him on charges related to several incidents, including a patrol that got caught up in a deadly firefight near the northeastern Syrian town of Qamishli on Aug. 17, 2020. It is alleged that Sgt. 1st Class Nicoson was involved in incidents of violating orders, reckless endangerment, making unlawful threats and obstruction of justice after the fact, Lea said. The charge sheet will not be available until Nicoson is arraigned, which could be in the next couple of weeks, Lea said. Nicosons attorney, Phillip Stackhouse, did not immediately return a request for comment on the case. Stackhouse told Stars and Stripes after the May 20 hearing at Fort Bragg, N.C., that prosecutors did not call a single witness and instead relied on a very thin Army CID (Criminal Investigation Command) investigation and a low burden of proof to push for court-martial. Prosecutors also provided the defense with two classified investigation reports just prior to the hearing" that they had not previously made available, Stackhouse said. Both investigations, conducted before any Army CID involvement, contained very favorable evidence for SFC Nicoson, he said. While I cant go into the facts contained within those investigations yet, I think its fair to say that SFC Nicoson was not even in the country at the time two of the charges are alleged to have occurred, he said. Some of the charges stem from a patrol in June, and from events after the August firefight, Stackhouse said in an earlier phone interview. The defense entered both records into evidence and sought to have them declassified, Stackhouse said. The May proceedings were recessed to allow the preliminary hearing officer to review and consider evidence before issuing a report to the commander, said Lt. Col. Mike Burns, division spokesman at the time. Long story short new information was made available and is being considered, Burns said. Military officials have declined to discuss specifics of the charges against Nicoson. Nicoson was a platoon sergeant with the 82nd Airborne Divisions Blackhorse Troop, 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment on what Operation Inherent Resolve has described as a routine anti-Islamic State patrol last August when a firefight broke out at a Syrian checkpoint. A Syrian fighter was killed and two others were wounded in the firefight, but there were no coalition casualties. It was one of several high-profile altercations last year between U.S. military patrols and pro-regime Syrian forces or their Russian backers in the civil war that began in 2011. Nicoson had been under consideration for a Bronze Star with valor device for his actions during the battle, at least until September, Stackhouse said earlier this year. Nicoson's wife, Beverly, told Stars and Stripes via email earlier this year it wasn't clear why the Army went from considering an award to seeking punishment. Prosecutors claim he put the platoon at risk by going where they shouldn't have been, then threatened Syrian forces before the fighting broke out, Stackhouse said. Prosecutors do not allege misconduct during the actual gunbattle or say that Nicoson started the firefight, he said. The charges are merely accusations, said Lea, the division spokesman. The accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty, he said. Chad Garland Chad is a Marine Corps veteran who covers the U.S. military in the Middle East, Afghanistan and sometimes elsewhere for Stars and Stripes. An Illinois native whos reported for news outlets in Washington, D.C., Arizona, Oregon and California, hes an alumnus of the Defense Language Institute, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Arizona State University. Motorcyclists ride past a mural in Port-au-Prince of the late Haitian President Jovenel Moise the day before he was laid to rest. (Joshua Lott/The Washington Post) PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti Nearly a month after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, none of the dozens of detained suspects have been taken to court. Some of the judges and clerks investigating the killing have gone into hiding, fearing for their lives and claiming they faced pressure to tamper with reports. Now - with the plot and motives still murky - many Haitians have begun to believe the authorities are also using the investigation as cover to crack down on political foes of the administration trying to keep power after gunmen killed Moise on July 7. A prosecutor for Port-au-Prince has issued a series of arrest warrants against political opponents - high-profile evangelical pastors, a former justice minister and Moise critics - who all say they had nothing to do with the assassination. Steven Irvenson Benoit, a former senator and presidential candidate in Haiti, described the arrest warrants as "a war" against political enemies who could challenge the country's interim leadership. In an investigation mired in confusion and chaos, the arrest warrants point to shortcomings in Haiti's justice system and raise questions about whether authorities will ever get to the bottom of the hit on Moise. It also further complicates the role of U.S. officials and the FBI in an international case with alleged ties to U.S.-trained Colombian military officers and a company based in South Florida. "The regime in power wants to stay in power, so they issued arrest warrants against those who can be a threat to them," said Gerard Forges, a well-known pastor in Haiti and outspoken critic of Moise who was the subject of one of this week's arrest warrants. He denied any involvement in the assassination. "What is going on," he said, "is political persecution." Forty-four people are currently detained in Haiti in connection with the attack, including 18 retired Colombian military officers and several members of Moise's security detail. Haitian and Colombian authorities have said the Colombian ex-military officers were hired by a Florida-based security contracting firm, CTU Security, to travel to Haiti. Some of them were under the impression they would be serving as bodyguards, authorities said. On Wednesday, more twists and turns were added to the investigation maze. Lawyers on behalf of the owner of CTU Security, Antonio Intriago, said their client was led to believe his company was providing security for a redevelopment and humanitarian project in Haiti led by Christian Sanon, a Haitian American and self-described pastor and physician now detained in Haiti in connection with the investigation. In return for providing security for the initiative, Haitian officials promised Intriago he would receive a cut from the profits eventually generated from the infrastructure projects, the lawyers' statement said, echoing details from contract proposals obtained by The Washington Post last month. The statement alleged that Intriago worked with a business associate by the name "Mr. Arcangel" who had a "working relationship" with the FBI. The lawyers claim "Mr. Arcangel" had received assurances from his FBI contacts that the security services were legitimate. These assertions could not be independently verified by The Post, and FBI spokeswoman Manali Basu declined to comment regarding the alleged FBI connections. Records show that a man by the name of "Arcangel, Pretel O." is a business associate of Intriago's at a company called Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy, but it was not clear if the two are the same person. Intriago did not provide any weapons to the security contractors in Haiti, the statement said, adding that Colombian retired soldiers were awaiting security and firearms permits from Haitian police at the time of the Moise murder. But just before the killing of the president, Intriago learned there had been a change in the plans in Haiti, the lawyers said: The Colombian contractors were asked to accompany a Haitian judge and district attorney to execute an arrest warrant on Moise. The lawyers alleged the Colombians were told their role was to guard the officials while Haitian police carried out the arrest. "It is our belief that the president's own body guards betrayed him," the statement said. The lawyers' statement included a letter asking for Intriago's security assistance, purportedly signed by the judge, Windelle Coq Thelot, and the district attorney, Gerald Norgaisse. But both the district attorney and a relative speaking on behalf of the judge said they never signed such a document. The lawyers who issued the statement did not respond to questions from The Post, nor did Intriago. The conflicting accounts and unanswered questions cast even more doubt over an investigation that has been muddied from the start. Shown the signed document, Gerald Norgaisse told The Post it was a fake. "It's the first time I'm seeing this document in my life," Norgaisse said. "Someone tried to imitate my signature." Norgaisse said he has been one of the Haiti prosecutors questioning suspects in the probe into the Moise killing. Marc-Antoine Maisonneuve, a lawyer for Coq Thelot, told The Post that his client denies any involvement in the assassination of the president. The judge's brother, Edwin Coq, told The Post she did not sign the document provided by CTU security, and did not have the capacity to do so because she was preparing for the funeral of her father. Coq Thelot, a former Supreme Court judge who was removed by Moise in February amid an alleged attempted coup, is also the subject of an arrest warrant in Haiti in connection with the assassination, Claude, the Haitian prosecutor, said. On Wednesday, Claude confirmed he had issued arrest warrants against five other people in connection to the investigation into the president's killing: Line Balthazar, the head of Moise's PHTK political party; Paul Denis, a former justice minister; Samir Handall, a well-known business owner; and Gerald Bataille and Gerard Forges, high-profile evangelical pastors and Moise critics. The arrest warrants of such prominent opponents of the current administration were swiftly condemned by politicians and human rights activists in Haiti. "I think it's simply intimidation," said Benoit, the former presidential candidate, who was called in for questioning at the prosecutor's office in the early days of the investigation. "They want to shut all of us down." Reached by The Post, Claude declined to provide reasons or evidence backing up the arrest warrants. On Wednesday, he said, the case was forwarded from Claude's office to the investigative judge's office, as required by Haitian law. Legal experts in Haiti questioned why the prosecutor did not simply invite these high-profile figures for questioning, as is standard protocol before an arrest warrant is issued. "I don't have to invite them," Claude said in response. "Nobody can tell me what to do." Jean Senat Fleury, a longtime Haitian investigative judge who immigrated to the U.S. in 2007, criticized the fact that members of Moise's same political party are now tasked with probing his killing. "It's more politics than justice, what is going on in Haiti," Senat Fleury said. "The same people in charge cannot do the investigation." Brian Concannon, a board member and adviser for the Boston-based nonprofit Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, said Moise's political party has systematically used the justice system to persecute, arrest and harass its political opponents. These actions "have weakened the justice system's ability to stand up against that kind of executive overreach," Concannon said. In recent days, the judges and clerks investigating the assassination - those tasked with examining the bodies of Moise and the suspects accused of killing him - have faced repeated threats against their safety, said Aine Martin, president of the Haitian National Clerk Association. They are now in hiding, and Martin said he has asked the country's justice minister to take measures to protect the safety of the judges, clerks and their families. Martin said two clerks, Marcelin Valentin and Waky Philostene, have received anonymous phone calls asking them to tamper with their reports and to add the names of prominent Moise critics, including Youri Latortue, a politician, and Reginald Boulos, a businessman. The two clerks refused, Martin said. In an interview, Boulos said he has never met any of the people suspected of playing a role in the president's assassination. "It's clear that this investigation now is being politicized by the people who have the capacity ... the people in power," Boulos said, "and that they are trying to focus the blame on people who have nothing to do with it." - - - Samantha Schmidt reported from Bogota and Boburg from Washington. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. (Pool/Getty Images) WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service) U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he has deep concern over Chinas growing nuclear arsenal in comments to a meeting with Asian counterparts on Friday. Speaking virtually at the ASEAN Regional Forum foreign ministers meeting, Blinken told the closed-door gathering that Chinas expanding nuclear capabilities highlight how Beijing has sharply deviated from its decades-old nuclear strategy based on minimum deterrence, according to a statement from State Department spokesman Ned Price. Blinken also called on China to abide by its obligations under the international law of the sea and cease its provocative behavior in the South China Sea, and raised serious concerns about ongoing human rights abuses in Tibet, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang, according to the statement. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China believes in upholding true multilateralism and maintaining regional peace and stability in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and the resurgence of geopolitics, according to a statement from Chinas foreign ministry. Without referring to the U.S. directly, Wang said countries should avoid interfering in each others internal affairs, adding that Asian nations had been bullied by others in the past and didnt require teachers or saviors. The U.S. has sought to rally nations across Asia and beyond to push back against Chinas increasingly assertive foreign policy. During a visit to India in late July, Blinken warned against rising global threats to democracy and sought to strengthen the Quad grouping of nations made up of the U.S., India, Japan and Australia. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also recently returned from a trip to Southeast Asia, including stops in Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines. Blinken also repeated U.S. calls for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and urged the government of Myanmar to end violence and return to democratic governance, according to the statement by his spokesman. ___ According to the San Diego County Sheriffs Department, one of its deputies was exposed to fentanyl in the field, requiring emergency life-saving intervention by a field training officer on the scene. (San Diego County Sheriffs Department/TNS) SAN DIEGO (Tribune News Service) The accidental fentanyl exposure hit Deputy David Faiivae quickly. It was an overdose. He was dying. A body-worn camera caught the moment Faiivae collapsed flat on his back in a San Marcos parking lot last month, seconds after he finished testing a white powder hed suspected was either cocaine or fentanyl. The sheriffs deputy stared into the sky, his lungs locked as he struggled for air. If not for a quick-thinking partner, he would be dead. Faiivaes near-fatal overdose July 3 was the subject of a four-minute video released by the San Diego County Sheriffs Department this week. The incident is the latest public warning from officials about the dangers of fentanyl, a drug blamed for 461 fatal overdoses in San Diego County in 2020, with officials warning that number could hit 700 for 2021. The drug increasingly is being smuggled to inmates in county jails as well. Undersheriff Kelly Martinez said the video prompted internal discussions about training, as well as the need to release it publicly, to demonstrate the dangers of fentanyl, a deadly synthetic drug 50 times more potent than heroin. We are still seeing it increasing all the time, Martinez said of fentanyl use. With body-worn cameras rolling, Faiivaes training officer tells Faiivae the substance he found had tested positive for fentanyl. He cautions his trainee that stuffs no joke it is super dangerous. Faiivae then takes a step backward and topples over. Cpl. Scott Crane checks on the deputy and then races to his patrol car for naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, a nasal spray used to reverse the effects of opioids. I ran over to him and I grabbed him, and he was ODing, Crane later recalled. Crane sprays the medication into one of Faiivaes nostrils, then the other and moves to loosen Faiivaes bulletproof vest under his uniform shirt. Just breathe buddy, breathe, Crane tells Faiivae, according to the video. When he asks his trainee if he is OK, Faiivae replies in a weak voice: Im sorry. Youre OK. Dont be sorry ... I got you, OK? Crane says. Im not going to let you die. Im not going to let you die. Faiivaes overdose happened around 4 p.m. in a parking lot off North Twin Oaks Valley Road, during his first radio call of his day. The deputy works patrol out of the San Marcos sheriffs station. It was his final day of shadowing the veteran Crane, officials said. They are not sure if the fentanyl got onto the deputys skin or if he inhaled it. Martinez, the undersheriff, credits Crane with having Narcan nearby as deputies tested the white powder. He saved his partners life that day, she said. She also credits both deputies for agreeing to share their story, to underscore for the public the dangers of fentanyl. We are having secondary exposures. Weve had toddlers exposed. Its just so very dangerous, she said. On the video, Sheriff Bill Gore calls fentanyl one of the greatest threats facing the region and country. Overdoses have soared in recent years, Gore said, and deputies are finding the drug in the community and in county jails. Every week sheriffs deputies intercept fentanyl entering our (facilities), he said. When inmates overdose on fentanyl smuggled into our jails, deputies and nurses are saving dozens of lives every month by administering naloxone. The drug is so dangerous, someone exposed to even small amounts of the substance could face deadly consequences. Gore urged viewers of the video to share it with family and friends in order to get the word out, saying it could save lives. Law enforcement officials have long worried about officers being exposed to fentanyl, with some agencies buying tools that allow officers to test suspected narcotics without opening packages. Departments issue officers gloves and eye protection to lessen exposure risks. Faiivae wore gloves as he tested the drug, Martinez said, and had just taken them off when he collapsed. I remember not feeling right and then I fell back, Faiivae says on the video. I dont remember anything after that. He recalls gasping for breath but says it felt like his lungs locked up. Crane remembers wanting the deputy to focus on his breathing and to know he wasnt alone. After paramedics arrived, Faiivae was loaded into an ambulance and his eyes rolled back in his head. Crane said Faiivae overdosed the whole way to the hospital. It is an invisible killer, Crane said. He would have died in that parking lot if he was alone. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo attends a briefing in Manhattan on March 2, 2020. Cuomo's lawyer on Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, criticized N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James' investigation into allegations of sex harassment as fitting a predetermined narrative. (Barry Williams/New York Daily News/TNS) ALBANY, N.Y. (Tribune News Service) Scandal-scarred New York Gov. Andrew Cuomos lawyers went on the offensive Friday, claiming he was ambushed by New York Attorney General Letitia James damning report detailing sexual harassment allegations against him. As the beleaguered governor fights for his political life, his legal team assailed as one-sided and not an exercise in truth finding the AGs five-month investigation that found Cuomo harassed 11 women, including several much younger staffers and a State Trooper assigned to his security detail. I know the difference between putting together a case against a target versus doing independent fact-finding with an open mind, said Cuomo personal lawyer Rita Glavin. There has been no open-minded fact-finding here. This investigation was conducted in a manner to support a predetermined narrative, she added. Independent investigators overseen by James office concluded that Cuomo engaged in unwanted groping, kissing, and touching and repeatedly made inappropriate and sexually-charged comments to underlings. The report also found that Cuomo and senior staffers attempted to retaliate against Lindsey Boylan, a former adviser, after she went public with her claims. Additionally, investigators determined the Executive Chamber fostered a toxic workplace environment that enabled harassment to occur. At the virtual news conference, Glavin and attorney Paul Fishman, who represents Cuomos office, maintained the governors innocence and largely repeated rebuttals included in an 85-page position statement released by Cuomo earlier in the week. Fishman lamented the fact that the governors attorneys were not allowed to review the report before it was released on Tuesday and that transcripts of interviews were not available. That was all problematic because the opportunity to challenge, to rebut, to raise questions did not occur until after the report was public, he said. In todays media world, all of those allegations were out and being reported while people were first flipping the pages. James pushed back on accusations that the probe was politically-motivated and said her office will be releasing redacted transcripts to the state Assembly as it continues its impeachment investigation into the governor. To attack this investigation and attempt to undermine and politicize this process takes away from the bravery displayed by these women, she said. There are 11 women whose accounts have been corroborated by a mountain of evidence. Any suggestion that attempts to undermine the credibility of these women or this investigation is unfortunate, she added. Asked about allegations made by a state trooper who says the governor repeatedly made comments about her appearance and touched her in inappropriate ways, Glavin said only that Cuomo will weigh in soon. Its unclear if the trooper remains on the governors security detail. Glavin spent the bulk of her time countering one of the most serious allegations leveled at the governor by an executive assistant who says he groped her breast while the two were alone in the Executive Mansion last year. Cuomos legal team asserts that there was only one day in mid-November last year that the incident could have taken place and cited emails and texts showing the staffer was working at governors residence for several hours. He is 63 years old, he has spent 40 years in public life, Glavin said. And for him to suddenly be accused of sexual assault of an executive assistant that he really doesnt know, doesnt pass muster. Earlier Friday, the Albany sheriffs office confirmed that it had received a criminal complaint against the governor by the aide. That investigation comes as Cuomo also faces growing calls for his resignation and the very real possibility that he will be impeached by the state Assembly. On Thursday, the state Assembly Judiciary Committee gave Cuomo an Aug. 13 deadline to provide any evidence before lawmakers considers articles of impeachment against him. Democratic Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said that it is abundantly clear to me that the Governor has lost the confidence of the Assembly Democratic majority and that he can no longer remain in office. Petty Officer Ray Brown from the Coast Guard Pacific Strike Team looks out at Ground Zero in New York City on Sept. 17, 2001. The Coast Guard along with the EPA is monitoring personnel and air safety concerns at Ground Zero. (Tom Sperduto/U.S. Coast Guard) When two hijacked airplanes flew into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, first responders rushed to the scene. Thousands more followed after the twin towers' collapse, working in the toxic dust that billowed up from the pulverized buildings. Now, a study links the day workers got to the site with their risk for liver disease. In the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai grouped 1,788 responders based on the time they arrived at the scene of the terrorist attack. They analyzed CT scans for signs of hepatic steatosis, also known as fatty liver disease, which can cause scarring in the liver, cancer or liver failure. Steatosis is associated with exposure to a variety of chemicals, including toxic dust. The researchers found that the sooner a responder arrived at the WTC, the more likely they were to show signs of steatosis. More than 14% had signs of the disease, and those who got to the site within two weeks of the attack were most likely to show liver changes. And 17% of those who arrived on Sept. 11 had signs of steatosis, compared with 16% for those who arrived the next day, 10.9% for those who arrived between Sept. 14 and 30, and 9% for those who arrived in October or beyond. Nearly 81,000 responders are enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program, which provides medical monitoring and treatment for people who responded to the attacks. In a previous paper, the researchers found that WTC workers had three times as much evidence of liver disease compared with those who hadn't responded to the attacks. "Now that we have this link, the next step is to understand why or how the toxic dust actually causes liver damage," Artit Jirapatnakul, an assistant professor of radiology at Icahn Mount Sinai and the paper's first author, said in a statement. In 2019, the 9/11 Museum dedicated a Memorial Glade on museum grounds to those who responded to the tragedy and developed health problems or died because of their work. According to the WTC Health Program, 4,343 members have died as of March 31. The Stillwater Police Department will begin monitoring school zones beginning Monday to help motorists get used to the decreased speed zones before students return to school Thursday. The department will step up enforcement at the beginning of the school year. Meridian Technology Center Health Careers student Emma Mohler was selected to participate in the Global Pre-Meds health care training program. The program is affiliated with HOSA, the CareerTech Student Organization associated with her area of study. Mohler spent two weeks shadowing physicians in the Dominican Republic. Stillwater, OK (74074) Today Mostly cloudy...isolated thunderstorms developing late. Low 69F. NE winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy...isolated thunderstorms developing late. Low 69F. NE winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 30%. 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. Sponsored By: Arvest Bank Lawton, OK (73501) Today Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low near 70F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low near 70F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. Tahlequah, OK (74464) Today Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 68F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 68F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. 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. 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. Seminole, FL (33772) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low around 75F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low around 75F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. WhatsApp Chief, Will Cathcart, denied reports saying that Facebook plans to scan encrypted messages for ads. He further went on to criticize the latest move of Apple that scans photos for child abuse content. Facebook's Plan to Scan Encrypted Messages for Ads A report from The Information suggested that the researchers of Facebook are working to pair encryption technology and their ads platform. Essentially, the move will enable the third-party advertisers on the social media giant to access the messages of its users without reading the private exchanges. The method reportedly goes by the name "homomorphic encryption," wherein a high-end tool powered by artificial intelligence extracts a vague idea of the messages without peeking at the actual text. The report further disclosed that the group of AI researchers on Facebook includes a former employee of Microsoft. However, the outlet did not further reveal who it was. On top of that, The Infomation also said that aside from Facebook, other tech giants are also working to understand the emerging tech of homomorphic encryption, such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. The new tool is hoped to help analyze personal data, such as financial and medical records, without compromising the privacy of a user. WhatsApp Chief Denies Facebook Plans It is worth noting that Facebook owns an end-to-end encrypted message app, WhatsApp. However, as per The Sun, Cathcart put it straight and answered the report by The Information directly, saying that "We're not pursuing homomorphic encryption for WhatsApp." The head of the messaging platform further noted that he has already been asked about it before. He also went on to add that "We should be skeptical of technical claims that apps like ours could see messages in 'good' cases only." Meanwhile, Facebook said that the social media giant is not pursuing homomorphic encryption for WhatsApp as it finds it still too early to do so. Nevertheless, it is important to point out that the WhatsApp chief only spoke for the messaging app he handles. Facebook also owns Messenger and Instagram, which have direct message features. Read Also: WhatsApp 'View Once' is a Disappearing Photo Feature, Something Which Instagram Had for a Long Time WhatsApp Chief Criticizes Apple's Image Scanning Apple has already confirmed that the Cupertino giant is rolling out a system that allows the company to scan photos for any child abuse content on an iPhone or an iPad. The Apple image scanning tool was first announced by a security expert and cryptographer, Matthew Green, wherein he further issued security warnings, saying that it could enable surveillance via iPhones. This time around, Cathcart tweeted that the latest move of the iPhone maker concerns him, saying that it is "a setback or people's privacy all over the world." The WhatsApp chief also said that "it's not how technology built in free countries works." Related Article: WhatsApp's New Video Interface for iPhone Looks Similar to FaceTime's This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Teejay Boris 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Creating a strong account password usually relies on complex characters or variants. Most individuals believe this since they think hackers will have a hard time predicting a password with many numbers and other special letters or characters. Related Article: Zoom Agrees to Pay $85 Million to Settle Privacy and Security Lawsuit in California However, security experts claimed that this idea is not true. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said that if people want to protect their accounts by creating strong passwords, they need three random words. NCSC, a part of the U.S. Government Communications Headquarters, releases their new findings in a new blog post. The government security agency said that enforcing complexity requirements for passwords is a poor defense strategy against hackers and other online criminals. "Our minds struggle to remember random character strings, so we use predictable patterns (such as replacing the letter 'o' with a zero) to meet the required 'complexity' criteria," added NCSC. How To Create a Strong Password According to The Guardian's latest report, security experts claimed that complex passwords are not that efficient when it comes to protecting user accounts. They added that instead of preventing these cyber attackers, complex variants might be even more guessable. Also Read: 1Password Raises Up to $100 Million Funding from $2 Billion Valuation for Enterprise Expansion On the other hand, security researchers explained that passwords with three random words are quite efficient since cybercriminals will hard predict them. Aside from this, consumers would also find it easy to remember three-random-word passwords. Although their new idea seems a little unusual, NCSC still provided the reason behind this new claim. They explained that the use of complex passwords is now very common. This is the main reason why hackers now find it easy to acquire these not-so-simple passwords since most individuals are now using them to secure their accounts. In other news, Google Search History received a new tool as an additional protection feature. Meanwhile, Apple Safari 14.1.2 update offers new security enhancements for macOS Catalina and Mojave specs. Other Methods To Enhance Passwords Aside from using the new three-random-word method, there are also other ways you could try to improve your account passwords. Norton US provided some of them: Avoid writing them down Change your password regularly Never use your birth date or other personal details Use words or phrases that you can easily modify and remember For more news updates about account passwords and other related topics, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. This article is owned by TechTimes Written by: Griffin Davis 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. (Photo : GettlyImages/ SOPA Images ) Vaccination sites United Airlines is the first major US airline that will require its employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. An executive stated that it does not require COVID-19 vaccination proof for passengers because that decision should come from the government. United Airline COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement United Airlines followed Facebook's decision to have all employees get the COVID-19 vaccination. The US airline stated that it would give all US-based employees until October to get fully vaccinated. The company added that it might change the deadline if a vaccine gets full federal approval. Any employee who refuses to show their proof of vaccination will be fired unless they can provide evidence of medical and religious reasons for not getting the vaccine. A spokesperson for United Airlines said that the company would investigate employees who will cite health or religious reasons to get exempted. Those who are exempted from getting the vaccine will be asked to wear masks at all times. Alson Read: Google Announces All Returning Employees Must Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 The unions of United Airlines: the Air Line Pilots Association, the Association of Flight Attendants, and Teamsters, all issued a statement on Aug. 6 that suggested that they have accepted the mandate, according to Business Insider. The three unions represent 6,600 airline mechanics. The pilots' union stated that more than 90% of its members agreed to the mandate, while the flight attendants' union said 80% accepted it. The flight attendants union released a notice to its members saying that COVID-19 vaccination is the best defense against the virus. There has been an increase in the number of positive cases, and the majority of the flight attendants that were infected were not vaccinated. Meanwhile, the statement from the pilots' union was more cautious, saying it believes that the vaccination mandate warrants further negotiations to ensure the safety, welfare, and rights of the employees are maintained. The unions also stated that if the mandate were to be challenged in court, they believe that the court would decide that it is lawful. As for Teamsters, the union stated that employers have the right to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations. The union will defend the rights of employees who can't get vaccinated due to medical or religious reasons, according to The Wall Street Journal. For those who would refuse vaccination and face termination, the union assured employees that they would seek separation packages for them. Protecting the Welfare of the Employees United Airlines stated that they decided to place the deadline in October and speed things up because they want to protect the workforce and the customers, according to CBS News. The company pointed out the CDC's statistics showing that those who have had one of the vaccine shots are less likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 or die from it than those who are not vaccinated. After Apple announced it would give paid vacation leaves to employees who will get the COVID-19 vaccination, the airline said it is also offering additional pay for those who can show their proof of vaccination early. Pilots and flight attendants who already agreed to an incentive in exchange of getting vaccinated will not qualify. As of June 30, United Airlines had 80,000 employees, and unions represent 85%. After the mass layoffs during the pandemic's peak last year, the airline has been hiring this year to meet the increase in leisure travel, and they hope that the trend would continue. Related Article: Amazon Faces COVID-19 Dilemma As it Mulls Requiring Employees To Get Vaccinated This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Sophie Webster 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is currently looking for non-astronaut individuals to live on Mars. However, this innovation is quite unusual since interested people will not actually live on the Red Planet. Related Article: NASA: Perseverance Rover Unsuccessful in its First Attempt of Martian Rock Sampling The international space agency announced that applicants will not be launched to outer space. Instead, they will live in a 3D-printed Martian habitat, which is exactly 1,700-square-foot. This new structure is currently located within a building at Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA also confirmed that the passing applicants will be paid, but the exact amount was not specified. On the other hand, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration explained that paid volunteers would be required to work inside the stimulated Martian habitat. They are tasked to complete space missions, which are complete with spacewalk experience. On the other hand, they will also be restricted from outside communication, food, as well as resources. This simply means that they would really live inside the vicinity like professional astronauts. NASA Wants You To Live on Mars According to AP News' latest report, NASA opened its application process on Friday, Aug. 6. "We want to understand how humans perform in them. We are looking at Mars's realistic situations," said Grace Douglas, the current lead scientist of NASA's latest Mars program. Also Read: SpaceX Fully-Stacked Starship Stands at 120 meters, Tallest Rocket Aims to Promote Multi-Planetary Life However, it seems like the international space agency is not just looking for space fans. NASA said that you need to have a Master's Degree in engineering, science, or math. On the other hand, they are also accepting those who have pilot experiences. NASA requirements for 3D-printed Martian habitat isolation Possess a master's degree in a STEM field, including engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science, or mathematics, from an accredited institution. Have at least two years of related professional experience in a STEM field or at least 1,000 hours pilot-in-command time on jet aircraft. Be able to pass the NASA long-duration flight astronaut physical. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Be within the ages of 30-55. In other news, NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover captured an unusual rock, which is located in the Red Planet's Gale Crater. The international space agency announced that this uncommon rock has small bumps and protruding lumps. NASA's Application Process NASA's official blog post explained that applications will undergo psychiatric screening, psychological testing, as well as medical evaluations. The space agency also confirmed that interested people no longer have to worry about expenses since NASA will pay for all these exams. On the other hand, the selection process could also take around 13 months. You can click this link to know more details. For more news updates about NASA and its upcoming Mars-related programs, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. This article is owned by TechTimes Written by: Griffin Davis 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Ada, OK (74820) Today Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms overnight. Low near 70F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms overnight. Low near 70F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. ASHER [ndash] Services for Myra Nell Monks, 74, of Asher are 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, at Criswell Funeral Home Chapel, Rev. Daniel Johnson will officiate. Burial will follow at Memorial Park. Visitation will be Thursday from 5-7 p.m. at Criswell Funeral Home. Mrs. Monks passed away Sun Hundreds of finished protective masks wait to be bagged at Blue Delta Jean Company in Verona, Mississippi, on Thursday, March 26, 2020. The company shifted from making high-end blue jeans to producing 50,000 masks per week (Thomas Wells/The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal via AP) If youre looking for a way to achieve naturally glowing skin with a side serving of positive wellbeing, you neednt look further than face yoga. Thats what Melbourne-based practitioner Akiko Grabin believes. Shes been a face yoga teacher for two years and says the benefits of the practice, which aims to relax and tone facial muscles, are multi-fold. The main reason people give it a shot is because of its effect on skin, with Grabin claiming that face yoga can prevent wrinkles, or at least smooth their appearance. And theres some evidence to back these claims. Research from 2018 found that 30 minutes a day (or every second day) of facial exercises over a 20-week intervention might improve the appearance of skin, along with mid-face and lower-face fullness, in middle-aged women. There are about 70 poses that can be found on YouTube or through a practitioner. Credit:Stocksy Fumiko Takatsu is credited as the creator of the Face Yoga Method. Takatsu wrote about its origins on her website, saying she came up with the concept following a car crash in which her body was injured and her face was left looking asymmetrical. Standing in front of the mirror one day, Takatsu had a realisation: If I exercise my body muscles, I should be able to do the same for my face. Five Sydney teens charged with murder after boy dies Were sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later. Dismiss However, one simple and key detection method has really dropped off. Temperature checks. At one point during 2020, shopping centres, workplaces, schools, sporting venues and restaurants were beginning to resemble Singapore Airport. Over the past 18 months Australia has slowly but surely been building its arsenal against COVID-19: Quarantine, lockdowns, masks, hand sanitisation and more recently check-in protocols and vaccines have provided enormous assistance in tackling the Delta variant. Visible temperature checking apparatus, which invoked an element of trepidation and no doubt prevented some with flu-like symptoms from attending these venues, now seem to have disappeared. It is now time to reintroduce this critical check and it will provide greater confidence to many of us that are now fatigued from coming in and out of lockdowns. Pat Rankin, South Melbourne Dont forget the teachers With another lockdown under way, there is again focus on students and how theyre going, but we do seem to forget teachers in all of this. I was talking to my daughters teacher recently and he was saying the lockdowns are so debilitating, as he doesnt get to see his class enough. What with last year and now this year, hes heartbroken hes missing out on teaching a really good class. It must be the same for a lot of teachers. Dont forget how hard it is for them to not see their kids every day. David Jeffery, East Geelong Hes not lecturing us Your correspondent (Let me decide, Premier, Letters, 6/8) should note that we are not being lectured to by a politician, we are being informed by the Victorian Premier how our state is being governed. Toyota to Reproduce Spare Parts for the Land Cruiser Toyota City, Japan, Aug 02, 2021 -TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has announced that it will reproduce spare parts for the Land Cruiser in celebration of its 70th anniversary today, August 1. The parts will be reproduced for the 40 Series Land Cruiser, which was produced between 1960 and 1984, as part of the GR Heritage Parts Project. The 40 Series Land Cruiser The project reproduces spare parts that have been discontinued and sells them as genuine parts through a special collaboration with suppliers, in order to support customers who wish to continue driving older vehicles that are full of memories and that they truly love. The Land Cruiser has long promised "to take people anywhere and everywhere and come back alive and safe." Even models whose production has been discontinued for several decades continue to be cherished by large numbers of customers all over the world, and continue to actively support lives, livelihoods, and more fulfilling lifestyles. However, recent years have seen a shortage of spare parts, with Land Cruiser owners expressing fears they will no longer be able to drive their vehicles. For this reason, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has made the decision to reproduce parts for which there is greatest demand and need, so that customers can continue to drive their cherished vehicles in safety and with peace of mind. The company has carried out preliminary surveys with exclusive Land Cruiser dealers and fan club representatives from across the globe and, as a result of these activities, it is advancing preparations to reproduce and sell parts related to the critical functions of driving, turning, and braking for the 40 Series Land Cruiser. These parts will be supplied as "heritage parts," and will include engines, drivelines, and exhaust systems. Availability of parts will be launched as preparations have been completed, with a target launch date of the beginning of 2022. Additionally, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is preparing a questionnaire form on its website* where customers can submit their reproduction requests. This feedback will be used in the selection of the next parts to be reproduced. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has previously supplied heritage parts for the A70 and A80 Supra, and the 2000GT, but this will be the first time it has reproduced spare parts for the Land Cruiser. In addition to the 40 Series, the company intends to discuss reproduction of parts for later generations of the model. *https://www.toyota.co.jp/cmpnform/pub/co/landcruiser_form_en. Staff Reporter Tim Gruver is a politics and public policy reporter. He is a University of Washington alum and the recipient of the 2017 Pioneer News Award for Reporting. His work has appeared in Politico, the Kitsap Daily News, and the Northwest Asian Weekly. Texas State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, dean of the Texas House of Representatives, speaks as Democratic members of the Texas legislature hold a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, July 13, 2021. The Democrats left Austin to deprive the Legislature of a quorum as they try to kill a Republican election reform bill. Searcy, AR (72143) Today Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. News County judge, superintendent 'surprised' legislators don't amend mask ban temporarily blocked by circuit judge Lincoln Hutchinson Two White County officials expressed disappointment Friday that the Arkansas Legislature didnt amend its legislation this week banning school districts from being able to pass mask mandates heading into the school year. I was disappointed that our state Legislature didnt see fit to put it back to the local level and allow the school boards around the state to decide because I think you are going to find that each district is going to handle it in the way they feel seems to best fit for their school district, White County Judge Michael Lincoln. I was real disappointed that it really wasnt a simple bill that said, We are placing this back in the hands of the local school boards, period... you know without any for children under 12. After a special session of the Legislature was convened Wednesday, the House Public Health Committee rejected two bills Thursday that would have amended the mask mandate ban, both to allow schools to require masks in areas where children under 12 might be present. On Friday, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox issued a preliminary injunction to block the state from enforcing it. The ban, signed into law by Gov. Asa Hutchinson in April, is being challenged by lawsuits, including one from the Marion School District, where more that 900 staff and students are in quarantine because of a coronavirus outbreak since classes began last week. Fox ruled against the measure on multiple grounds, including the argument that it discriminated between public and private schools. He issued the ruling hours after lawmakers adjourned the special session that Hutchinson had called to consider rolling back the ban for some schools because of a rising number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Hutchinson had said the change was needed to protect children under 12 who cant get vaccinated. I think that is a good decision by the judge, Lincoln said. It got too complicated of an issue but to me local decision-making is the best decision on policy because that is what people know. I didnt think it was going to be that big of an issue. I thought it was going to be pretty cut and dried. When it got to be an issue, I thought, What in the world is going on? I am glad the judge has given some reprieve. Theres no telling how many school board members there are across the state of Arkansas, thousands? In one county, they might not be having a problem so they might issue a totally different directive than another county who is having a problem. We had a pretty good case study with the Marion School District, didnt we? My fear is there is going to be a decision to shut down the schools, period, and I guess the governor still has the authority to do that since he did it last year. In a Friday afternoon news conference, Hutchinson said he has learned that the most trusted adviser is not the government but the most trusted adviser is someone in the community that people trust. So having that conversation between community leaders and medical professionals, talking about this serious issue that impacts us all has had the greatest influence. People want honest conversations. They want respectful conversations. We hope that we can continue that environment. He addressed Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott defying the ban, which also includes municipalities, by issuing an order Thursday requiring masks in the citys public places, saying it is very, very limited. It is for the public spaces that are city-controlled and thats not any different in my view than a private business, Hutchinson said. It is a government but that is a limited statement and ruling that he has made. I am not saying that I would make the same ruling. It is very limited and it is being construed to be much broader than that and its very narrow. Hutchinson said he wanted to have a statewide policy and thats why we had no mandates and then we had a statewide mandate and we tried to avoid piecemealing the state ... we kept that philosophy. Well, because now theres not that same authority that I have and its all subject to legislative review and use of my emergency powers, that makes it more difficult and so theoretically, I could do a statewide order under my emergency powers but I dont think that would last too long. So what that leaves us with is the second option and it might be more appropriate now as we know more, we have more tools to work with, he said. Vaccines are out there, that we do have schools districts [that] can make individual decisions and the colleges can make different decisions and people can have their choice within that. Thats just where we are and I doubt thats what the Legislature wanted, but thats the result of the combination of legislative action and the court ruling. Hutchinson said he thinks there are many school boards that are not going to adopt mask mandates or other restrictions. They are going to follow public health guidelines and the recommendations that are out there but theyre not going to impose anything more than that. I think the vast majority of school districts will probably take that path, but clearly the Marion School District, the Little Rock School District that were involved in that litigation, I presume they will go a different direction and it should be based on what is the spread of the virus in the community? What are the cases? What are the concerns and what is the best way to address it? And thats the beauty of it. I dont want Washington telling me as a state what to do on a national standard. At this point, when we have vaccines available, local school districts can make the decision as well as private business and well as public institutions. Hutchinson said he was disappointed by the Legislatures refusal to act. It is conservative, reasonable and compassionate to allow local school districts to protect those students who are under 12 and not eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Rose Bud School Superintendent Allen Blackwell said that he appreciates what the governor tried to do but at the is point Im just a little bit at a loss for words. I really dont understand the legislators, what they were thinking, but I really dont want to put by personal views out there so that is about all I can say. I was a little bit surprised. Attempts to reach other superintendents in White County and Searcy Mayor Kyle Osborne for comment were unsuccessful. Asked about Foxs ruling, Hutchinson said we need to see how it develops and the attorney general. I want to see what steps the attorney general [Leslie Rutledge] on behalf of the state intends to take and based upon that, I will determine whether I should have separate representations speaking for the governor in my official capacity as to how I should articulate the support for Judge Foxs ruling and potentially any disagreement with the other parties to a suit or the Attorney Generals Office. Hutchinson said he wants to be able to have his independent voice and wants to be able to speak to the court directly about his views on Act 1002. Heading into this weeks session, Republican legislative leaders said there werent enough votes to change the mask mandate ban. The move faced an even bigger hurdle since it needed at least two-thirds support to take effect before classes begin later this month. The days of big government mandates over the will of the people are done, Republican Sen. Trent Garner, who sponsored the mask mandate ban law, tweeted after the panels votes. The bills rejected Thursday included one backed by a Republican lawmaker that would have allowed school boards to impose mask requirements for up to 60 days if the rate of virus cases over a two-week period reached a certain threshold. The other bill, backed by a group of Democratic lawmakers did not include the threshold requirement or the 60-day limit. The states mask mandate ban exempts Arkansas Department of Corrections, and a Democratic lawmaker called it unconscionable that the state would allow mask requirements to protect inmates but not children. Society all the time makes modest sacrifices for the common good, Rep. Deborah Ferguson, the House committees vice chairwoman, said before the vote. This is not about I dont want my child to wear a mask. This is about all children wearing a mask to protect other children. Pediatricians and health officials say masks in schools are needed to protect children, as the delta variant and Arkansas low vaccination rate fuels the states skyrocketing cases. The situation were in is very dire, Dr. Jared Beavers, a pediatrician, told the House panel. During hearings Wednesday and Thursday, opponents who testified against allowing mask requirements in schools repeatedly cited false and discredited claims about masks and the virus. One woman who testified Thursday suggested COVID-19 wasnt real, saying lawmakers should ask the states top health official to provide proof of its existence. Another woman who spoke against the bill wore a shirt that read, Just say no to: masks vaccines mandates. Republican Rep. Julie Mayberry, who sponsored the narrower attempt to allow some school mask mandates, said the state may need to consider delaying the start of school. I dont want to delay school, but thats I think possibly the only other tool we have, she said. The Arkansas Center for Health Improvement in a news release this week said 140 Arkansas school districts already have COVID-19 infection rates of 50 or more new known infections per 10,000 district residents over a 14-day period, up from one earlier, according to Arkansas Department of Health data the ACHI received Monday. ACHI said of the 140 districts, 16 have 14-day COVID-19 infection rates of 100 or more new known infections per 10,000 district residents, or more that 1 percent of residents, up from 12 weeks earlier. The states coronavirus cases rose by more than 2,700 and the states COVID-19 hospitalizations grew by 19 to 1,251. The state reported 17 new deaths from COVID-19. Cumulative cases of COVID-19 since March 2020 topped 40,000 on Friday, when 3,037 new cases were added, a single-day high since Jan. 21, according to the Arkansas Department of Health. The Department of Health on Friday also said only 28 intensive care unit beds were available in the state. Batavia, NY (14020) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with more showers at times. Low 61F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with more showers at times. Low 61F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. ONEONTA - Garry L. Moore, 67, of Oneonta, passed away Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, at home. He was born April 22, 1954, the son of the late Dorville S. and Katherine E. (Whitney) Moore. Garry worked for Al Black at One Stop Auto for 21 years before buying the business and running it with his partne News Child porn offender awaits sentence Jason Michael Miles Jason Michael Miles FOREST CITY A man arrested last year in Rutherford County for the possession and distribution of child pornography is scheduled to be sentenced Monday (Aug. 9) in federal court. Jason Miles, 37, is set to appear in the District Court of the United States for the Western District of North Carolina in Asheville. Hell face Chief Judge Martin Reidinger. While sentencing guidelines suggest a prison sentence between 15 and 18 years, Miles is requesting for a sentence of 97 months, slightly more than eight years, due to what he cites in court documents as mitigating factors. He claims in records to have made pre-indictment steps toward rehabilitation including a strong support network and proven ability (to) comply with supervision in a community setting. Miles was arrested in April 2020. The charges stemmed from a search of home two years earlier. Documents show that Miles offenses were traced via the internet after he distributed and received pornographic images of children through his computer. Among the pornographic images, photos were secretly taken of children in such places as waiting rooms and retail stores. Pornographic evidence has been seized from his Rutherford County residence depicting child pornography and adult sex acts. Jason (Miles) knows that his arrest is a result of his own actions. While in custody, he began looking at his lifestyle, his routine, his habits, and his associates to try to determine what enabled him to offend and what he needed to do to address the underlying issues fueling his behavior, court records show. In addition to living with a girlfriend while the two were unmarried, Miles claims in the court documents that he was spending an inordinate amount of time online, which led him toward a salacious path. He was spending hours alone in his downstairs office working online on his schoolwork. Once his schoolwork was completed, this left him time alone online, and his problematic internet behavior developed, records state. Also part of the court record are letters to the judge, vouching for Miles amid requests for leniency. While serving in the U.S. Air Force, Miles was convicted of taking indecent liberties with a 6-year-old girl that occurred in 2006. Miles served four years confinement and dishonorably discharged from the military. He has since been a registered sex offender, records show. The military offense, however, cannot be considered during sentencing. 2 Seattle Police Officers Fired, Accused of Trespassing at US Capitol on Jan. 6 Two officers from the Seattle Police Department who were present in the District of Columbia on Jan. 6 were fired on Friday. Adrian Diaz, the interim Chief of the Seattle PD, said in a statement that the firing was effective immediately. The officers, married couple Caitlin (pdf) and Alexander (pdf) Everett, were fired because they were found to have crossed the outdoor barriers established by the Capitol Police and were directly next to the Capitol Building, Diaz said. Clear evidence places them directly next to the Capitol Building. It is beyond absurd to suggest that they did not know they were in an area where they should not be, amidst what was already a violent, criminal riot, he added. He continued, These two officers were present at an attack on the U.S. Capitol, which was also an attack on our profession and on every officer across the country, later calling their participation in the events of Jan. 6 a stain on the Seattle PD. Mike Solan, president of the Seattle Police union that represents officers, said in a statement that the case was politicized. This a tough case and its a lose-lose for everybody, he said Friday in a statement obtained by KOMO News. This case, like any event from January 6, is going to be politicized and thats the sad part of this. Thats a tough thing to really grasp. We have people that align on the left, people on the right and in the middle, and as a union we have to advocate for everybody, regardless of January 6 and the sad day in our nations history, he added. The decision to fire the officers on Friday aligns with recommendations from the Seattle Office of Police Accountability (OPA)a civilian group within the department acting as a watchdogin a report (pdf) it released in July. The report was a culmination of an investigation that began six months ago. That investigation was sparked when Caitlin Everett on Jan. 7 shared a photo of herself and her husband at the demonstration, although it was unclear where exactly they were located in the photo. Another four officers later reported that they were also there but maintained they were not involved in any riots. According to the OPA report, the couple asserted that they were on some grass 30 to 50 yards (27 to 45 meters) away from the building, and they didnt see any signs of disturbance. But the investigation yielded videos showing the couple directly next to the side of U.S. Capitol Buildingan area that would be off limits to the publicwhile other people were on the steps of the building, as well as climbing the scaffolding, and numerous demonstrators were surrounding the building, the OPA report said. The police discipline reports said that both Caitlins and Alexanders assertions were not credible. The other four officers didnt appear to violate any law or break any policy while at the demonstration on Jan. 6, per the OPA report. The identities of the other four officers have not been released by the Seattle PD. It was not immediately known if the Everetts have a lawyer. The attorneys representing them and the four other Seattle officers in the public records case withdrew from the case after the accountability office investigation was completed last month. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Smugglers lift onto a vehicle a fishing boat intended to be used to transport migrants to the Canary Islands, in a remote desert out of the town of Dakhla in Morocco-administered Western Sahara, on Dec. 22, 2020. (Mosa'ab Elshamy/AP Photo) 42 Migrants Feared Dead as Boat Capsizes Off Western Sahara BARCELONA, SpainSome 42 migrants, including 30 women and eight children, are believed to have died when their boat capsized in rough seas shortly after setting sail from the coastal town of Dakhla, in Western Sahara, a Spanish migrants rights activist said. Helena Maleno, founder of the NGO Walking Borders, tweeted late Thursday that she had spoken to one of 10 survivors who claimed to have lost two children in the accident that occurred as the group was trying to reach Spains Canary Islands in the Atlantic. Moroccan officials in Dakhla could not be immediately reached for official confirmation. However, local media reported that 12 bodies had washed ashore on Thursday while 10 people were rescued by fishermen off the Dakhla coast. Morocco claims the disputed Western Sahara territory, annexed in 1975, and its navy operates there. The Polisario Front seeks the territorys independence. Further north along the Western Sahara coast, the official MAP news agency reported on Thursday that the Moroccan Navy had rescued 30 migrants just south of Laayoune. Naval vessels were still looking for 59 others, including 14 women and four children, in a nearby stretch of water hundreds of miles from Dakhla. Separately, the Spanish Maritime Rescue Service said on Friday that it had rescued 63 people near the Canary Islands. Migrant deaths are not uncommon in an area of the Atlantic that separates the West Coast of Africa and Spains Canary Islands. But this most recent boat accident included an unusually high number of women and children who have apparently perished. Shipwrecks on the West African route to the Canaries are often hard to verify and most victims bodies are never recovered. The UNs Migration Agency has reported at least 250 migrants died on the route to the Canary Islands in the first six months of 2021 while Walking Borders reported many more victims on the same route for the same time period, counting almost 2,000. In the first half of 2021, arrivals increased by 156 percent compared to the same period last year, according to IOM. Scott Harris, Alabama's State Health Officer, discusses his state's vaccination data in his office in Montgomery, Ala., on June 29, 2021.(Elijah Nouvelage/AFP/Getty Images) Alabama Health Official Says 65,000 Vaccine Doses Have Gone to Waste Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris says that 65,511 doses of vaccines against COVID-19 have gone to waste in the state, as it grapples with a surge in cases and seeks to boost vaccine uptake. At an Aug. 6 briefing, Harris said the Alabama Department of Public Healths COVID-19 daily case graph is almost vertical at this point. Alabama recorded 3,653 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, on Aug. 6, bringing the states seven-day average of daily cases above 2,900 for the first time since January, according to data from the Alabama Department of Public Health. Harris said that several consecutive days of Alabama adding more than 3,000 cases per day represents a tenfold increase from early July. While a growing number of Alabamians are getting vaccinated, Alabama remains the least fully vaccinated state with a 34.7 percent rate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Thats extremely unfortunate when we have such a low vaccination rate, and of course, there are so many people in the world that still dont have access to vaccines, so thats really a shame, Harris said, commenting on the tens of thousands of vaccine doses in Alabama that have expired. Still, Harris said he was encouraged by the increase in vaccinations among state residents. We have, fortunately, seen a jump in vaccinations, Harris said. Were over 10,000 shots per day every day this past week. He noted that the number of vaccine doses administered on Aug. 6 reached 16,000, the highest single-day figure since mid-May. Virtually every countyI think literally every county in the statehas seen an increase in the rate at which theyre vaccinating new people, so thats encouraging, but we still have quite a long ways to go, Harris said. Asked about overcoming vaccine hesitancy, Harris said the best way is to provide information, rather than try to shame people into getting the shot. You dont change peoples minds by yelling at them or insulting them. Thats not effective in anything, whether youre talking about COVID or anything else, he said. Besides vaccinations, Harris commented on other public health measures, reiterating the Alabama Department of Public Healths position that all children in K-12 schools should mask up, regardless of vaccination status. However, he said the state has no plans for imposing mask mandates on schools. The state is not going to mandate that, but instead, thats going to be a decision for local communities, local school boards to make, Harris said. Not every community is the same. There are different factors that have to be considered in each school board. But our view in public health is that universal masking is the best way to protect people. Mask-wearing amid the COVID-19 pandemic has become a hot-button issue, with some questioning the efficacy of facial coverings and others opposing mandates on grounds of personal liberty. Advocates tend to emphasize a better-safe-than-sorry approach in the face of a general lack of randomized efficacy studies on mask-wearing, while generally viewing mandates as a minor inconvenience that helps protect people who are prone to serious complications if they get infected. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the State Department in Washington, on July 1, 2021,(Ken Cedeno/Pool) Blinken Deeply Concerned About Chinas Rapidly Growing Nuclear Arsenal U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a group of foreign ministers on Friday that he is deeply concerned about the rapid growth of China nuclear arsenal. Blinken made the remarks during a virtual meeting with the regional forum by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, according to the Department of State. He called on China to stop its provocative behavior in the South China sea and raised concerns about human rights abuses in Tibet, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang, according to a summary of the remarks released by the State Department. The Secretary also noted deep concern with the rapid growth of the [Peoples Republic of China]s nuclear arsenal which highlights how Beijing has sharply deviated from its decades-old nuclear strategy based on minimum deterrence, the department said. China will have about 250 new underground facilities for housing and launching intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), once it is done building them, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) said in a report released on July 26. That number, according to the think tank, is more than all of the silo-based ICBMs operated by Russia and about half of Americas ICBM force. The Chinese missile silo program constitutes the most extensive silo construction since the US and Soviet missile silo construction during the Cold War, the report stated. The United States and Russia have long attempted to but have not succeeded at bringing China into a nuclear arms deal. The Department of Defense estimated in 2020 that Chinas nuclear warhead stockpile in the low 200s. The report estimated the stockpile to double as China expands its nuclear forces. Analysts estimated that the United States has 3,800 warheads. During a congressional hearing in April, U.S. Navy Admiral Charles Richard told Congress that Chinas nuclear stockpile was undergoing an unprecedented expansion and Beijing was on the pace necessary to double their nuclear stockpile by the end of the decade. In response to the new discovery of Chinas silos, the U.S. Strategic Command said in a Twitter post: 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. Beijing says its arsenal is dwarfed by those of the United States and Russia and it is ready to conduct bilateral dialogues on strategic security on the basis of equality and mutual respect. Blinken has taken part in a series of regional meetings this week at which he has sought to reinforce the U.S. message that it is serious about engaging with Asian countries to push back against Beijing. Frank Fang and Reuters contributed to this report. A healthcare worker shows a dose of the Sinovac vaccine during the first day of the mass vaccination campaign in Santiago, Chile, on Feb. 3, 2021. (Marcelo Hernandez/Getty Images) Chile to Give Booster Shot to Citizens After Seeing Sinovac Partially Fall in Effectiveness Chile declared on Aug. 5 that it will administer booster vaccines to citizens who have received Chinas Sinovac in order to raise immunity. The move comes after finding the initial doses lose some effectiveness after several months time. Chile is one of the Latin American countries that has done most of its vaccinations with China-made COVID-19 vaccinesincluding Sinovacs CoronaVac. The country launched a mass vaccination campaign in February and has now fully vaccinated more than 60 percent of its population. We have decided to start a reinforcement of the vaccination of those who have already received both doses of the vaccine Sinovac, President Sebastian Pinera announced in a televised speech on Thursday. Despite a successful vaccination run, Chile was battling a new wave in the first half of this year with over 5,000 new infections on average daily. Studies found the Sinovac vaccine was 58.5 percent effective in preventing symptomatic illness among millions of Chileans who got the shot between February and July, Chilean health authorities said on Aug. 3. A health worker vaccinates a citizen over 60 years old with the Sinovac vaccine in Santiago, Chile, on March 19, 2021. (Marcelo Hernandez/Getty Images) Yet Beijings epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan claimed that China-made vaccines are 100 percent effective in preventing intensive care admission. Effective, very safe, Zhong responded during a summit in Guangzhou last week after people questioned the effectiveness of Chinese doses against the Delta variant. Chilean authorities said both Pfizers and AstraZenecas COVID-19 shot was found to be 98 percent effective in preventing intensive care admission and 100 percent effective in preventing death. An airport worker stands guard next to a vaccine container during the arrival of two million Sinovac doses at Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Santiago, Chile, on Feb. 25, 2021. (Marcelo Hernandez/Getty Images) Chileans over 55 who got vaccinated before March 31 can receive an additional dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Aug. 11. The pandemic has killed over 35,000 people in Chile and about 1.6 million have been infected so far. Reuters contributed to the report. A gym employee is being tested for the COVID-19 in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province on Aug. 5, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) China Announces Highest Daily COVID-19 Infections in Current Outbreak China announced its highest daily infections of new COVID-19 patients on Aug. 6, in the current outbreak that was first reported on July 20. Officials blamed the latest clusters mainly on the highly transmissible Delta variant, ordered residents in the cities that have outbreaks to line up for mass tests, restricted peoples movement, and locked down residential compounds, neighborhoods, and communities one after another. In eastern Chinas Yangzhou city, at least 58 people were diagnosed with COVID-19 on Thursday. On Friday, 4.56 million residents were forced to stay at home and the regime closed the highways and railways to curb the virus spreading. Yangzhous hustle and bustle are paused, state-run media Xinhua reported on Aug. 6. The whole city became empty and quiet, because people are locked down at home or in quarantine centers. Even in a city like Xiangtan in central-south Hunan Province where only three residents were diagnosed in recent weeks, the control was tight. Residents told the Chinese-language Epoch Times on phone interviews on Aug. 6 that some of their cellphone-generated health codes suddenly turned to yellow, even red without any reason. The residents explained that they would have to wait for an ambulance to take them to quarantine centers if the codes turned red, and they wouldnt be able to leave their homes if the code turned yellow. They couldnt control their emotions when [the codes] changed suddenly without a reason. Some of them burst into tears, some others even fell to the ground, Xiangtan resident Zhao said. Suddenly they cant go to work, cant do anything they planned its hurting. A child is receiving a nucleic acid test for the COVID-19 in Yangzhou, eastern Chinas Jiangsu Province on Aug. 5, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) Highest Daily Infections China announced 124 new confirmed COVID-19 cases for Thursday, the National Health Commission said, up from 85 a day earlier. Of the new confirmed infections, 80 were locally transmitted, up from 62 a day earlier, it added. In the same announcement on Friday, Chinese authorities reported 58 new asymptomatic cases for Aug. 5, up from 54 a day earlier. The official figures, however, are likely to be below the real total, given the Chinese regime is known to grossly underreport its virus numbers. The confirmed cases that the Chinese regime announced are patients who display symptoms such as a cough or fever, or signs of infection. The regime does not include symptomless cases in its tally until signs of disease show up. On Friday, the Chinese regime designated 191 high- and medium-risk regions in 11 provinces and municipalities around the country, where people are now unable to leave their residential compounds. The local cases were driven by a surge in infections in Jiangsu, a province next to the commercial hub of Shanghai, which reported 61 new local cases for Thursday, up from 40 a day earlier. On Aug. 6, the Zhengzhou city government banned taxi and ride-hailing vehicles from leaving the city and quarantined everyone who had visited the No. 6 Hospitalground zero of the current outbreakas well as nearby neighborhoods since July 5. Meanwhile, authorities in Wuhan, where the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus originated in late 2019, sealed off seven residential compounds and roads, and quarantined more than 2,000 people after seven cases were reported on Aug. 2, Xinhua reported. We all received two doses of vaccines, but the outbreak is still out of control. What can we do? Li Xin (pseudonym) from Hankou district of Wuhan said. The recent outbreak of the CCP virus was first reported on July 20 in the eastern city of Nanjing, where nine airport workers were identified by routine tests. The official data indicate many infected cases in the fresh outbreak had received Chinese vaccines. In Nanjing city, health officials conceded on July 22 that almost all infected cases had received vaccines, except for one person under the age of 18. The official website of the airport, where the first cluster broke out, showed that more than 90 percent of the airport staff had received Chinese vaccines by May. Dorothy Li and Reuters contributed to this report. A child receives a nucleic acid test for COVID-19 in Yangzhou, in China's eastern Jiangsu province on Aug. 5, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) Chinese Workers Stranded Under Harsh COVID-19 Policies In the wake of new delta variant infections spreading through China, the regime is re-enacting harsh, draconian measures on locals in affected areas. A truck driver and his father have lived out of their truck for five days on the edge of Yangzhou city in Jiangsu province. He says they have only been able to eat instant noodles, as the stringent lockdown stops them from returning home. As of today, my father and I have slept on the truck for five days, Zhang told The Epoch Times on Aug.4. Zhang Yong (pseudonym) said he has spent four days in near 90 degrees temperature without a shower, sparing gasoline by not running the trucks air conditioner. Zhang and his father, despite being in the city, are surviving on their own. Surrounding roads, shops, and residential compounds have been sealed off. Yangzhou authorities said they imposed a partial lockdown on all its downtown residential communities and allowed one person per household to go out. Yangzhou reported the first case infected with the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, on July 28. In the past two weeks, health officials have reported 272 cases, surpassing the figures of Nanjing City, where the recent outbreak began. However, the Chinese regime has a record of under-reporting its infection numbers. Recent cases have prompted officials to order 4.5 million residents to stay in their homes, cancel flights and trains, and halt bus travel. Zhang told The Epoch Times that he saw police guarding the exit of the motorway as he entered Yangzhou city on July 30. They [police] only required [us] to present the health and itinerary code but didnt inform me of the lockdown, Zhang said. I showed the code to him, but when I unloaded everything and wanted to drive back, I was not allowed to go. The Chinese regime adopts a QR code system on WeChat, the countrys most popular social media app, to report a persons health status, COVID-19 test results, itinerary, and other information. The app collects personal data by tracking the mobile phones signal and Bluetooth. Zhang claimed he tried to get a nucleic acid test at the local hospitals on Aug. 1, but a tollbooth staff later told him, you cannot go even with nucleic acid test [results]. The city is locked down. I called the government hotline and was told they would report it to higher-level officials. They just say it this way, Zhang said. He said the lack of response has left him worried for his fathers well-being. Ruili City In another high-risk area, on Chinas southwestern border, residents reported a similar situation of being banned from leaving the city. On July 11, local authorities found a person infected with the CCP virus had shopped in a store on the street. Then, they took more than 200 people working on the same road to immediate quarantine. One of those people was Qing Yun (pseudonym), owner of a lottery shop in Jiegao, a small town in Ruili city, bordering Burma (also known as Myanmar). Confined in a small (6 square meter) room for 21 days, he told The Epoch Times he didnt have a right to open the window freely on the hot summer days. The meals supplied were not enough and tasted bad, he added he paid 1100 yuan ($170) for the food. These photos are to show the outside of a quarantine center (L) in Ruili city of Yunnan Province, China and a supplied meal (R) during the 21- day mandatory quarantine. (Courtesy of Qing Yun) Finally, on Aug. 1, the locked door opened, and he was allowed to leave. But he was surprised to learn that he needed permission to leave the city. The Ruili government required people not to go out, with exceptions for those with special needs. Those individuals need to submit documents and wait for government approval. Qing and his family stay in his friends home now. He said that he was lucky as many were struggling to find a place to live under the quarantine. Another resident from Nanjing surnamed Wang had a job in Ruili city before the lockdown. Because the city isnt allowed to work, many people who are trapped here dont have an income. Wang told The Epoch Times that he had waited for approval to go home for a long time. He said thousands of migrant workers applied for permission at the local government office every day after authorities announced they would lift the lockdown on July 26. But none of them were allowed to go. On August 3, officials gave a new stay-at-home order, marking the third round of lockdowns this year. On Chinas social media, people complained that the sudden lockdown without any advance notice caused food to rot and businesses to suffer losses. The recent spike in infected cases in Ruili city started on July 4, driven by the Delta variant. Gu Xiaohua and Hong Ning contributed to this report. A view of a portion of the Mariner's Mile from the Newport Beach Harbor, in Newport Beach, Calif., on Aug. 8, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Coastal Commission to Review Controversial Pacific Coast Highway Project NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.The city of Newport Beach recently received an unexpected letter from the California Coastal Commission addressing the councils approval of a controversial mixed-use development at 2510 W. Coast Highway on July 27. The letter said that commission staff had received an email on July 28 from David Tanner, a concerned citizen, requesting to appeal the city-approved development to the Coastal Commission. Local residents and business owners have previously voiced their opposition to the development, which is planned along a stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway called the Mariners Mile. The letter went on to say that during a July 29 phone call, Tanner had requested that the commissions executive director review the citys determination of non-appealability. The next day, Tanner followed up by email with written information and another request for a review of the citys determination. The letter was sent on July 30 from Coastal Commission Executive Director Jack Ainsworth and District Supervisor Zach Rehm, to Seimone Jurjis, Newport Beach Community Development director. The city council approved the project 50, with councilmen Duffy Duffield absent and Noah Blom recusing. Mayor Brad Avery pointed out that the council felt they had no choice but to approve the project, submitted by landowner Mark Moshayedi, under the auspices of the states Housing Accountability Act. The 1982 law limits local governments ability to deny housing development projects. Weve lost our ability to work with residents, deliver for residents; so much of it is out of our hands, Avery said during the council meeting. Opponents of the development have claimed that the city couldnt give approval, since a small portion is located near the high tide line, thus requiring Coastal Commission approval. The letter from the Coastal Commission to the city states: The Coastal Commissions Executive Director has reviewed the Notice of Final Action, site plans for the development, the post-certification map for the Newport Beach Local Coastal Program (LCP), 2 and information submitted by interested members of the public including Mr. Tanner and others who have submitted emails and phone communication. Consistent with LCP (Implementation Plan) Section 21.50.050(B)(3), the Executive Directors determination is that part of the city-approved development is within the appealable area identified in the LCP because it is within 300 feet of the mean high tide line. Coastal Act Section 30603(a) provides the criteria for development that may be appealed to the Coastal Commission. Newport Beach Deputy Community Development Director Jim Campbell told The Epoch Times that the city has sent a response to the commission. The city has already responded and has submitted to the Coastal Commission a revised notice of final action, consistent with their determination that a portion of the project site is subject to appeal to the Coastal Commission, he said. Campbell said that once the Coastal Commission receives the citys mailed response, a 10-day appeal period will begin that will allow any aggrieved person (as defined by the Coastal Act) to submit an appeal. The land in question is approximately 10- to 20-feet long, located in the projects southerly portion, which includes a driveway, sidewalk, and landscaping. The city is not disputing the Coastal Commissions determination, Campbell stated. He pointed out that the project isnt within the larger coastal zone, but that there are appeal areas that fall under city-issued coastal development permits that can be appealed to the Coastal Commission. Campbell said that if an appeal is filed after the Coastal Commission acknowledges receipt of the citys mailed response, it will hold a hearing within 49 days. If the commission determines the appeal is substantial enough, the coastal staff will evaluate the appeal area and make its recommendation. Depending on the staff recommendation, the commission will either allow the project to move forward as approved or decide to hold a public hearing to look at the entire project. A "For Rent" sign is displayed in front of an apartment building in Arlington, Va., on June 20, 2021. (Will Dunham/Reuters) DOJ Tells Court: Dont Block New Eviction Moratorium The new eviction moratorium shouldnt be blocked, Department of Justice lawyers told a court in a filing on Aug. 6. After two federal courts deemed the nationwide eviction pause unlawful, and the Supreme Court indicated that only Congress could extend the ban or put into place a new one, the eviction ban expired on July 31, and no moratorium was in place. President Joe Biden and officials within his administration said they were constrained by the court rulings, but abruptly changed course on Aug. 3, imposing a new two-month eviction moratorium in 80 percent of U.S. counties. Landlords and other real estate owners quickly asked a court to block the new eviction ban, arguing to U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich that the executive branch was exceeding its authority. In substance and effect, the CDCs latest action is an extension of the same unlawful ban on evictions that has been in effect since September 2020, they said. In their Aug. 6 counter-filing, Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers argued that the new pause isnt the same because it doesnt apply to the entire country. The DOJ attornies said that circumstances have changed since the courts ruled against the previous ban. The trajectory of the pandemic has changed dramatically as a result of the highly contagious Delta variant, they said. The lawyers also noted that the recent Supreme Court ruling left the prior ban in place, even though Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a Trump appointee, said he believed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had overstepped its authority by enacting the initial moratorium. I agree with the District Court and the applicants that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exceeded its existing statutory authority by issuing a nationwide eviction moratorium, Kavanaugh wrote in a concurring opinion. Because the CDC plans to end the moratorium in only a few weeks, on July 31, and because those few weeks will allow for additional and more orderly distribution of the congressionally appropriated rental assistance funds, I vote at this time to deny the application to vacate the District Courts stay of its order. The other four justices who voted to keep the ban in place didnt explain their votes, nor did the four justices who voted to strike down the ban. Unless and until the Supreme Court rules otherwise, the decision of the D.C. Circuit motions panel that rejected Plaintiffs position remains the law of the case, at least as to the factors governing whether any adverse judgment should be stayed, DOJ lawyers said in their filing. If Friedrich, a Trump appointee, disagrees and rules against the new eviction ban, then she should stay her ruling so the defendants can quickly appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit or the Supreme Court, the lawyers wrote. That strategy was outlined by Biden, who told reporters on Aug. 5 that he remained unsure if the new ban was legal. I cant guarantee you the Court wont rule [that] we dont have that authority, but at least well have the ability, if we have to appeal, to keep this going for a month at leastI hope longer than that, Biden said outside of the White House. EXCLUSIVE: Arizona Senate President Karen Fann Reveals Maricopa County Lies; Whats Ahead for the Audit? From the over 70 lawyers sent by Democrats to stop the audit in its early days to the ongoing threats of federal intervention by the Department of Justice, the Maricopa County 2020 election audit has faced overwhelming resistance from day one. Arizona Senate President Karen Fann is the initiator of the Maricopa County 2020 election audit. In this exclusive interview, she reveals what the media isnt saying about the audit, and what the future might hold. If there was something that was done inappropriately, if it was done criminally, Im going to turn it over to the attorney generals office, she said. Hosted by NTD journalist Brendon Fallon, Wide Angle is following the latest political developments in the United States and abroad, and finding the connection between these and the larger global trends of our times. Brendon Fallon: https://twitter.com/brendonfallon Follow EpochTV on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpochTVus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EpochTVus A Chicago Police officer monitors the scene after a shooting in Chicago, Illinois, on March 14, 2021.(KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images) Facebook and Illinois Police Chief Association at Odds Over Officer of the Year Ad After Facebook blocked an ad honoring a police officer injured in the line of duty, the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police started a petition campaign to lift the restriction, arguing that Facebook made a mistake. But Facebook says it correctly blocked the ad based on its advertising policy, which says any ad mentioning political figures is a political and needs additional verification. Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police can still promote the ad as a political ad through an authorization process, Facebook told The Epoch Times. The ad promotes East Peoria Police Department patrolman Jeffery Bieber, who was awarded 2021 Most Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (ILACP). A screenshot of Illinois Association of Chiefs of Polices Facebook post promoting East Peoria Police Department patrolman Jeffery Bieber. (Screenshot by The Epoch Times) On February 2, when responding to a domestic disturbance call, Bieber was repeatedly stabbed in the head and neck by Joshua Crites. Bieber backed away, used his taser, but still could not subdue Crites. Bieber finally shot Crites when Crites got on Biebers back. Crites died on the scene, according to a Facebook post by ILACP. Facebook told The Epoch Times the ad was rightfully blocked because was political. Facebook policy treats any ad that mentions politicians or officials appointed by politicians as political ads. ILACPs ad mentioned Biebers nominator, East Peoria Police Chief Brodrick, who was appointed by Mayor John Kahl and the City Council, according to emails from Facebook. ILACP executive director Ed Wojcicki told The Epoch Times, It is a stretch to call that political. In fact, it is ridiculous. In the past, Facebook also blocked some legislation-related ads from ILACP, and the ILACP only chose to fight back this time because it is about promoting a good police officer, Wojcicki said. ILACP started a petition to gather public support to overturn Facebooks decision. The petition has gathered about 3,000 signatures by August 6. As to Facebooks suggestion to promote it as a political ad, ILACP will not take it. Under Facebook policy, all political ads must go through an authorization process, which asks for personal information such as a drivers license and a U.S.-based residential mailing address. Facebook told ILACP that it partners with trusted service providers and encrypts personal information for safe storage. Wojcicki replied to Facebook that people in law enforcement have a right to keep their personal information private, and no other company in the world asks ILACP for that kind of information to do advertisements, according to emails Wojcicki shared with The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times asked Facebook if any other law enforcement organizations had similar concerns. Facebook did not respond by press time. The logo for Facebook appears on screens at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York's Times Square, on March 29, 2018. (Richard Drew/AP Photo) FTC Official Criticizes Facebook for Terminating Political Ads Probe WASHINGTONA senior Federal Trade Commission official is criticizing Facebooks move to shut down the personal accounts of two academic researchers and terminate their probe into misinformation spread through political ads on the social network. Facebook wrongly used a 2019 data-privacy settlement with the FTC to justify shutting down the New York University researchers accounts this week, Samuel Levine, acting director of the FTCs consumer protection bureau, said in a letter Thursday to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Levine also said Facebook failed to honor a prior commitment to notify the FTC in advance of taking such an action. Facebook maintained that the researchers violated its terms of service and were involved in unauthorized data collection from its massive network. The academics, however, say the company is attempting to exert control on research that paints it in a negative light. The NYU researchers with the Ad Observatory Project had for several years been looking into Facebooks Ad Library, where searches can be done on advertisements running across Facebooks products. The access was used to uncover systemic flaws in the Facebook Ad Library, to identify misinformation in political ads, including many sowing distrust in our election system, and to study Facebooks apparent amplification of partisan misinformation, Laura Edelson, the lead researcher behind NYU Cybersecurity for Democracy, said Wednesday. Facebook agreed in a 2019 consent decree settlement with the FTC to pay a record $5 billion for alleged violations of the privacy of users personal data. But Levine said in his letter that the consent decree allows Facebook to create exceptions to data collection restrictions for good-faith research in the public interest. While it is not our role to resolve individual disputes between Facebook and third parties, we hope that the company is not invoking privacymuch less the FTC consent orderas a pretext to advance other aims, the letter says. Facebooks action against the NYU project also cut off other researchers and journalists who got access to Facebook data through the project, according to Edelson, the NYU lead researcher. The researchers offered Facebook users a web browser plug-in tool that let them volunteer their data showing how the social network targets political ads. But Facebook said the browser extension was programmed to evade its detection systems and vacuum up user data, creating privacy concerns. In a blog post late Tuesday, Facebook said it takes unauthorized data scraping seriously, and when we find instances of scraping we investigate and take action to protect our platform. Facebook representatives didnt immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday on Levines letter. Levine wrote that after Facebook wrongly asserting its actions against the researchers were required under the consent decree, it later acknowledged that was inaccurate. While I appreciate that Facebook has now corrected the record, I am disappointed by how your company has conducted itself in this matter, he told Zuckerberg. Facebook says it makes information on political ads available through its Ad Library and provides privacy-protected data sets to researchers through other means. Facebook didnt admit wrongdoing in the 2019 settlement. The FTC opened an investigation into Facebook in 2018 after revelations that data mining firm Cambridge Analytica had gathered details on as many as 87 million Facebook users without their permission. In addition to privacy concerns, the FTC and Facebook have been wrangling over antitrust issues. The agency and 48 states and districts sued Facebook in December, accusing the tech giant of abusing its market power in social networking to crush smaller competitors. They were seeking remedies that could include a forced spinoff of the social networks Instagram and WhatsApp messaging services. A federal judge recently dismissed the antitrust lawsuits, saying they didnt provide enough evidence to prove that Facebook is a monopoly. The ruling dismissed the FTCs complaint but not the case, giving the agency a chance to file a revised complaint. By Marcy Gordon Gov. Cuomos Sex Scandal and the Medias Corruption Commentary The media feeding frenzy over sexual harassment allegations against Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York has transported me 23 years back in time to 1998 and the unprecedentedif very brief and highly precarious alliance between the media and Republicans in Congressto blacken the reputation of President Bill Clinton over his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Then, as now, Ive had very mixed feelings about the whole thing. For many years, I have writtenmainly in The New Criterion and in my book Media Madness (Encounter, 2008)against the medias scandal culture, which was begotten by the Watergate scandal of a half-century ago. That was when the media first chose to exercise their power, in collaboration with disaffected bureaucrats privy to government secrets, to affect political change by lending their mighty publicity engine to the discovery (or, under Donald Trump, the fabrication) of evidence of wrongdoing by the politically disfavored. Until President Donald Trump came along, no one was more politically disfavored in the media than President Richard Nixon. I havent space here to go into all the reasons for the medias hatred of this poor boy who made good and who might otherwise have been seen as a great man, but it began with his service on the House Un-American Activities Committee in the late 1940s, helping to root out communists and those who were then called their fellow travelers in government. And the hatred only grew hotter and more virulent in the 20 years before he was elected to the presidency in the politically chaotic year of 1968. The point is that, during Watergate, many in the media didnt even pretend that their allegations of wrongdoing werent motivated by their hatred, rather than the other way around. Of course, we saw the same thing during the endless scandal-mongering of Trumps presidencywhich continues even now that hes out of office. The medias promotion of scandalwhich is now practically their only job when they arent promoting their own ideological confrereshas so often had a purely political motive that they dont even bother to hide it anymore. Similarly, no one in Congress, on either side of the political aisle, seems to have the slightest hesitation in jumping into the role of judge in his own political cause. But this devotion to the task of attacking ones political enemies on moral grounds that might seem to have little or nothing to do with their performance in office creates an interesting situation when the morals in question are those of political friendsin other words, Democratssuch as Bill Clinton or Andrew Cuomo, whom the media, especially, instinctively try to protect. In most such cases, the medias protection of their favorites is a simple matter of insisting that the charges of wrongdoing against them are politically motivatedthe work of right-wing hatchet men or a vast right-wing conspiracywhich is richly ironic in view of the undisguised political motivations behind their own cries of scandal against Republican targets. The crowning achievement of such deflective tactics came during last years election campaign, when the media quickly rounded up 50 current or former intelligence officials to sign onto a statement claiming that the Hunter Biden laptop story in the right-wing New York Post sounded to them like Russian disinformation. But when, as in the Clinton and Cuomo cases, the allegations are of sexual misbehavior against a white male Democrata black male Democrat such as Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of Virginia, still in office in spite of allegations of rape against him, may be a different matterthis approach runs the risk of offending the important Democratic constituency of educated women, who are often ideologically committed to the view that women never lie about such things. The $64,000 question for the media is this: Are these female Democrats equally committed to the view that charges of sexual misconduct are equally serious no matter which party the alleged offender belongs to? There were few protests on the leftalmost none that I am aware ofwhen the media successfully buried the story of Tara Reades allegations of sexual assault against Joe Biden last year. But Reade was an isolated case and could be portrayed, as at first, Lewinsky was, as a bitter and perhaps mentally unbalanced woman with a grudge. Besides, Biden was by that time the presumptive Democrat standard-bearer against the hated man in the White House and had to be protected at all costs. But with Cuomo, as with Clinton before him, there must have come a tipping point where the media collectively decided that such credibility with the public as they still retained would be lost unless they abandoned their initial attempts to ignore or kill the story and turned the big guns of their moral outrage, at least temporarily, against their former favorites. Pardon my cynicism, but I can see no other explanation for such outrage as we are currently seeing directed against Cuomo, a man whom it is even more difficult to feel sorry for than it was for Clinton. All the same, I do feel a bit sorry for him, since the obloquy he has had and presumably still has to endure really has little or nothing to do with the ostensible charges against himwhich also serve to mask the much more serious wrongdoing he was guilty of in sending so many old people to nursing homes to die of the coronavirus and then attempting to cover it up. That other Democratic governors were guilty of the same thing may be another reason why his former friends in the media now find him expendable, and someone to be made an example of on quite other grounds. The one consolation I feel in my perplexity lies in the contemplation of the embarrassment the media would feel, if they were capable of embarrassment, of the fawning treatment of the governor only last year, when he looked like the perfect Democratic foil to the hated Trump, and celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres rushed to proclaim themselves Cuomosexuals. In retrospect, that now-embarrassing moment looks a bit like the Time magazine reporter Nina Burleigh telling The Washington Post during the ClintonLewinsky scandal that Id be happy to give him [oral sex] just to thank him for keeping abortion legal. It should come as no surprise that sex scandals, like other scandals, are no more than the latest in political weaponryand almost the only political weaponry left in our degraded political culture. But it confirms my long-held opinion that the corruption that scandal purports to uncover in politicians is nothing compared to the corruption of the media scandal-mongers themselves. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland speaks at an event in Washington on July 29, 2021. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Native Organizers Alliance) Interior Department Confirms 35 Staffers Have Died of COVID-19 An Interior Department spokesperson has confirmed that, as of Aug. 6, 35 of its employees have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. After Interior Department Secretary Deb Haaland said in a video address taped earlier in the week that 34 staffers at the agency had died from COVID-19, the departments communications director, Melissa Schwartz, wrote on a Twitter on Aug. 6 that one more person had died, bringing the tally to 35. Schwartz also updated the number of agency employees who have, to date, contracted the CCP virus, boosting that figure to more than 4,000 from Haalands earlier mention of around 3,900, though the secretary noted in her remarks that the number was continuing to increase. Haaland expressed concern about the spread of the Delta variant of the virus, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers more transmissible and potentially more resistant to vaccines. Though many people are vaccinated, our country still faces increased rates of COVID-19 infections and more aggressive variants, Haaland said, noting that the Interior Department would be requiring its on-site staff and contractors to wear face coverings, regardless of vaccination status. To help fight this devastating disease, we are following CDC guidance and putting our masks back on. The CDC recently updated its mask-wearing guidelines, recommending facial coverings for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people when entering high-transmission areas. Each state and community faces different threats, so if you are in an area with substantial to high COVID transmission rates, everyoneemployees, contractors, and visitorsmust wear a mask in all federal buildings, no matter your vaccination status, Haaland said. Following the CDCs move to a stricter posture on mask-wearing, a number of Republican governors came out in opposition, with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey saying that the CDCs announcement would only diminish confidence in the vaccine and create more challenges for public health officials. Haalands remarks about masking at the Interior Department follow new rules announced on July 29 by President Joe Biden, who said federal workers and contractors would have to either show proof of vaccination or 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. On Aug. 6, White House COVID-19 data director Cyrus Shahpar said that, to date, half of the total population of the United States has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Mercer Street, an Israeli-managed oil tanker that was attacked last week is seen off Fujairah Port in United Arab Emirates, on Aug. 3, 2021. (Rula Rouhana/File/Reuters) Iran Denies Role in Tanker Attack, Says Seeks Gulf Security DUBAIIran on Saturday rejected as psychological warfare accusations that it was behind a deadly attack on a tanker off Omans coast, and said Tehran sought to enhance the security of the strategic Gulf waterway. Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven wealthy economies said on Friday Iran was threatening international peace and security and that all available evidence showed it was behind the attack on the Mercer Street tanker last week. If we were to confront enemies we would declare it openly, so the recent storytelling by the enemies is a psychological operation, state media quoted Abolfazl Shekarchi, Irans senior armed forces spokesman, as saying. The vessel was a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned petroleum product tanker managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh rejected the G7 statement as baseless, state media said. It is noteworthy that this incident was stage-set to occur days before the inauguration of Irans new president, Khatibzadeh said. The suspected drone attack killed two crew membersa Briton and a Romaniannear the mouth of the Gulf, a key oil shipping route. Contrary to the strategy of the United States, Britain and [Israel], which aim to create insecurity and Iranophobia, Irans strategy is to strengthen security in the Persian Gulf, Shekarchi said. The U.S. military said explosives experts from the Ronald Reagan aircraft carrierwhich deployed to assist the Mercer Streetconcluded the drone was produced in Iran. But Shekarchi said: The Americans say they recovered parts of Iranian drones from the water but in which laboratory was this evidence identified as belonging to Iran? the Iranian state news agency IRNA reported. Preparing forged evidence is not a difficult task as the Zionists excel at preparing forged documents, Shekarchi said, suggesting Israel may have been behind the attack. Despite Irans denials, Britain, the United States, and others have criticized Tehran for the attack. Britain raised the issue at a closed-door meeting of the United Nations Security Council. Irans deputy UN Ambassador Zahra Ershadi rejected the accusations and warned against any retaliation: Iran will not hesitate to defend itself and secure its national interests. By Dubai newsroom 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) Majority of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients at Hospital in Israel Are Fully Vaccinated: Doctor An Israeli doctor says that the majority of COVID-19 patients hospitalized at his hospital are fully vaccinated and those with severe illness have also been vaccinated. Talking with Channel 13 TV News on Aug. 5, Dr. Kobi Haviv, medical director of Herzog Hospital in Jerusalem said that 85 to 90 percent of the hospitalizations are in fully vaccinated people, and 95 percent of the severe patients are vaccinated. Herzog Hospital specializes in nursing care for the elderly. Haviv said the rising cases of vaccinated people getting COVID-19, a disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus is because the effectiveness of the vaccine is waning. Data from the Israeli Minister of Health in July suggested that the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine in preventing infection and symptomatic illness had dropped from 90 percent to only 39 percent and 41 percent, respectively. However, the levels of protection against severe illness (88 percent) and hospitalization (91.4 percent) remained high. The Pfizer vaccine has been the only COVID-19 vaccine available for Israelis since it was authorized for use in December 2020. However, the government announced last month that the Moderna vaccine would be offered in August to certain people while the Pfizer vaccine would be reserved for those under 18 years. Pfizer and BioNTech are driven by science to discover the best approaches to protect against COVID-19 and are confident in the protection and safety of the two-dose BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine, Pfizer told The Epoch Times via email. The vaccine continues to be highly efficacious in preventing COVID-19, including variants and to date, no variant, including Delta, appears to have escaped the protection of the vaccine. The vaccine manufacturer said it expects to publish more definitive data about the analysis [for a third vaccine dose] and all accumulated data will be shared in the coming weeks. As of Friday, 5,392,509 million of the more than 9 million people have received a second dose of a messenger RNA vaccine, and 349,707 people have gotten their third booster shot, according to figures from the Health Ministry. The country recorded more than 3,000 positive COVID-19 cases, 261 with severe illness, and six deaths as of Aug. 4. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second messenger RNA vaccine. A vial of the Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus disease is seen as medical staff are vaccinated at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, on Dec. 19, 2020. (Amir Cohen/Reuters) Israel was one of the first countries to roll out a mass vaccination program in December 2020, and within three months, at least 50 percent of its population had been inoculated with a messenger RNA vaccine, making the country a world leader in vaccinating against the CCP virus. But in the past six weeks, the country has seen a continuous rise in the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations due to the Delta variant that was first identified in India. The Delta variant has become the dominant variant spreading across Israel, accounting for over 90 percent of the COVID-19 cases that have been sequenced. Scientists say it is more transmissible and may become more infectious, but whether it causes more severe disease, hospitalization, and deaths is still unknown. According to Prof. Ran Balicer, a public health physician and chair of Israels COVID-19 National Experts Team, breakthrough cases were seen at a higher rate than was expected with the Delta variant. We saw more breakthrough cases than we expected. So we didnt see just illness among the unvaccinated what weve seen was more and more cases among the vaccinated as well. Despite the rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, experts say it is lower than earlier waves and the fatality rates have remained low. Screenshot of new COVID-19 cases in Israel, according to data from the Health Ministry as of Aug. 4, 2021. (screenshot by The Epoch Times) Screenshot of COVID-19 death rate in Israel, according to data from the Health Ministry as of Aug. 4, 2021. (screenshot by The Epoch Times) Yet, the government has implemented new restrictions this week that include a certain percentage of government employees working remotely and limiting gatherings to people who can show proof of vaccination, recovery from a prior infection, or a COVID-19 test. We have now introduced a set of measures, for instance, the green passport that has been policy, that means that a person that is unvaccinated cannot enter a confined setting where people are spending time without either proof of vaccination or proof that he had contracted COVID before and recovered, or that he had performed a test in the recent few days to show that hes not infective. Without that he cannot enter the premises. That policy, yesterday, has now been put into action in every facility that accepts people indoors, Balicer said in an interview with Haaretz News on Aug. 5. In addition, people are required to wear masks indoors in public places as well as at outdoor events with over 100 people. The Israeli government will also be rolling out an anti-hugging and anti-kissing campaign as part of its strategy to curb the rising COVID-19 cases. Margaret Mac Neil of Canada poses with her gold medal after winning the women's 100-meter butterfly at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, on July 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) Netizens Shame Beijing for Taking Credit for Margaret Mac Neils Olympic Gold Win, Calling Her a Chinese Contestant The Chinese government was shamed by netizens for taking credit for the success of Olympic gold medal-winner Margaret Mac Neil, blasting Chinas one-child policy that had been in place for decades. On July 26 in Tokyo, Mac Neil gained international fame after winning the first gold medal for Canada in the womens 100-meter butterfly, defeating Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei and setting an Americas region record. Mac Neils success drew attention to her Chinese heritage, when both Western and Chinese state-run media outlets reported that the 21-year-old had been abandoned as a baby in China before being adopted by a Canadian couple, Edward Mac Neil and Susan McNair. Speculation about Mac Neils biological parents led netizens on the Chinese blogging website Weibo to condemn the countrys one-child policy, which according to official estimates had prevented at least 400 million births as of 2014, when the campaign was terminated. Launched by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1979, the one-child policy was an attempt to artificially control Chinas population. To enforce the draconian campaign, roughly 324 million Chinese women were routinely implanted with contraceptive intrauterine devices, and 108 million were sterilized between 1980 to 2014. According to her profile on the Canadian Olympic Committee website, Mac Neil was born in February 2000 in Jiujiang, a city in northwest Chinas Jiangxi Province. A hashtag about Margaret Mac Neils gold medal win in the womens 100-meter butterfly at the Tokyo Olympics on Chinese blogging website Weibo received more than 400 million views. (Screenshot of Weibo website) The CCP-censored Weibo lauded Mac Neil as a Chinese contestant with a hashtag about her victory. By Aug. 6, it had received more than 400 million views, with some users even proposing to help seek out her biological parents in China. Canadian contestant Mac Neil wins gold medal in womens 100-meter butterfly by 0.05 seconds. Notably, Mac Neil is a Chinese contestant, the lead sentence on the page reads. Screenshots of comments left by netizens on Chinese blogging website Weibo. (Screenshot of Weibo) But Chinese netizens lashed out against Beijing for its attempts to take credit for Mac Neils ancestry. [Shes] Canadian! We abandoned her, stop trying to benefit from her glory, one netizen wrote. Isnt bias for sons over daughters a fact under Chinas overall social context? There are many [cases] around me, isnt it an inherent bad habit? another netizen wrote. Her being of Chinese descent is not an embarrassment, and that she won representing Canada is not an embarrassment, but the people who think that it is shameful because she is of Chinese descent but won representing Canadathey are the real embarrassment. Screenshots of the comments left by netizens on the Chinese blogging website Weibo. (Screenshot of Weibo) Another netizen said there are many healthy and young girls suitable for adoption in China, and many foreigners visit the country just for that reason. The CCPs one-child policy fueled gender inequality, particularly in rural China, where traditional beliefs prefer male children, who are a better fit for doing farm labor and are responsible for carrying on the family bloodline. According to Chinas 2000 census data, the mortality rate of male infants was 31.36 percent at that time in Jiangxi Province, compared to 78.5 percent for females. Zhu Ting, a star outside hitter who led Chinas womens volleyball team to victory in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, also found herself to be the focus of netizens criticizing the one-child policy. With six daughters, Zhus family clearly violated the CCPs policy. However, officials heaped praise on the athlete, including dubbing the family the most beautiful family of Henan Province. This led to scathing comments by netizens, with one writing on Weibo: Had we completely followed the birth control policy, there would not be Zhu Ting today. Four hundred million babies How many Olympic champions, tech giants, and maestros would there be? Eva Fu and Frank Fang contributed to this article. Nuclear Threat From the South China Sea A nuclear threat is facing the United States from thousands of miles awayin the South China Sea. Why does this body of water aid the Chinese Communist Partys nuclear capabilities? How much control does Beijing really have over its waters? And how could Beijings South China Sea strategy threaten our fundamental freedom? We break it down for you in this special report on the South China Sea. Have other topics you want us to cover? Drop us a line: chinainfocus@ntdtv.org And if youd like to buy us a coffee: https://donorbox.org/china-in-focus Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more first-hand news from China. For more news and videos, please visit our website and Twitter. Follow us: EpochTV Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpochTVus EpochTV Twitter: https://twitter.com/EpochTVus Oklahoma AG Asks Supreme Court to Overturn Ruling on Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction Oklahoma Attorney General John OConnor has petitioned the Supreme Court to overturnor at least narrow the scope ofa landmark 2020 ruling on tribal sovereignty that he said was inadvertently leading to a criminal-justice crisis and putting the public in danger. OConnor, a Republican, said in an Aug. 6 filing (pdf) that that the Supreme Courts 54 ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma, which held that the state doesnt have jurisdiction to prosecute major crimes committed by Native Americans in a large portion of eastern Oklahoma, has led to outcomes that are calamitous and worsening by the day for Oklahomans. The Supreme Courts decision ruled that a large part of eastern Oklahoma, including the city of Tulsa, is still considered tribal land, taking the prosecution of crimes on that land away from local authorities and handing it to federal and tribal authorities. The decision in McGirt now drives thousands of crime victims to seek justice from federal and tribal prosecutors whose offices are not equipped to handle those demands. Numerous crimes are going uninvestigated and unprosecuted, endangering public safety. Federal district courts in Oklahoma are completely overwhelmed, OConnor said in the petition. One of the consequences of limiting the states criminal jurisdiction over tribal lands, OConnor argued, was that thousands of state prisoners are challenging decades worth of convictions, many of which cant be prosecuted anew. Victims of atrocious crimes are being revictimized by going through the legal process a second time, and, in some instances, seeing their loved ones killer set free because federal prosecutors cannot file the claims against the released convicts, OConnor said in a statement. Arguing that the Supreme Court got this decision wrong, OConnor added that he is asking for the court to overturn its decision or to limit it to certain federal crimes. Specifically, the petition calls for the high court to allow violent felons convicted before the ruling to remain in state prisons and to grant the state the authority to prosecute non-Native Americans who commit crimes against tribal citizens on reservation land. The most effective way to right this terrible wrong is for the court to overturn the McGirt decision. Without action, the negative consequences will damage Oklahomans for years to come, OConnor said. Attorneys for some of the tribes have argued the states dire warnings are overblown and that federal and tribal courts are working to handle the additional caseload. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. accused OConnor and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, himself a Cherokee Nation citizen, of advancing an anti-Indian political agenda. The governor has never attempted to cooperate with the tribes to protect all Oklahomans, Hoskin said in a statement. It is perfectly clear that it has always been his intent to destroy Oklahomas reservations and the sovereignty of Oklahoma tribes, no matter what the cost might be. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A Real-Life Fairytale: Bojnice Castle in Slovakia Is a Fantasy Lovers Dream Come True With its teal-topped turrets and warm stone facade, oozing fantasy, Slovakias Bojnice Castle will take your breath away. The castle is one of the most visited in the world, welcoming hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. Its breathtaking fairytale aesthetic has also made it a popular filming location for fantasy movies. Perched on a rocky hill overlooking the town of Bojnice, 167 miles northeast of the countrys capital, Bratislava, Bojnice Castle began its life as a wooden structure. It was developed into a stone castle by the Poznan family in the 13th century, according to the website of the Slovak National Museum, passing through several aristocratic families into the 14th and 15th centuries. In 1527, King Ferdinand I gifted the castle to Alexej Thurzo, whose family gave the gothic building a renaissance transformation. The castles last aristocratic owner, Count Jan Frantisek Palfi, decided to revert the estate to a more romantic, neo-Gothic aesthetic with the help of architect Jozef Hubert. (Left: ABO PHOTOGRAPHY/Shutterstock); (Right: Egeris/Shutterstock) The neo-Gothic rebuilding took 22 years, from 1889 to 1910. Since 1950, Bojnice Castle has been a heritage site and part of the Slovak National Museum. Offering day and night tours, the castle boasts a golden hall with an angel-adorned ceiling in gold foil, an armory with swords, maces, and suits of armor, and a castle moat, a space now used to host events and wedding ceremonies. The area surrounding the castle contains a purpose-planted natural park, the Bojnice Zoo, and the 700-year-old King Matthias Linden Tree, one of the oldest-recorded trees in Slovakia. The site also hosts the annual International Festival of Ghosts and Spirits, owing to a rich legend pertaining to prior residents of the castle. As the legend goes, according to Every Castle, a lord and military leader and his wife, known as the Black Lady, were happy and successful until jealous relatives claimed, telling the lord, that his wife had been unfaithful. Enraged, he decided to test her virtue: she was ordered to jump from the castles highest tower into the moat with their newborn child. If she survived, she was innocent. The Black Lady is said to have jumped, and floated, as the spiteful relatives disappeared in a puff of smoke. To this day, she is said to wander the halls and stairs of the castle in black clothing, mourning the tragedies of the past. The romance, history, and fantasy of Bojnice Castle embody a timeless sentiment, which has made the castle a top tourist destination, according to polls worldwide. 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 Border Patrol agent starts organizing a group of more than 350 illegal immigrants after they crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into Del Rio, Texas, on July 25, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Over 800 Unaccompanied Children Crossing Border Illegally Apprehended in One Day Border agents on Wednesday took into custody 834 unaccompanied children illegally crossing the southern border, marking the highest daily total recorded since the Biden administration started releasing such data in March. The data, which was first reported by the Washington Examiner, came on the heels of preliminary Department of Homeland Security (DHS) figures indicating July border crossings by unaccompanied minors would hit an all-time high. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have been critical of the Biden administration for setting policies that they say are fueling the border surge. The report drew a critical comment from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who wrote in a tweet: Bidens open border policy is a disaster. Members of the Biden administration have pushed back on the claim that their policies are whats driving the trend, blaming seasonal factors, unaddressed root causes in home countries that drive people to flee their homes, and what DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said was a dismantled Trump-era immigration system thats hindering the response to the crisis. Wednesdays single-day apprehension record came just days after David Shahoulian, assistant secretary for border and immigration policy at DHS, estimated in court filings that more than 19,000 unaccompanied children were encountered along the southern border in July, a new all-time high. While the figures are preliminary and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has yet to include the official July tally in its encounters database, the number Shahoulian cited exceeds the previous peak of 18,877 children crossing the border without parents or legal guardians in March. Unaccompanied children are exempt from a policy known as Title 42 that allows government workers to immediately expel anyone caught crossing the border illegally without a hearing as a measure to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. The Biden administration continues to expel single adults and family units under Title 42 authority, which was used to expel 104,907 people in June alone. On Monday, the Biden administration extended the Title 42 order, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announcing that the measure would remain in place until the CDC Director determines that the danger of further introduction of COVID-19 into the United States from covered noncitizens has ceased to be a serious danger to the public health. It comes as the rate at which individuals taken into custody after crossing the border illegally are testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, has increased significantly in recent weeks, according to DHS officials. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Parenting Matters: When Does Parenting Teenagers Begin? When I decided to extend my pediatric practice to include adolescents, I thought I would be able to help all those troubled teens and their families get back on track. I soon learned that by the teen years, a kids life habits are pretty much formed; what happens before the teen years is whats important. Develop a positive attitude: If you want your child to be happy, optimistic, honest, spiritual, and respectful, you must be happy, optimistic, honest, spiritual, and respectful! There are many roads to this goal. The most basic ones include being responsible, knowing that actions have consequences, and laws at every level are made to protect us; we must respect the laws and those who enforce them. First, instill in your children an attitude of responsibility. One of the best tools I know to help your kids learn responsibility, at an early age, is an alarm clock. Before kids start first grade, maybe even kindergarten, they should be able to read a digital clock. If not, teach them! Tell them that they must stay in bed until the alarm rings, and they must get up as soon as it does. Dont tell them about the snooze button; theyll learn about that soon enough. Discuss with them what good will happen when they act like adults and get up by themselves. Grade school kids love school and hate to miss a day. So, if they dont get up, they will miss that day of school because you will keep them home or take them late, but dont send them to Grandmas house to have a fun-filled day with her. Sure, it will mess up your whole day; let the kids know that, too. All kids long to make their parents happy and proud and thrive on pleasing their parents. When kids are able to get themselves up and out of bed, they immediately accept other responsibilities. Brushing their teeth, picking out what clothes they wear, and eating breakfast all become easily acquired habits. Second, in order to teach that actions have consequences, you and your kids must know what is expected of them. Before any transgression happens, they need to know what the consequence will be. When explaining a rule to your child, ask them what good or bad things they think will come from following or not following that rule, and what should happen if they dont follow it. Dont be surprised if they suggest a punishment worse than you would. This gives you a chance to be the good guy and lessen the rebuke. Third, start parenting on the strict side: One year, I asked several hundred high school and college kids if they felt their parents were stricter than the average parent or more lenient. Most of them said, Theyre about average. But, another group said, They used to be really easy, but now they are so strict, I cant even move without being yelled at. Many more replied, They were really tough when I was little, but when I started high school they laxed up. When I asked the kids why they thought their parents changed their approach and became stricter; the uniform answer was, I got in trouble! Those whose parents moved in the other direction and became more lenient replied they had never been in trouble so, I guess Mom and Dad think they dont have to worry about me anymore, and they dont. Its much easier to go from strict to lenient than it is to go the other way. Fourth, expect the best: I often hear parents say, She is such a good kid now, but Im so afraid of the teen years, or I just dont know what Ill do when its time to get his drivers license. I just dread thinking about it! When I ask why they are afraid the answer is, You know how teenagers are! And, worse, they say it in front of the kids. Why not say something like, I just cant wait until Joel gets his license. I know hell be a good driver and I could use help with all the driving errands I have to do! Be sure the kids hear that, too. When you drive, follow the rules of the road and drive the way you want your teen to drive. Fifth, respect the laws and those who enforce them. Its easy today for kids to dislike police officers or fear them, as the media talk about how bad cops are. Thats fake news. Most police are good, honest, and respectable individuals. Take your grade school and your high school kids to meet the police either on the street or at the local police station. Make friends with them. If youre driving and the blue lights start to shine in the rearview mirror, remember the kids are with you, and dont show signs of fear. Treat the officers with the respect they deserve and admit your driving error. Explain to your kids why that violation could be a hazard to you and other drivers, and let them know that, like other laws, they apply to all drivers including yourself and them. In the end, if we have shown our kids how adults act, they will respect and love us, and if they have trouble making a decision, they will feel free to ask for our advice. If not, we have failed them. Parenting teens really begins when they are born, if not before. The best parenting plan, and Ive said it before, is to be the person you want your child to become. Enjoy your family, and may God continue to bless you. Dr. Parnell Donahue is a pediatrician, military veteran, author of four books, and the blog ParentingWithDrPar.com, and host of WBOUs Parenting Matters show. He and his wife, Mary, have four adult children; all hold doctorates, two also are MDs. Contact him at Parenting-Matters.com. A masked student walks in line through the cafeteria at Medora Elementary School in Louisville, Ky., on March 17, 2021. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images) Pennsylvania Leaders Grapple Over Authority to Require Masks in Schools With just weeks left before the start of the new school year, the rules surrounding masking Pennsylvanias K-12 students are still unclear. Masking was the main topic Friday during a well-attended hearing about COVID-19 school policies held in Harrisburg by the Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee. Committee members and most of the audiencemembers of the public mostly opposing masking childrenwere without masks, but the panel of three state officials being questioned wore masks, even while speaking. They were: acting Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Alison Beam, Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Noe Ortega, and acting Education Deputy Secretary Sherri Smith. The Department of Educations recommendation to schools is for full, in-person instruction, Smith said. No school district has announced plans for remote learning, but some parents have requested remote learning as an option for their children, she said. The in-person recommendation from the departments of health and education is coupled with another recommendation: for schools to follow guidance from the Center for Disease Control that includes social distancing, and for all students, vaccinated or not, to wear a mask in school. State Senate Education Committee Chair Scott Martin, a Republican, questioned who can ultimately make the decision on masks. Under what constitutional or statutory authority does a school board or local government or even a state government have to impose various restrictions or orders if there is not a current emergency declaration and no order related to the secretary of health? Martin asked. Where are those powers grounded, for a local school board to impose such restrictions? Beam said the Health Department is not considering a statewide masking mandate at this time so the department is pointing to the CDC guidance for universal masking for k-12. Each of those school districts would then have the option of imposing a masking mandate under their authorities, Beam said. Ortega added that they would have to check with the Department of Educations legal team to see if the legal means exist at the school level to impose mask mandates. Martin said his office researched the matter and they could find no authority for schools in normal circumstances to impose such restrictions. What it sounds like right now is they are leaving it up to school boards on how to handle COVID in schools, Martin told The Epoch Times. The most important place for parents to make their thoughts known right now is at school board meetings. Many schools plan to be fully open with no masking this year, but some Pennsylvania schools have already informed parents that they plan to require masking for all students. Martin wondered if parents would have to take some school districts to court to end masking requirements. The hearing also revealed that the Department of Education plans to provide COVID-19 testing services for schools. It would be voluntary and be of no cost to schools. Photographer Scraps Snapping Surfers for Just Water and Wavesand the Results Are Pure Magic Like many artists, photographer Matt Burgess stumbled on his niche by accident. His love for photography took him to the ocean, where he first started snapping surfers off Australias beaches. What he soon found while training his lenses on humans riding the waves was that the waves themselves, finishing their journey ashore, were more interesting than their riders. The thing that fascinates me most about the ocean is that its never the same no wave or moment will ever be repeated, Burgess told The Epoch Times. You are getting front row tickets to a once in a lifetime showand whats even better, it costs nothing! As the photographerfrom the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, on the southern tip of Australiastarted spending more time shooting waves, the formless, flowing H2O began to take on a life of its ownexpressing its beauty through its ever-changing shape. Besides the classic tunnel wave, Burgess started capturing ever more exotic and unimaginable forms in the sea, calling to his mind images of the Silver Surfer, shark fins, and a even aliens. Although the artist says his best wave portrait is still in the ocean, if he had to choose his favorite today, it would be an image called Angelic, which he captured on the back beaches of Mornington Peninsula in the summer of 2017. The image is of two waves meeting, creating backwash, he said. Which throws water meters into the air. This particular backwash created the form of an angel. I knew it was a keeper the moment I captured it. During his days at sea, what Burgess soon realized was the magical effect that light had on the water. I am usually trying to capture those special moments on dawn and dusk when the sun rises and falls and the light plays on the water, he said. Thats when the magic happens. But his real passion for taking photos of waves doesnt come from the resultsthe photos themselves; for Burgess, photography is therapy, a time to connect with the ocean, relax, and refocus, he says, adding: Anything that comes out of a session is a bonus! Here is more photography by Matt Burgess: 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 Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad personnel land and disembark from a Hughes 369D helicopter, at Temsco Helicopters Inc in Ketchikan, Alaska, on Aug. 5, 2021. (Dustin Safranek/Ketchikan Daily News via AP) Poor Weather Hampers Crash Victim Recovery Efforts in Alaska JUNEAU, AlaskaPoor weather conditions were hindering efforts to recover the bodies of six people who were killed when a sightseeing plane crashed in southeast Alaska, Alaska State Troopers said Friday. The plane crashed Thursday as the pilot was returning five passengers to Ketchikan from Misty Fjords National Monument, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The planes emergency beacon was activated about 11:20 a.m. when it crashed near the monument, the U.S. Coast Guard said. A helicopter company reported seeing wreckage on a ridgeline in the search area, and Coast Guard crew members found the wreckage around 2:40 p.m. A Coast Guard helicopter lowered two rescue swimmers to the site, and they reported no survivors, the agency said. The victims have not been identified, and troopers were working with volunteers from the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad to coordinate recovery efforts. Poor weather conditions and deteriorating visibility in the Ketchikan and Misty Fjords area have prevented the Alaska State Troopers and volunteers from the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad from conducting any recovery efforts this morning, troopers spokesperson Austin McDaniel said in an email Friday to The Associated Press. Victims wont be named until they have identified them following recovery efforts, he said. All five passengers were on an excursion off the Holland America Line cruise ship Nieuw Amsterdam. The company was making counseling services available to guests and crew, it said in a statement. The Holland America Line cruise ship Nieuw Amsterdam is docked, at Berth 4 in Ketchikan, Alaska on Aug. 5, 2021. (Dustin Safranek/Ketchikan Daily News via AP) The plane involved Thursday, a de Havilland Beaver, was owned by Southeast Aviation LLC. Our hearts are shattered at the loss of six people today. We are thinking of and grieving with the families of the five passengers and our dear friend and pilot aboard the aircraft, the company said in a Thursday evening statement. We are cooperating with the first responders and agencies involved. Ketchikan is a popular stop for cruise ships visiting Alaska, and cruise ship passengers can take various sightseeing excursions while in port. Popular among them are small plane flights to Misty Fjords National Monument, where visitors can see glacier valleys, snow-capped peaks and lakes in the wilderness area. In 2019, two sightseeing planes collided in midair, killing six of the 16 people on board the two planes. The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a crew to investigate the crash. The FAA is also investigating. By Becky Bohrer and Mark Thiessen Rare 2-Headed Turtle Hatchling Found and Released on South Carolina Beach Sea turtle patrollers made an incredible discovery during a recent turtle nest inventory on a South Carolina beach. Among three live hatchlings, they found one that stood out for its unique feature: it had two heads. The turtle was hailed as a very rare find for Edisto Beach State Parks volunteer-led July 21 inventory. South Carolina State Parks (SCSP) shared photos on Facebook, writing, While performing an inventory patrollers, and volunteers found three alive loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings still in the chamber, but one hatchling in particular stood out because it had two heads! Two-headed turtle found in South Carolina State Parks. (Courtesy of South Carolina State Parks) This rare feature, they claimed, is the result of a genetic mutation. While other two-headed hatchlings have been found in South Carolina in past years, the infant discovered recently was a first for the patrol team at Edisto Beach State Park. Yet the hatchling was not interfered with. After taking photos, patrollers gently released the two-headed sea turtle, alongside its two companions, into the ocean. All hatchlings must be released as required by state and federal permits, regardless of deformities or injuries, Sea Turtle Specialist Leah Schwartzentruber explained in a message relayed to The Epoch Times. We let nature take its course as it should, and we strongly limit our interference with them, she said. Turtle nest inventories provide biologists with a crucial insight into how the nesting population of sea turtles is faring. According to SCSP, the patrol team at Edisto Beach digs into the sand three to five days after a sea turtle nest shows signs of a major emergence. Hoping to determine the success of the nest, the team counts both hatched and unhatched eggs and occasionally helps release live hatchlings stuck beneath the surface of the sand. Volunteers cordon off nesting areas and place signs to deter beachgoers from trampling or disorienting the young, Fox News reported. They also collect trash and fill holes in the sand that may be hazardous to hatching turtles. 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 Conor Lamb is seen at a campaign rally in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania on March 11, 2018. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Rep. Conor Lamb Joins Race for Pennsylvania US Senate Seat Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Pa.) on Friday entered the race for a U.S. Senate seat that could determine which party holds the upper chamber after the 2022 midterm elections. I believe this is the most important Senate seat in the country, Lamb said in a video announcing his plans to run. Lamb joins a crowded race that includes Democrat Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, 51, former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark during the Trump administration Carla Sands, 60, and Republican Craig Snyder, former chief of staff to Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.). Specter held the seat theyre vying for until 2011, when he was succeeded by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). Toomey is retiring after his current term, leaving the seat up for grabs. Lamb, 37, thinks hes got a shot at emerging from the tough Democrat primary and beating whoever wins the Republican nomination. Lamb said hell work on raising the minimum wage and help pass healthcare reform if hes elected to the Senate. He also knocked Republicans, attempting to tie all the GOP candidates to former President Donald Trump. I talk with Pennsylvanians every day whove come to believe that our democracy is in crisis. And theyre right. The other side denies reality and worships Trump. Theyre making it harder to vote and lying about our elections, Lamb claimed. Some in the GOP field have tried to distance themselves from Trump, including Snyder. In the press release announcing his bid, Snyder said he was running to see to it that neither Trumpism nor socialism own our public debates. He said he represented a common-sense conservatism. Republicans hit back at Lamb, a former prosecutor and military veteran who entered the House of Representatives in 2018. Conor Lamb is just another extreme progressive liberal joining the other extreme progressive liberals. Lamb has voted 93% of the time with Nancy Pelosi and will be a rubber stamp for the dangerous liberal policies, Lizzie Litzow, spokeswoman for the National Republican Senate Committee, said in a statement, referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). The NRSC will spend every day highlighting their positions that are way out of step with the voters of Pennsylvania. Lambs bid for the Senate will trigger a fresh race for the seat he holds, which represents Pennsylvanias 17th Congressional District. The district went for Trump in 2016 before narrowly swinging to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. Lamb won the election last year by just 2.2 percent over fellow veteran Sean Parnell. Parnell is among the Republicans vying for the soon-to-be vacant Senate seat. Founder of the Baring Vostok investment fund Michael Calvey speaks to journalists as he leaves a court room after a hearing in Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 5, 2021. (Alexander Zemlianichenko /AP Photo) Russian Court Hands Suspended Sentence to US Investor MOSCOWA court in Moscow convicted a prominent U.S. investor on charges of embezzlement and handed him a suspended sentence on Friday, a verdict he deplored as deeply unfair. Michael Calvey was accused of embezzlement from the Russian bank Vostochny, in which his investment firm Baring Vostok had a controlling stake. He denied any wrongdoing. The Meshchansky District Court in Moscow gave Calvey a 5 1/2-year suspended sentence. Prosecutors asked for a six-year suspended sentence. I view the verdict as unfortunate and deeply unfair, he said after the verdict, adding that he would meet with his lawyers to decide on his next steps over the following week. The prosecution alleged that Calvey took a loan of 2.5 billion rubles ($37 million at the time) from the bank and that in turn he transferred to the bank his shares in a company called IFTG that he said were worth the amount of the loan, but were actually worth far less. Calvey rejected the accusations. The court, unfortunately, didnt or couldnt understand the substance of the case, with no victim, no damage, and no beneficiary, Calvey said after the verdict. The judge simply repeatedword for wordthe text from the prosecutors case. There were literally hundreds of pieces of evidence submitted in court proving that my colleagues and I acted entirely legally and in the interests of Vostochny Bank. Calvey spent about two months in jail after his arrest in February 2019 before being placed under house arrest and then released last fall. Calveys company was one of the largest foreign investment firms in Russia and his arrest dented investors confidence in the country. During the trial, Calvey told the court that his acquittal could help draw new foreign investors to Russia. Speaking after the verdict, he said that given the tendency of Russian courts to side with the prosecution, compared to most cases, receiving a suspended sentence is already almost a victory. But on the other hand, it is simply outrageous to be convicted of a crime that never happened, Calvey noted. And the specific conviction on the charge of embezzlement obviously is deeply offensive to me, as a professional in the investment industry with an honest reputation built over 25 years. The court also ruled to unfreeze Calveys assets. It also handed a suspended sentence of 4 1/2 years to Philippe Delpal, a French partner at Baring Vostok. Several other executives were also given suspended sentences. By Vladimir Isachenkov Search and Rescues on the Rise, Orange County Officials Say Officials in Orange County, California, say they recorded a significant increase in search and rescues throughout the pandemic. The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) and the Orange County Sheriffs Department (OCSD) have been working to address the rise in search and rescues during the past year. We basically work together to ensure that the citizens and the community here in Orange County gets the appropriate response and really to mitigate any hazards that arise, OCFA Captain Greg Barta told The Epoch Times regarding OCFAs relationship with OCSD. Theyre a great resource for us to search for people as an avenue of helping us, but the rescue responsibilitieswe kind of rotate whos doing that. OCFAs search and rescues almost always involve a helicopter, while OCSDs rescue units utilize both helicopters and on-foot rescue personnel. The two agencies utilize separate helicopters to maintain coverage of the county, should multiple requests come in. OCFA reported 217 helicopter rescues in 2019but in 2020, that number jumped to 350. So far in 2021, from Jan. 1 to Aug. 3, there have been 156 helicopter rescues by the OCFA. Meanwhile, the OCSDs reserve bureau participated in 29 ground search-and-rescue missions in 2019, coupled with 71 air-support operations. The number once again jumped in 2020, with the sheriffs department recording 41 ground rescues and 123 air-support search and rescues. OCSD seems on track to see a substantial increase in 2021, as there have been 31 rescues this year to Aug. 3. The department didnt have air-support search and rescue data available to date for 2021. Theres obviously been a jump in the last couple of years, OCSD Sgt. Todd Hylton told The Epoch Times. Hylton said the figures might have been much higher had it not been for preventative search-and-rescue (PSR) measures. Such efforts include sending reserve officers out on the trails and handing out waters to people hiking and ensuring that people have the right equipment, Hylton said. There was a significant increase over the last several years, but I really think that preventative search-and-rescue aspect that our guys really participated in has actually brought the number lower than it potentially could have been. Hylton said these preventative measures are not something new, but there have been additional PSR campaigns throughout the last year because of the noticeable increase in hikers. Since the pandemic, weve done more [PSRs] this summer and the summer before, Hylton said. Barta said the CCP virus pandemic caused a rise in search and rescues due to a lack of preparation from hikers who havent taken the necessary precautions or truly evaluated their fitness levels accurately, and they get themselves into a bit of trouble. Hylton said: As more people go out, you have people that are less prepared than others that may not be as knowledgeable for techniques and what they need to bring, so thats going to obviously increase the number of potential rescues that come out. Thankfully, within the county we have our supportOrange County Fireworking together, and its actually been a good relationship, being able to work together, two agencies working together for the betterment of the population. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) arrives at the U.S. Capitol on Aug. 7, 2021. (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images) Senate Advances to Wrap Up $1 Trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill The Senate has agreed to wrap up the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill through a test vote. In the 6727 vote, 18 Republicans joined with Democrats to support moving forward on the legislation, clearing a key procedural hurdle. More votes, mostly on amendments, are needed before the Senate can approve the measure. Its unclear when the final vote will happen. The Senate Democrats need 10 Republican votes to pass the legislation, which is one of the top priorities on President Joe Bidens agenda. We can get this done the easy way or the hard way. In either case, the Senate will stay in session until we finish our work, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a floor speech before the vote. Its up to my Republican colleagues how long it takes. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) voted to break a filibuster on the infrastructure bill. He signaled his support for the legislation before voting for it. Republicans and Democrats have radically different visions these days, but both those visions include physical infrastructure that works for all of our citizens, McConnell said in a speech. The investments this bill will make are not just necessary, in many cases they are overdue. Our country has real needs in this area. However, most Senate Republicans are still hesitant to support the measure. Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) said before the test vote that he would vote no on ending debate on the bill. Tennesseans will support a bill that actually invests in hard infrastructure and does not add to the deficit, this legislation does neither, he wrote in a Twitter post. I will vote no on this procedural vote to end debate. The bill includes roughly: $110 billion for roads, bridges, and major projects $66 billion for passenger and freight rail $65 billion for broadband infrastructure $55 billion for water infrastructure, such as eliminating lead pipes $39.2 billion for public transit $47.2 billion for resiliency, including flood and wildfire mitigation, ecosystem restoration, weatherization, and cybersecurity $7.5 billion for electric vehicle infrastructure, including chargers The plan has a number of proposals to finance the spending, including repurposing unused COVID-19 relief funds, sales of future spectrum auctions and proceeds, and the return of unemployment insurance funds from some states over the next decade, as estimated by Congress nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation and Congressional Budget Office. Besides the bipartisan infrastructure bill, Democrats plan to use the budget reconciliation process to advance another infrastructure bill that doesnt have enough support from Republicans. The Democrats infrastructure measure is expected to spend on free community college, child care, paid family leaves, and climate change countermeasures. Reuters contributed to this report. Demonstrators react to tear gas during a clash with police at a protest against what they call the government's failure in handling the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Bangkok, Thailand, on Aug. 7, 2021. (Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters) Thai Anti-Govt Protesters Clash With Police in Bangkok BANGKOKMore than a thousand Thai anti-government protesters clashed with police on Saturday, as they demonstrated against the governments failure to handle coronavirus outbreaks and its impact on the economy. About a hundred police officers in riot gear sealed off a road near Victory Monument in the capital Bangkok with containers and used water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets to stop a march toward Government House, the office of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. Tear gas and rubber bullets were used for crowd control. Our goal is to maintain order, Krisana Pattanacharoen, a police spokesman, told reporters. The demonstrators threw ping pong bombs, stones, and marbles, he added. Dozens of protesters were seen being carried away on motorcycles and in ambulances. The Erawan Emergency Medical Centre said at least two civilians and three officers had been injured. We want Prayuth to resign because people arent getting vaccines, said a 23-year-old male protester, who only gave his first name Aom, for fear of repercussions. A man reacts to tear gas during a clash with police at a protest against what demonstrators call the governments failure in handling the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Bangkok, Thailand, on Aug. 7, 2021. (Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters) We dont have jobs and income, so we have no choice but protest. Some 6 percent of Thailands population of more than 66 million has been fully vaccinated and most of the country including Bangkok is under lockdown with a night-time curfew. Gatherings of more than five people are currently banned. Nonetheless, street protests against the government have been held in recent weeks by several groups, including Prayuths former political allies, as frustrations mount over its management of the health crisis. Thailand reported on Saturday a record of nearly 22,000 new COVID-19 infections in a single day and the highest deaths, 212 fatalities. The Southeast Asian country has reported 736,522 total cases and 6,066 deaths from the coronavirus since the pandemic began last year. By Jiraporn Kuhakan and Chayut Setboonsarng In this image from video, a man identified as Scott Fairlamb punches a Metropolitan Police Department officer outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (FBI) 2 Plead Guilty to Assaulting Police Officers During Capitol Breach Two men pleaded guilty in federal court on Aug. 6 to assaulting law enforcement officers during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, the first such plea agreements related to assaults on police that day. Scott Fairlamb, a gym owner in New Jersey, and Devlyn Thompson of Washington state entered guilty pleas and will both be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, a Reagan nominee, in September. Fairlamb was captured on video punching a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer outside the Capitol, according to court documents. He posted one video on Facebook showing him saying, What patriots do? We [expletive] disarm them and we storm [expletive] the Capitol. Fairlamb was holding a collapsible baton, which he was seen picking up from the ground after a skirmish between officers and members of the crowd. Thompson was also captured on video assaulting an officer, officials said in court filings. He used a baton to smack a Washington police officer, who was part of a group of law enforcement officers who were trying to block an entrance to the Capitol. Fairlamb agreed to plead guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding and assaulting officers, in exchange for 10 other counts being dropped. He wished to assume responsibility for what he did on that day, Harley Breite, Fairlambs lawyer, told The Epoch Times. He faces up to 28 years in prison, though sentencing guidelines call for 41 to 51 months. Breite plans to ask the judge to go under the guidelines for the defendant, who has been in jail since being arrested on Jan. 22 at his home in Stockholm, in Sussex County. What people should know is that this is an aberration. This one act alone does not define the entirety of Scott Fairlambs life, the lawyer said. Prosecutors have said that Fairlamb, a former mixed martial arts fighter, displayed in January a capacity and wanton willingness to violate the law, to engage in acts of disorder and violence, and to harm others, including uniformed law enforcement. Fairlamb has also been convicted before of unlawful possession of a handgun, aggravated assault, and simple assault, according to court filings. In this image from video, Devlyn Thompson is seen shortly before hitting a Washington police officer with a baton he picked up off the ground, at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (FBI) Thompson pleaded guilty to the sole charge of assaulting an officer. He could land 20 years in prison. If the judge adheres to sentencing guidelines, hell receive between 46 months and 57 months in jail. Both men could also be fined, and have agreed to pay restitution. They are the first to plead guilty to assault charges from Jan. 6. Federal officials have said that about 140 police officers were assaulted that day, including approximately 60 MPD officers. Several others involved in the breach have been sentenced, but for lesser charges. At least three have avoided jail time, while one man was sentenced to eight months in jail for breaching the Senate chamber inside the Capitol. Thomas Durkin, a lawyer representing Thompson, told The Epoch Times in an email that there are good reasons for Lamberth to impose a sentence below the guidelines. Thompson, who was ordered jailed on Aug. 6, sat for three proffer meetings and let law enforcement access all his social media accounts. He also didnt don any sort of tactical gear to go to the Capitol and wasnt part of any of the groups linked with planning violence prior to Jan. 6, Durkin said in a court filing. He also noted that his client has alleged that he struck the officer with a baton to knock pepper spray out of the officers hand, not to hurt him. This, most certainly, is not suggested to be an excuse for his regrettable and stupid conduct, which is truly inexcusable; but most certainly is completely out of character for Defendant, who has a relatively unblemished prior background, Durkin wrote. Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers keep watch at the site of yesterday's night-time car bomb blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 4, 2021. (Stringer/Reuters) UK Nationals Advised to Leave Afghanistan Immediately The UK government is advising all UK nationals in Afghanistan to leave the country because of the worsening security situation. The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Offices website was updated on Friday, advising against all travel to Afghanistan. The change in advice comes in the face of growing turmoil in Afghanistan, as Taliban forces sweep across the country. The website says: All British nationals in Afghanistan are advised to leave now by commercial means. If you are still in Afghanistan, you are advised to leave now by commercial means because of the worsening security situation. The level of consular assistance the British Embassy can provide in Afghanistan is extremely limited, including in a crisis. Do not rely on the FCDO being able to evacuate you from Afghanistan in an emergency. In arranging your departure from Afghanistan, ensure your travel documents are up to date and that you have the necessary visas for onward travel. It added: Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Afghanistan. Specific methods of attack are evolving and increasing in sophistication. You should note an overall increased threat to Western interests in Kabul. Follow the instructions of local authorities. There is a high threat of kidnapping throughout the country. Afghanistan was already on the governments travel red list because of the countrys coronavirus situation, but fighting has intensified in recent days. On Friday, the Taliban killed the director of Afghanistans government media centre in the capital Kabul, just days after an assassination attempt on the countrys acting defence minister. The Taliban have been waging fierce battles for months across Afghanistan, laying siege to provincial capitals in the south and west of the country after capturing district after district and seizing several key border crossings. In the southern Nimroz province, the capital of Zaranj appeared to be the first provincial capital to fall to the Taliban, though the government claimed there was still fierce fighting around key infrastructure in the city. Earlier this week, a Taliban bombing attack targeted Afghanistans acting defence minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi. The attack in a heavily guarded upmarket Kabul neighbourhood late on Tuesday killed at least eight people and wounded 20. The minister was unharmed. The bombing was followed by a gun battle that also killed four Taliban fighters. The militants said the attack was to avenge Taliban fighters killed during government offensives in rural provinces. Afghan and U.S. aircraft pounded Taliban positions in southern Afghanistans Helmand province on Friday, as the insurgents closed a major border crossing with neighbouring Pakistan. Residents in Helmands contested provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, said airstrikes destroyed a market in the centre of the cityan area controlled by the Taliban. Afghan officials say the Taliban now control nine out of the 10 districts of the city. By David Lynch The Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in the Brooklyn borough of New York on Jan. 8, 2017. (Kathy Willens/AP Photo) Warden at Jail Holding Epstein Associate Ghislaine Maxwell Charged With Murder A warden at a federal prison holding Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell was charged with murder this week. Antonia Ashford, 44, of Jackson, New Jersey, was charged with murder after allegedly killing her husband, Roderick Ashford, inside their home. Antonia Ashford was also charged with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Prosecutors in Ocean County said Jackson Township police officers on Aug. 2 in the early hours of the morning responded to a 911 call about a man being shot. Officers found Roderick Ashford, 47, lying unresponsive on the floor with a gunshot wound to his face. Ashford died on the scene despite efforts to revive him. An investigation determined Antonia Ashford pointed a gun at her husband and fired, causing his death. Antonia Ashford is an associate warden at the Metropolitan Detention Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, the Federal Bureau of Prisons told news outlets. The bureau confirmed her employment via email to The Epoch Times. A spokesperson declined further comment, beyond also confirming that Roderick Ashford was a drug treatment specialist at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Dix, New Jersey. Maxwell is awaiting trial on charges related to her alleged involvement in a child sex trafficking ring that Epstein ran before he was arrested. Epstein killed himself in a different federal prison in Manhattan in 2019. Tencent's booth at the World 5G Exhibition in Beijing on Nov. 22, 2019. (Jason Lee/Reuters) When CCP State Media Criticize Chinas High Tech Commentary In the United States, big media critiques on technology companies happen every day. In a country that values freedom of speech, this dissent is encouraged. Under an autocratic, communist regime like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), public dissent between media and technology giants is rare and indicates something much more significant. On Tuesday (Aug. 3), a lengthy article attacking Tencents video games as spiritual opium for teenagers, was published on Economic Information Daily, a business newspaper affiliated with Xinhua, the CCPs official state media. Its unlikely that the root of such an aggressive attack on Tencent is out of a concern for teenage addiction to gaming. If the Chinese regime is truly concerned with spiritual opium destroying Chinese youth, it would be better served by taking a look at its own censorship of free speech and opinion as a dictatorial communist regime. All autocratic systems rely on two key assistants: a secret police force and a propaganda agency. In modern times, the CCPs secret police act through technology giants like Tencent, Baidu, and Alibaba. In their role as the CCPs secret police, the power of these internet companies is frightening. The Chinese Communist Party has built one of the most powerful national technology surveillance systems in the world. On top of its already pernicious uses of facial recognition software, widespread surveillance cameras, and data mining, the CCP uses the internet as its all-seeing eyes and ears. In 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported that Tencent is required to help the Chinese regime with hunting down criminal suspects and silencing political dissent. The political and legal system of the future is inseparable from the internet, inseparable from big data, said Jack Ma, Alibabas CEO and founder, during a Communist Party commission overseeing law enforcement in 2016. In the United States, technology companies and media organizations operate independently from the government. In China, they all work for the CCPs totalitarian aims. The CCP has long maintained a closed system with its own censored media and Xinhua News Agency remains the CCPs official state media. For a Xinhua media outlet to attack Tencent, a China technology giant, there is likely a clash within the CCP high level leadership. The motivation for such contention is money and changing regulations. Chinese state media have long resented technology companies like Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent for taking away traditional advertising revenue from media companies. For example, on CCTV, the advertisements not only broadcast commercial advertisements, but also ad placements, such as the brand of product that will be used on certain programs. In the last 10 years, traditional media advertising revenue has dropped immensely. Chinese commercial advertisers are largely turning to online social media platforms, mainly WeChat and Douyin, Chinas version of Tiktok, to advertise products to Chinese consumers. For state-run media, advertising revenue serves as a hefty source of income for CCP propaganda officials. After the article was published, Tencents share price in Hong Kongs stock market fell sharply by more than 10 percent, and the companys market value plunged by $55.3 billion. This state media attack on Tencent led to a brutal week for Chinese technology companies, when a massive stock sell-off wiped out hundreds of billions of dollars in the market value of the companies. Tencent lost over $100 billion in market value in a span of 48 hours. Listed companies fluctuate up and down based on publications from CCP state media. Chinese investors call it a policy market, but it is actually a political market. Worldwide investors are worried about a CCP crackdown on Chinas private sectors resulting in increases in regulation and taxation. These sorts of media criticisms seem inconsequential to westerners, who are used to free markets and free media. In a CCP-controlled country, they are signs of party infighting and a volatile change on the partys horizon. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. GAFFNEY, S.C. (AP) A former South Carolina sheriff's deputy was arrested on charges of inappropriately touching a woman and exposing himself, news outlets reported. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said former Cherokee County deputy Shelby Todd Singleton, 46, was charged with second-degree assault and battery and indecent exposure. He also was charged with misconduct by a public official. ROME (AP) A reputed top Naples crime syndicate boss was arrested Saturday as she was about to board a flight to Spain. Italian authorities said. Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese praised the arrest of Maria Licciardi, 70, by Carabinieri officers on orders of Naples prosecutors. Police from the paramilitary Carabinieri's special operations unit who carried out the arrest weren't immediately available for details. But the Carabinieri press office posted a dispatch by the Italian news agency ANSA saying Licciardi was nabbed at Romes Ciampino Airport as she checked in luggage for a flight to Spain. Investigators have alleged that Licciardi ran extortion rackets as head of the Licciardi Camorra crime syndicate clan. She didn't bat an eyelash when the officers blocked her and served the warrant signed by the Naples prosecutors' office, ANSA said. When first arrested in 2001 after she was stopped as she drove a car near Naples, Licciardi had figured among Italys top-30 wanted fugitives. She was released from prison in 2009 after serving time for convictions of Mafia-connected crimes. Nicknamed 'a piccirella, ("a little one") by mobsters for her petite build, Licciardi was one of the victors in a long-running blood feud between alliances of clans that left Naples littered nearly daily with bodies earlier this century, prosecutors say. Naples prosecutors, in a 2009 interview with The AP, described Licciardi as a true madrina,'' or godmother," in the Camorra syndicate. Her brother was a clan boss and she made decisions for the crime family along with other clan bosses, prosecutors said. The extortion of local business owners, drug trafficking and the infiltration of public works contracts are traditional sources of illicit revenue for the Naples'-based Camorra, one of Italy's major crime syndicates.. From zoonoses to pandemics, and the role of biodiversity Since March 11, 2020, the day COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, the world as we know it has never been the same. The virus that reportedly originated from wildlife continues to have profound impacts on everyone in the world, including the ASEAN region. More than 4.9 million cases with more than 95,000 fatalities have been reported in the region as of July 2, according to the situation report of the ASEAN Bio-Diaspora Regional Virtual Center. Saturday 7 August 2021, 02:52PM Burmese fruit bats. Photo: Than Aye Today, as the international community observes World Zoonoses Day to commemorate the scientific advancement of administering the first-ever vaccination against a zoonotic disease, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity takes the opportunity to bring more attention to zoonoses infectious diseases that jumped from animals to humans and how they intertwine with biodiversity and human lives. While vaccination programmes in several countries are getting ahead with some already reaching successes in reducing new infections, we still have more work to do in terms of addressing the root causes of these diseases. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we now face one of the worst zoonotic diseases known to us. While it is not the first, it may probably not be the last. Over the century we have experienced the grave impacts of various outbreaks. It is evident that zoonoses are common and pose great risks to public health, economies, and peoples livelihoods. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), three out of four or 75% of new human diseases in the last decade are zoonotic in origin. Scientists have been cautioning the public that there are 1.7 million currently undiscovered viruses that exist in mammals and birds, and up to 827,000 of these could still infect people. The richness of the ASEAN biodiversity, particularly the variety of species known to be natural hosts to a multitude of viruses, makes the region vulnerable to zoonotic diseases. In fact, many of the species found in the ASEAN region have been implicated to be the primary sources of zoonotic outbreaks in the past, such as the Nipah Virus in 1998, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, the Avian Influenza AH5N1, and New Influenza AH1N1 pandemic in the 2000s, and the Ebola Reston virus in the 1990s. But this species richness may also hold the secrets to our immunity. Vaccines and pharmaceuticals can be derived from the by-products of a variety of plants and animals, most of which are still yet to be discovered. Maintaining the diversity of ecosystems that serve as shelter and safe places to unique wild fauna and flora reduces the chance of close contact across species and spillover of potentially disease-causing organisms. Being a mega biodiverse region, the ASEAN can very much consider nature as among the solutions that will buffer communities against new and emerging diseases. Having healthy ecosystems and mechanisms to protect and sustainably utilise biological assets to address current and future human health crises is in ASEANs best interest. The One Health approach, a transdisciplinary and multisectoral approach that recognises the interconnection between the people, animals, plants, and their shared environment, is not a new concept but it has never been more relevant than today. With the losses in tourism alone due to the COVID-19 pandemic projected to reach more than $4 trillion, preventing zoonoses through the One health approach becomes a measly fraction compared to the scale of the damage wrought by a global pandemic. The ACB is assisting the region in pushing for a holistic and long-term approach to respond to the current pandemic and prevent emerging ones. The recently adopted ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF) provides clear guidelines, particularly on the importance of highlighting nature-based solutions, along with cross-sectoral collaboration and multi-stakeholder engagement, as part of ASEANs agenda on mainstreaming biodiversity. As ASEAN Secretary-General H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi said at the final session of the Third ASEAN Conference on Biodiversity held online on 5 July, future actions must focus on further promoting greener investments, nature-based solutions, and more socially responsible practices. In view of the pandemic, we are also pleased to see stronger national and community actions to tackle zoonoses and illegal wildlife trade. Since last year, several ASEAN Member States have issued new directives on banning imports of wildlife and wildlife products, as well as strengthening monitoring measures and enforcement of existing laws. In Malaysia, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks stepped up collaboration with the police and customs at the airports and seaports and with the assistance of trained K9 dogs to detect poached wildlife. The academic and scientific communities are also contributing to efforts to better understand viruses and prevent zoonosis. In February, researchers in Thailand published a study on the presence of SARS-CoV-2 related viruses among Southeast Asian bats and pangolins. The University of the Philippines recently created a zoonotic diseases research and knowledge resource centre for the advancement of One Health through disease prevention and management in the country. It is likewise crucial to have a biodiversity-focused surveillance mechanism for zoonotic diseases to look into the interplay of biodiversity, animal-human interaction, and zoonotic diseases. At present, the ACB is supporting its development, which is hoped to define the relevant role of biodiversity in zoonotic diseases prevention and control and contribute to the monitoring at the ecosystem, species, and genetics levels. With sufficient data on the state of biodiversity in emerging disease hotspots, along with threats and risks and tracking of the transmission pathways, we aim to reduce wildlife-human interaction and disease spill-overs. The ACB is also complementing species research work, with support to community-based conservation action on the ground. Biodiversity is an integral part of the solution but the choice to protect and harness it sustainably to build the resilience of communities against diseases, in the long run, rests on us. We, after all, have never been separate from nature. We hope that with a renewed understanding of the importance of protecting biodiversity in reducing risks of zoonoses, we can better prepare ourselves to prevent or hurdle the crises of tomorrow. By Dr Theresa Mundita S. Lim Executive Director, ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity Police chief confirms arrest of Swiss tourist murder suspect in Phuket PHUKET: National police chief Pol Gen Suwat Jangyodsuk has confirmed that police have arrested a suspect for the murder of Swiss tourist Nicole Sauvain-Weisskopf, reports state news agency TNA, operated by the MCOT, the Mass Communication Organization of Thailand. crimemurderdeathtourismpolice By The Phuket News Saturday 7 August 2021, 05:02PM Gen Suwat confirmed that there was good news in the case, said the report. Asked whether police had arrested any suspect for Ms Sauvain-Weisskopfs murder, Gen Suwat replied, Yes, we have. For details whether the suspect is Thai or foreigner, I would not like to reveal at this moment. However, he declined to comment further. The report noted that Gen Suwat brought a team of lead investigators from the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) in Bangkok to lead the multi-agency investigation that included local police,Provincial Police, Tourist Police and Immigration officers. Leading the investigation is CSD Deputy Commissioner Maj Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej. The team of investigators inspected three workers camps in the area, which are home to many Thais and foreigners, said the report. At about 3:45pm this afternoon (Aug 7), MCOT posted another update, reporting, Police are questioning the suspect in the female tourist murder case. So far, no officer has confirmed whether the man is only a suspect or the actual murder, or whether the man is Thai or Myanmar national. The latter MCOT report posted several images of the suspect and a segment of CCTV footage showing the man walking in the area where Ms Sauvain-Weisskopfs body was found. The photos and images were credited to Wichit Police. According to the Bangkok Post, A police source, asking not to be named, said on Saturday that investigators had examined security camera video in areas near the waterfall there were none at the actual site and taken some people in for questioning. One of them acted suspiciously and a check found some bruises on his body. After an intensive interrogation, the man confessed, according to the source. Police searched him and found an ID card that identified him as Teerawat Thothip, 27, of Thalang district in Phuket. The suspect, known locally as Bang Lee, told investigators he spotted the tourist when he went to the waterfall and saw the tourist. He reportedly claimed to have become aroused but when he attempted to act on that impulse, the woman resisted. They fought, and he pressed her head into the water until she died and then he fled, according to the source. The bruises and wounds on his body occurred during the struggle and from a fall onto some rocks at the waterfall, added the source. Soi Dog Foundation launches mobile clinic in Surat Thani Soi Dog Foundation has launched a new mobile clinic in the southern province of Surat Thani. The clinic is the ninth of its kind in Thailand and has been set up to help manage the provinces street dog and cat populations and stem the spread of infectious diseases through sterilisation and vaccination. By Soi Dog Foundation Saturday 7 August 2021, 01:25PM Sterilisation and vaccination is and always has been at the forefront of Soi Dogs work and is proven to be the most ethical and effective way of controlling street dog and cat populations. Since 2003, the foundation has sterilised and vaccinated over 580,000 dogs and cats across Thailand more than any other organisation in the world. The launch of the mobile clinic follows the completion of a five-month project by Soi Dog on the island of Koh Samui in Surat Thani which saw over 3,000 dogs and 500 cats sterilised and vaccinated. The foundation decided to move to mainland Surat Thani with the same mission after receiving numerous requests for help. Surat Thani is the largest of Thailands southern provinces (changwat), and were getting an increasing number of reports about sick and injured animals and requests for sterilisation clinics there, explained Soi Dogs Community Relations Manager Sakdapol Thongjan. But sterilisation alone will not solve the problem, so wed also like to raise awareness of pet owner responsibility to people here. Were pleased to be collaborating with the Department of Livestock Development (DLD) on this. The new mobile team received a warm welcome from both the Head of the Surat Thani Provincial Office of the DLD and the Mayor who visited the clinic on its first day of operations to show their support. Im grateful to the Department of Livestock Development for collaborating with Soi Dog Foundation, said Head of the Surat Thani DLD Mr. Daecha Jitpirom. Surat Thani is a big city with a large number of stray dogs, and we share the same goal of achieving long-term change in the stray animal issue and eliminating rabies in a humane way. Of note, the mobile clinic staff stay at Surat Thani. When travel permission allows, if any of the members need to travel back to Phuket, all staff are vaccinated already and have the required permission document from Thalang Mayor, and as is required by provincial regulation, all members will be tested for COVID-19 before returning. Soi Dog upholds the same requirements for its mobile clinic teams in Nakhon Sri Thammarat and Phang Nga. Soi Dog is currently operating three mobile clinics in southern Thailand: in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Phang Nga and Surat Thani. Each mobile team consists of licensed veterinarians, nurses and animal rescue officers who work together to catch, neuter, vaccinate and then return an average of 40-50 street animals per day. Pet owners and street animal feeders are invited to bring their dogs and cats to the clinic too; however, they are asked to book in advance by emailing clinic@soidog.org. Southern Pines, NC (28387) Today A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low 74F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low 74F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. This article was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Rosalie Murphy is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: rmurphy@nerdwallet.com. RELATED LINK: NerdWallet: 5 Bookkeeping Best Practices for Startups and Small Businesses https://bit.ly/nerdwallet-smb-5-tips Small business help from SCORE: https://www.score.org New Hanover will file an ethics complaint against the engineering firm for Giblraltar Rock, claiming it provided "misleading information." Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today Variable clouds with showers and scattered thunderstorms. Storms more numerous this evening. Low near 32C. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Variable clouds with showers and scattered thunderstorms. Storms more numerous this evening. Low near 21C. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. GODFREY Terri Austin, LCPC, transitioned into her new role as Lewis and Clark Community Colleges new full-time counselor July 1, just in time to welcome students back to campus for the fall semester. Supporting students mental health is an important component to helping them be successful, but the effort is more important now than ever, said Dean of Student Support Services Sean Hill. A September 2020 Active Minds Student Mental Health survey showed that student mental health has worsened significantly over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, with high percentages of students reporting increased stress and anxiety, disappointment or sadness and depression. Lewis and Clark offers students free counseling services as they work toward their academic, career, and personal goals, Austin said. These include crisis intervention, brief therapy interventions, academic problem-solving, anxiety management, help with career decisions, depression and eating disorder screenings, referrals to community services and more. Whether a student is having a crisis or just needs a listening ear, I encourage them to utilize counseling services, Austin said. The best part of my job is getting to know students and being able to help them overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. Austin, of Hazelwood, Missouri, isnt new to the Trailblazer team. Six years ago, she joined L&Cs Adult Education division as a transition counselor, helping high school equivalency students transition into college credit courses. Her current role is a dream come true, she said. Austin is a member of the American Counseling Association; a licensed counselor in Missouri and Illinois; a certified school counselor and special education teacher in Missouri; holds national counselor certification; and has her own private practice in Missouri. Austin graduated from Webster Groves High School in 1987. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Saint Louis University in 1990, her Master of Arts in Counseling from Lindenwood University in 1999, and her Master of Education in Special Education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 2014. She has professional experience in both community counseling and teaching, and was a professional writer early in her career when she worked as a reporter for The Telegraph in Alton just after college. Austin says her greatest strength as a counselor is her ability to give support without judgement, and that the most challenging part of her job is seeing her students struggle. As I begin this new journey, I want to continue to build my skills and knowledge as I strive to do my best each day to serve our students, she said. To learn more about these services and more, visit www.lc.edu/counseling, call (618) 468-4121 or visit the Center for Access and Accommodations in Caldwell Hall, Room 2320, on the colleges Godfrey Campus. L&C is now enrolling for Fall 2021. Contact the Enrollment Center at (618) 468-2222 or enroll@lc.edu to get started. FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS A Metro East National Guard member was killed Thursday in Mississippi. Senior Airman Taylor Labrier, 31, of Fairview Heights, died after an Aug. 5 automobile accident on Interstate 110 in DIberville, Mississippi. According to DIberville Police, at 9:45 p.m. Thursday Labrier collided head-on with a northboundd vehicle being drive in the southbound lane by Moses Dang, 57 of Saucier, Mississippi. Both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene. A communications expert with the 183rd Wing based in Springfield, Illinois, Labrier was on a temporary duty assignment to the 81st Training Wing at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, and was attending an Air Force school at the time of his death. We are deeply saddened by the loss of Senior Airman Taylor Labrier, said Col. Bill Hunter, 81st Training Wing commander. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time. Labrier transferred from the Illinois Army National Guard to the Illinois Air National Guard last year. He first enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard in 2014 and served as a Radio and Communications Security Repairer, primarily with the Springfield, Illinois-based 3637th Maintenance Company. From October 2017 to July 2018 he deployed to the Middle East with the 3637th Maintenance Company. The Illinois National Guard mourns the loss of this dedicated and professional service member, said Maj. Gen. Rich Neely, the Adjutant General of Illinois and Commander of the Illinois National Guard. He served honorably in the Army National Guard and continued his service in the Air National Guard. He was a valued member of the 183rd Wings Communications Squadron, Neely said. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family. Labrier received numerous awards and decorations during his service, including three Army Achievement Medals. He was single. The accident that took Labriers life also killed another civilian driver; it remains under investigation by civilian law enforcement. Questions about the accident that took Labriers life should be directed to Capt. Marty Griffin of the DIberville (Mississippi) Police Department, 228-861-9713. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation announced Thursday the results of the Social Equity Justice Involved Lottery for 55 conditional adult-use cannabis dispensary licenses from a pool of 589 unique applicants who scored 85 percent or greater in their applications. To qualify for the lottery, applicants had to be eligible for social equity status under either criteria one (residency in a disproportionately impacted area) or two (eligible conviction) of the definition of Social Equity Applicant. In the Metro East region, there were three winners, including Tatich 3 LLC, Blounts & Moore and Americanna Dream LLC. In Springfield, Bolden Investments III LLC was the lone winner. Family Roots, LLC won the West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan license and Navada Labs, LLC won the South Illinois nonmetropolitan license. Before Conditional Licenses are issued, the department will initiate a review process to ensure applicants selected meet all statutorily required rules that must be fulfilled before a conditional license can be issued. Social equity and justice are the heart and soul of the Adult-Use Cannabis Program in Illinois, said Toi Hutchinson, senior advisor to the governor for cannabis. Todays results open the door to increasing the diversity of the industry and continue building on our successes in expunging convictions and investing in communities disproportionately harmed by the failed war on drugs. Additionally, an applicant may not have a principal officer who is also a principal officer in more than 10 other licenses. Should a principal officer find themselves in that situation, the principal officer must choose which license(s) to abandon by notifying IDFPR in writing. If the principal officer and/or applicant does not notify IDFPR, the department will not issue the applicant all available conditional licenses drawn in this lottery. IDFPR may also deny issuance of Conditional Licenses to any applicant who has a principal officer, board member, or person having a financial or voting interest of 5% or greater who is delinquent in filing any required tax return or paying any amount owed to the State of Illinois. Those selected in this lottery who receive a Conditional License shall have 180 days to identify a physical location for the dispensing organizations retail storefront. Groups unable to find a physical location within 180 days may receive an extension of an additional 180 days from IDFPR or be allowed to transfer their Conditional License to another BLS Region specified by the department. If no extension is granted, the conditional adult-use dispensing organization license shall be rescinded and awarded in accordance to the rules of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. "Todays Social Equity Justice Involved Lottery marks a paramount accomplishment for Illinois' cannabis industry, making it more inclusive for applicants from diverse backgrounds, said Mario Treto, Jr., aacting secretary of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. The announcement of todays lottery selections is a milestone on Illinois's path as a national leader in the advancement of cannabis equity and I look forward to taking the next steps together for the future of the cannabis industry in Illinois." No individual principal officer or applicant can receive more than two conditional licenses in this lottery. In the event a principal officer or applicant group has an application selected more than two times, the principal officer or the applicant group must complete the Departments Abandonment Form to notify the Department of the BLS Region in which the applicant will be declining a Conditional License. Failure to submit the Abandonment Form within five business days after the department posts the results of the Social Equity Justice Involved Applicant Lottery will result in the denial of all conditional licenses from this lottery to all applicants associated with the principal officer or applicant group that is over the limit. The lottery results may change as a result of court orders or administrative review. Another lottery for 75 conditional licenses will be conducted by the Illinois Lottery on Thursday, Aug. 19. Scranton, PA (18503) Today Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Robert Keith Rogers, age 60, of Corbin, KY passed away on Saturday, August 7, 2021 at Hillcrest Health and Rehabilitation. Born in Corbin, he was the son of Buelah Baker Rogers and the late Melvin Rogers. In addition to his mother, he is survived by two children, Robert Rogers and wife Amand Shot in July 2017, "Beneath the Polar Sun" was produced and directed by Stephen Smith and Diana Kushner and Stephen Smith, a Hope Valley couple who operate Arcadian Fields Organic Farm, in a scene from their documentary, "Beneath the Polar Sun." The documentary will debut Aug.9-15 at the Rhode Island International Film Festival in Newport. Courtesy ecoRI News Instant unlimited access to all of our content on tillamookheadlightherald.com. The Headlight Herald E-Edition Newsletter emailed to you each week, the night before the paper hits the street! This subscription is for NEW or RENEWING online subscribers. (The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement) We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit Here Cresaptown, MD (21502) Today Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. Barre, VT (05641) Today Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. remaining of SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Rebecca A. Hobbs, Esquire is licensed to practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation as authorized by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. She is a principal of the law firm of ODonnell, Weiss & Mattei, P.C., 41 High Street, Pottstown, and 347 Bridge Street, Phoenixville,610-323-2800, www. owmlaw.com. You can reach Ms. Hobbs at rhobbs@owmlaw.com Bard College, a small liberal arts college located 90 miles north of New York City in Tivoli, finds itself at odds with a significant longstanding academic partner: Russia. The General Prosecutors Office of the Russian Federation on June 21 declared the activities of Bard College undesirable, saying in a press release that the Hudson Valley colleges activities pose a threat to the foundations of the constitutional order and security of the Russian Federation. Bard is the first educational institution placed on Russias list of undesirable nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The designation effectively bans Bard from continuing its partnership with Smolny College, the product of its long-term academic and cultural collaboration with St. Petersburg State University, one of the oldest and largest universities in Russia. This academic affiliation has endured more than two decades. Bard officials say the ban not only could have a ripple effect on future educational collaborations between the countries, but it also shows Russias broadening use of the undesirable designation. The Russian parliament in June approved expanding the undesirable organizations law, an open-ended regulatory catchall that allows Russia to sever ties with foreign NGOs it deems a threat, and bar any Russian citizens from continuing to work with them. The George Soros factor? Also on Russias undesirable list? George Soros Open Society Foundations. Russia in November 2015 banned the billionaire investor and philanthropists charities, saying they posed a threat to Russian security. The Moscow Times and CNBC in 2016 reported that Russian college libraries were ordered to burn books connected to Soros charities. Soros has a long history with Bard College. In April of this year, he pledged a $500 million matching gift as part of the colleges effort to grow its endowment to $1 billion. Over the past decade, Soros has reportedly donated $160 million to the Hudson Valley college. Open Society Foundations funding to Bard comprises less than 5 percent of the schools $250 million annual budget. Jonathan Becker, executive vice president and vice president for Academic Affairs at Bard College, told the Times Union: Hudson Valley that Bards relationship with Soros was one possible reason for the ban, but not the only one. Since Open Society Foundations was added to Russias undesirable list in 2015, Bard College stopped allocating any donations from Soros charities toward the colleges partnership with St. Petersburg University, Becker said. Before the designation, Bard College openly talked about how they spent Soros dollars on the program. When people say, Why did this happen? The easy, and naive, answer, we believe, is because of Soros money, Becker said. But in our view, nothing dramatically changed there what else changed was the decline in U.S.-Russia relations. A longstanding cultural exchange In an email message to the Bard community in June, Bard President Leon Botstein wrote of the Russia ban: We are deeply disturbed by this decision, which has been met with shock and disappointment at Bard. He went on to express his sincere hope that the Russian Federation will reverse this unwarranted course of action and reinstate Bards longstanding and productive partnership with Smolny College. Bard first partnered with St. Petersburg State University 25 years ago, co-founding the program that, until recently, offered students a dual bachelors degree from both Bard and Smolny. In the same email message, Botsein wrote that Russian was the primary language of instruction at Smolny, where more than 2,000 Russian and international students, primarily from former Soviet countries, have earned Bard College degrees. The collaboration has allowed thousands of students from the United States and Russia to study together on exchange. Through the partnership, Smolny hosted students from more than 50 colleges in the U.S., including Princeton, Harvard, Columbia and others. No Bard College faculty or American students were in Russia at the time of the undesirable designation and subsequent ban. Each year, around 550 students participate in the program, which includes not only classes at Bard but an opportunity to explore the greater Hudson Valley for an immersive cultural experience. Regional institutions have welcomed students as part the program, including the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park. The partnership between Bard and Smolny is educational and cultural, not political or ideological, wrote Botsein in his June email. That such a successful and important educational partnership could fall victim to the politics of the day is a tragedy, first and foremost for Russian and American students who have enjoyed so many rich educational and cultural programs through the partnership over the past quarter century. Over a month since Russias decision, Bard College has yet to receive a full explanation for the ban. Becker noted that Smolny College had considered creating a freestanding public liberal arts and science university, which Bard expressed support for. That discussion, Becker said, could have seeded discord in Russia. We cant exclude that from playing a role [in the ban], he said. On a political level, its a sign of the deterioration of U.S.-Russian relations, added Becker. We are the most significant higher educational collaboration [between the U.S. and Russia]. It was not just a study abroad program that was a small percent of it. It was an educational reform program, a cultural exchange. On Facebook, Becker expanded upon the challenges for academia at a time of increased political tensions. At what may have been my final talk at St. Petersburg State a few weeks ago, I warned of populist politicians and government officials who attempt to take advantage of tensions between the United States and Russia to fan the flames of hatred between citizens for political advantage, he wrote in his June 22nd Facebook post. I stated that it is our job as academics to resist these efforts and stressed that we need to remain engaged most in times of tension like the one we are currently experiencing. Bard College has been unable to speak to Russian leadership about the ban, said Becker, who added that the school has reached out to the U.S. State Department, who has been helpful in creating public statements on the colleges behalf and has asked Russia to reconsider. Its saddening and disappointing in many ways politics have taken over, Becker said by phone. Its superseding human interaction. We hope that at some point someone realizes Bard is certainly not the enemy here. We are a bridge to the U.S. and Russia. TROY "Star Trek" and the Paulist Fathers have a shared resonance for the Rev. Larry Rice that pours out with his laugh, through his smile and insights about becoming not only the Roman Catholic chaplain at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute but the chaplain for the entire campus community. I speak the language here. By inclination Im very much interested in science and engineering and the popular culture that generally appeals to people of that mindset, the 60-year-old Rice said, sitting in his living room on Tom Phelan Place on campus. Rice comes from a family immersed in the sciences and engineering and was headed that way himself. He was majoring in computer science at Penn State when he decided he was called to a different path and would go to seminary after graduation. He went to change his major. Rice told an academic adviser that he needed a degree that would help him at seminary. The adviser pulled out a file. It was a shock. At a big state university, they had a pre-seminary degree, he said. But he never really separated from the sciences. Its a bonus that he sees helping him in his ministry not only to the estimated one-third of the nearly 8,000 students who are Roman Catholic but to the rest of the students, faculty and staff on campus. I am also a huge 'Star Trek' fan, said Rice, a White Plains native, who admits to attending conventions, having favorite characters Picard is my favorite captain. The Doctor is my favorite doctor. Scotty is my favorite engineer. And, he finds himself in an analogous place to the 'Star Trek' world. Here I am part of a hierarchical organization with a recognizable uniform, a shared mission. I thought about it for a second. Ive joined Star Fleet, Rice said with a broad smile and a loud laugh. Part of the reason Ive really been attracted to 'Star Trek' is it has an essentially optimistic view of the future. 'Star Trek' has always had a message that were going to get through this. Were going to do this together. The future is worth fighting for. Our diversity is our strength, RPIs new chaplain said. Rice is the first chaplain in two years at RPI. Plans called for him to become the chaplain at Columbia University but the pandemic upended that just as it constrained his sabbatical plans after moving on from his Catholic chaplaincy at the University of Texas at Austin. Before Texas, he was the Catholic chaplain at Ohio State University. While the Paulist Fathers their official name is The Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle have a mission as university chaplains, all of their work is considered to be as missionaries. Rice has an expertise in communications, including contributing and hosting radio programs such as Busted Halo on the Catholic Channel on SiriusXM. Hes also done communications promoting the Paulists work through television, multimedia and the internet. Rice also served four years at the Paulists first consultor, the chief advisor to the orders elected president. The Paulists only number about 100 priests, which means they all know each other, Rice said. Hes familiar with the Capital Region through a prior tour as director of St. Marys of the Lake in Lake George. Now, hes learning about Troy--the Troy Farmers Waterfront Market is a favorite stop to purchase food to cook. While his Trekkie interests have been promoted on RPI social media for students, Rice is looking forward to the arrival of the freshman class and the return of students for the fall semester. Hes also rebuilding the RPI chaplains office, which now has a rabbi and an imam as assistant chaplains with the hunt on to find a Protestant minister to join the office. Hans Pennink/AP ALBANY Gov. Andrew Cuomo is facing the potential of impeachment and removal from office in the wake of Attorney General Letitia James bombshell 165-page report that concludes he harassed current and former female employees including a state trooper and likely violated state and federal law. It is the most recent and career-threatening scandal for the third-term governor, but not his first. New Mexicos governor and dozens of other elected officials are urging the states business community to require that employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 or alternatively undergo regular testing A South Carolina city could sell its convention center, even as it plans for a new, different meeting facility Here's a quick reminder that rural Missouri live isn't as wholesome as our right-wing neighbors might have us believe . . . Illegal drugs and explosives found following chase in Cass County by: Brian Dulle Posted: / Updated: HARRISONVILLE, Mo. - A 57-year-old Blairstown, Missouri is in jail after illegal drugs and explosives were found in his vehicle following a chase Thursday night. Around 7:30 p.m. Thursday, a Cass County deputy attempted to stop a driver of a red 1988 Chevy truck for a traffic violation in the area of 7 Highway and S. Weekend www.TonysKansasCity.com mugshot moment . . . Cass County sheriff's deputies discover explosives in chase suspect's vehicle CASS COUNTY, MO (KCTV) --- A Blairstown, Mo., man is in custody following a chase through Cass County on Thursday. Vance Gayle, 57, refused to stop when sheriffs deputies attempted to pull him over around 7:30 p.m. on Thursday night. He was followed for 20 minutes, mostly on gravel roads, before he crashed out his vehicle. Developing . . . In this compilation we review some of the latest, local pandemic news links as plague numbers spike and continue to impact local public health policy. Check the www.TonysKansasCity.com news compilation . . . Kansas City COVID Help Coming Soon Kansas City region first responders welcome help from 'ambulance strike teams' to transfer long-haul patients KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) --- Ambulance strike teams arrived in the Kansas City metro Friday to provide long-haul patient transfers outside of the area to keep Kansas City area ambulance crews in the metro. "All of the services in this region, we are all suffering equally," EMS Assistant Division Chief Kansas City Missouri Fire Department EMS Assistant Division Chief Nathan Hopper said. Show-Me Strike Team Strengthened FEMA triples size of COVID-19 ambulance strike team in Missouri KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A federal ambulance strike team has expanded from Springfield to statewide in Missouri as a growing number of patients are having a hard time finding a hospital bed. Those ambulances are expected to arrive overnight on Friday following a request to FEMA from Missouri Governor Mike Parson. Provisionally Accredited Plague Rules KCPS to require COVID-19 vaccine or weekly virus testing for teachers KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City, Missouri, Public Schools teachers will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing, the district confirmed Friday. Staff are being asked to receive their first vaccine dose - or only, if they opt for the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine - by Aug. Christian School Champions 'Choice' For A Change Johnson County private school says it's proof optional masking can be done successfully SHAWNEE, Kan. - The latest mask mandate for all elementary schools in Johnson County, Kansas, not only impacts public schools but private schools, too. But the head of Marantha Christian Academy said they were planning to handle the upcoming school year differently. Local NextGen Warning Kansas City doctor: 'COVID-19 can absolutely make children sick' Children's Mercy Hospital is seeing more cases of COVID-19 than ever before. Right now, 19 children are hospitalized. Inner-Suburban Cooperation Blue Springs School District to comply with Jackson County mask mandate KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Blue Springs School District will follow the Jackson County indoor mask mandate requiring anyone over the age of five, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask inside public spaces. Another Medical Warning Kansas City area Chief Medical Officers give urgent community update as COVID-19 cases climb KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) -- The Kansas City Chamber brought several chief medical officers together for an urgent community update Friday. Their message was the same -- the delta variant has their hospitals maxed out, with most patients being unvaccinated. "Our emergency rooms are really, really suffering. Local Life Lesson Cont'd Kansas City Public Schools teacher prepares for 2nd year of teaching during a pandemic KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Teachers are getting ready for a new school year after navigating the learning curve created by the pandemic last year. "As an educator, this past year was probably one of the most challenging years that I've ever had as a classroom teacher," Sandra Dayse, a teacher at Kansas City Public Schools said. Developing . . . Sadly, the local weekend is already starting with a bang despite escalating violence ranking lower amongst public health concerns. Check the www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . East Side Shooting Tonight One person injured in shooting near 36th and Woodland, police say KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City Police are on the scene of a shooting Friday night that has left one person injured. Police responded to the shooting just after 9 p.m. near East 36th Street and Woodland Avenue. The victim in the shooting is reported to be in critical condition. South Side Gunfire Echoes KCPD investigates 2nd shooting in less than 1 hour Friday night KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A second person is in critical condition following a second shooting in less than an hour Friday night in Kansas City, Missouri. Officers responded to 12101 East 43rd Street, near Walmart at Interstate 70 and Blue Ridge Boulevard, where the victim was located. Kansas City Roundup KCPD investigates 2 shootings Friday night shooting 3600 woodland avenue SOURCE: KMBC Police in Kansas City are investigating two shootings Friday night.The first shooting was reported at 9:09 p.m. in the 3600 block of Woodland Avenue.A second shooting was reported a short time after that at about 9:26 p.m. Developing . . . Johnstown, PA (15901) Today Thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low 69F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low 69F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. A Terre Haute man faces up to 91 years in prison after being convicted Wednesday of murder in the January 2020 bludgeoning death of a Greencastle woman. John H. Gonzalez, 30, also was found to be a habitual offender based on two previous felony convictions. 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. Sponsored By: Dorsett Automotive Dining options: Takeout Description: Authentic barbecue with a Nantucket twist! That's the plan for our new restaurant set to open by early spring in the former Cap'n Tobey's building on Straight Wharf. Former Brant Point Grill Executive Chef Fred Bisaillon and his girlfriend Denise Corson, former Tobey's manager and longtime veteran of the island bar and restaurant scene, are behind B-ACK Yard BBQ, whose menu will include different 'cue styles from around the country, along with a selection of Kentucky bour-bons, Tennessee whiskeys and craft beer. We hope you'll come and sit for a spell this summer with us! We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The Tripadvisor website may not display properly.We support the following browsers: Windows: Internet Explorer , Mozilla Firefox , Google Chrome . Mac: Safari . You would probably get a fine. If you overstayed a couple of days they probably wouldn't care, but 6 months is significant. The EU excuse is poor because you could have easily gone to the neighbouring countries of Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia that are not in the EU and are only a few hours drive away. There are no restrictions to enter Macedonia, you don't even need a test. I've been in Albania for just over two months and I will leave on August 23rd when I will have spent 83 out of 90 days here (I have British passport so I only get 90 days). I enjoy my time a lot in Albania, but I don't want to risk overstaying and breaking the law. Sometimes it's not just small fines, countries can temporarily ban you for overstaying. Sometimes it can depend entirely on the border guard you deal with when you leave the country. It personally has not happened to me, but I've read stories of travellers get significant fines and temporary bans from countries for overstaying. Based off the things I've read it's enough for me to never consider overstaying. But as an American they might just let you off and not care at all because Albanians love Americans. LACON, Ill. (AP) Sometime early this fall, a team armed with specialized document-scanning equipment will descend on the Marshall County Courthouse to transform 350,000 pages of property records dating to 1831 into digital form. The scanning will be part of a $353,000 larger overall process in which Iowa-based Fidlar Technologies will also replace computer hardware and software in county clerk and recorder Jill Kenyons office, eventually resulting in expanding and overhauling much of the way that business gets done there. The work will be covered by roughly one-third of the countys $1.1 million American Rescue Plan allotment for this year, under action taken by a unanimous board vote on July 8. It marks the countys first use of those funds. A board committee has just begun a process for considering other projects, the Journal Star of Peoria reports I believe its going to be money well spent, Kenyon said. Its something thats going to have to be done, and I feel if it can be paid for with a grant, its better for the taxpayers. For the first time, it will be possible for people to e-record documents remotely and for attorneys, banks, title companies or other searchers to access the records online for fees that will generate new revenue for the county. Over a period of about 15 days, working 24 hours a day in 12-hour shifts, the team from Michigan-based US Imaging will scan deeds, plats, mortgages and every other type of recorded property document, as well as vital records including birth, death and marriage certificates. We get calls daily asking, Are you online? Kenyon said, reflecting the increasingly common assumption that records can be accessed that way. The negative reply puts the county in a shrinking minority in the state. Fidlar alone provides such services to 72 Illinois counties, company official Greg Bachman told the board. They include nearby Stark, Tazewell and Woodford counties. The question became especially pressing during the COVID-19 pandemic, when public access to the courthouse was limited. For instance, space limitations in a vault where many of the records are kept dictated that access was limited to one person at a time, by appointment only. Online access would have been nice during the pandemic, Kenyon said, because it would have allowed that part of her office operation to continue pretty much as usual. She has confirmed the COVID-related stimulus funds can be used for the planned conversion. These projects do qualify for this grant, she told the board. Not all of the digitized documents will be available for online viewing. Vital records are restricted in various ways, so they will be stored on a separate county server. People will be able to go online to request and pay for a copy, Kenyon said, but they cant physically get on and see it. The Fidlar system allows occasional users to access property records online for certain periods of time, while frequent users can purchase subscriptions for more extensive use. The participating county receives the revenue. The amount of money generated can depend on several variables but will tend to increase over time as the service becomes better known, company representative Danielle Westerfield said. Some counties might get $50,000 a year, while others reach six digits, she said. The project will also guard against the scenario that could ensue if the records were destroyed in a disaster a tornado, a fire, a massive water leak that could essentially paralyze real estate transactions, said Kenyon and others. It would be an absolute nightmare, said States Attorney Patrick Murphy, whose previous law practice included property law. I cant even imagine how detrimental it would be to lose all that. Its that type of nightmare that concerns Justin Meierkord, president of Marshall County Title Co. in Lacon. Meierkord said he or associate Nikki Lemons will typically be in the courthouse every day for research. The online access will be useful when someone outside the area calls with fairly simple requests for copies of specific documents, he said, though he expects to continue the regular trips across town for many purposes. Im more old school. I like looking at the original documents, he explained, then quickly added that he would welcome the security provided by the digital conversion. Personally, my main concern is what would happen if the courthouse burned down. Unless the original records are destroyed in some way, theyll remain after the digitization is completed, Kenyon said. Fidlar provides backup copies of all documents at four locations, according to company official Bachman. That guards against loss of the data not only through physical disaster but also through hacking, which he said has never happened but is regarded as a danger in todays cyberworld. When asked about the risk of old documents being damaged in the scanning process itself, US Imaging official Josh Dosson said the company would be responsible for any damage that occurred, but the use of sophisticated equipment made damage very unlikely. US Imaging specializes in digitizing county documents and has done so for 850 counties nationwide, including 50 for Fidlar in Illinois, he said. Business has been brisk among counties making the transition, resulting in a backlog of work, Bachman said. It will probably be about two months before the crews get to Marshall County, he estimated. Best-case scenario, we could have everything up and running by fall, he said. The scanning process is not expected to interfere with normal on-site work being done by local searchers. Austria supports Ukraine's initiative of Crimea Platform as evidenced by the upcoming participation of Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg in the inaugural summit in Kyiv on August 23. "Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg will represent Austria at the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform in Kyiv on August 23, 2021," the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria told an Ukrinform correspondent. Commenting on Austria's stance on the Crimea Platform, the diplomatic mission said that "Austria welcomes Ukraine's initiative to bring together the international community to keep the issue of the unacceptable illegal annexation of Crimea and its consequences on the international agenda." "Respect for international law and respect for territorial integrity is the cornerstone of the European security order. Therefore, Austria condemns the illegal annexation and militarization of the Crimean Peninsula by the Russian Federation and supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders," the Ministry said. The Crimea Platform is 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 restore Ukraines sovereignty over the peninsula. The Platform is to operate at several levels: heads of state and government, foreign ministers, inter-parliamentary cooperation, expert network. The activity of the Crimea Platform will be officially launched at the inaugural summit in Kyiv on August 23, 2021. ol Gamma, delta, lambda heres your guide to the Greek alphabet of the COVID-19 variants Melissa Moy, a teacher at Yung Wing School P.S. 124, goes over a lesson with in-person summer program students on a monitor on July 22, 2021 in New York City. Positive COVID-19 cases in some New York City public schools have resulted in classroom quarantines. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images/TNS) Vaccines call on us to protect one another. But the forces undermining them have been decades in the making. (@ChaudhryMAli88) LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Aug, 2021 ) :Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce Razak Dawood said on Saturday that the government was fully committed to provide the best possible package of incentives to foreign and local investors. He added that investors' facilitation would boost industrial production to strengthen the national economy which promised better living conditions of poor strata of the society. He expressed these views during his visit to the office of Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (FIEDMC) here. The PM advisor also reviewed progress on the Allama Iqbal Industrial City (AIIC), the first mega project of Punjab under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Briefing the advisor, FIEDMC Chairman Mian Kashif Ashfaq said the AIIC project was being executed on a fast track basis on the directive of Prime Minister Imran Khan. He said that facility of gas, power, water and basic infrastructure, civic centre etc required for new industrial units had been provided. He informed the advisor that nearly 20 industrial units had started their production which covered one third of land of the first phase of Allama Iqbal Industrial city while remaining would go into operation by the end of year. He said the prime minister had directed to minimize the time of allotment of industrial plots to foreign and local investors, besides all investors must also be facilitated through one-window operation. He said the AIIC project spread over 3,300 acres of land was being completed on fast track which included furniture city, apparel park, modern business centre and the largest expo centre for displaying Made in Pakistan products to attract local and foreign buyers. An amount of Rs 7.5 billions had so far been spent on the completion of first the AIIC phase, he added. Mian Kashif Ashfaq said in line with the transparent policy of Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar, industrial plots were being allotted to export-based industries, imports substitute industries and relocation of local industries. On this occasion, Razak Dawood expressed satisfaction over the pace of development and progress of this project achieved so far and also appreciated the efforts of FIEDMC Chairman Mian Kashif Ashfaq in this regard. The Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry's United Business Group Saturday unanimously urged the government to direct the Director General Trade Organisation to decide the important pending case against rigging in the presidential election of Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry immediately ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Aug, 2021 ) :The Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry's United Business Group Saturday unanimously urged the government to direct the Director General Trade Organisation to decide the important pending case against rigging in the presidential election of Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry immediately. Chairing an 80 members general body meeting of the group here today President SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Chairman UBG Iftikhar Ali Malik vowed to continue to serve the business community doubtlessly and help gear up the economic activities in the country. He alleged that DGTO is adopting unnecessary delaying tactics to provide a cushion to the sitting president to continue to complete his tenure which he added caused great unrest among the entire business community. He said UBG will never allow DGTO to play with the destiny of the business community. Iftikhar Ali Malik said fresh blood will be inducted into the trade politics and highly educated youth equipped with the spirit of devotion to serve the business community will be fully encouraged to lead the traders. He said UBG since its inception always attached great importance to traders and advocated their cause at all regional, provincial, and national levels without any fear. He said UBG leadership many times met PM, Federal ministers, and advisors to PM including Governor Punjab for getting addressed the problems confronted by the traders and exporters across the country. The future strategy for the coming election was also discussed threadbare and in principle, it was decided that all stakeholders will be taken into confidence prior to giving final shape to the name of candidates. SM Muneer, Zubair Tufail, Zafar Bakhtawari, Shakih Tanvir, Sh Asif, Khalid Tawab, Atta Bajwa, Hameed Akhtar Chadda, and others also presented in the meeting. Ethiopia has registered 584 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 283,082 as of Friday evening, the country's health ministry said ADDIS ABABA (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Aug, 2021 ) --:Ethiopia has registered 584 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 283,082 as of Friday evening, the country's health ministry said. The ministry reported nine new COVID-19-induced deaths and 60 more recoveries during the same period, bringing the national death toll to 4,415 and total recoveries to 264,225. Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous nation, has so far reported the largest number of COVID-19 cases in the East Africa region. According to the ministry, Ethiopia currently has 14,440 active COVID-19 cases, of whom 276 are severe. Amid the national push for vaccination, the East African country has so far administered a total of 2,267,254 COVID-19 vaccine doses, according to the ministry. The country received the first batch of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government in March. Ethiopia is among the countries the hardest hit by COVID-19 in Africa, following South Africa, Mongolia registered 1,246 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, taking the national tally to 171,097, the health ministry said Friday ULAN BATOR (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Aug, 2021 ) :Mongolia registered 1,246 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, taking the national tally to 171,097, the health ministry said Friday. A total of 7,463 samples were tested across the country in the past day, and the latest confirmed cases were all local infections, the ministry said in a statement. In addition, five people aged 80 and above died from the virus during the period, pushing the death toll to 868, added the ministry. The Asian country launched a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign in late February, aiming to cover at least 60 percent of its population of 3.3 million. More than 60 percent of the country's total population has been fully vaccinated so far. (@FahadShabbir) BEIJING, Aug 7 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Aug, 2021 ) :Three special planes of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) airlifted a fresh batch of two million doses of Sinopharm vaccines from the Beijing Capital Airport to Pakistan amid the fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Three flights of the national flag carrier, PK-6856, PK-6857, and PK-6858 have transported consignments of two million doses of the Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccines to Pakistan from China, Qadir Bux Sangi, PIA Country Manager for China told APP here on Saturday. Another batch of 1.5 million purchased by Pakistan from Chinese company CanSino will be brought to Pakistan in the next few days. Pakistan has expedited the vaccination process in the wake of the fourth wave of Covid-19 in the country. According to official sources, over 30 million people have so far been inoculated in Pakistan. Pakistan has been using mainly Chinese vaccines namely Sinopharm and Sinovac besides other vaccines. The government has run a massive vaccination drive across the country to achieve the target of providing 70 million doses of vaccines aimed at fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. The health authorities had launched a nationwide vaccination drive with around a million doses of Sinopharm vaccine donated by China, starting with older people and frontline healthcare workers, in March this year. The drive began with a focus on the oldest people in the community, generally over the age of 80 but now the vaccine is being administered to people aged over 18 years. Islamabad received the first COVID-19 vaccine consignment after a military aircraft transported it from Beijing on February 01, this year. It may be mentioned that China will provide a total of 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the world this year, in the latest effort to honor its commitment to making vaccines a global public good by ensuring vaccine accessibility and affordability. China will donate $100 million to the COVAX global vaccine initiative for the distribution of vaccines to developing countries. LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Aug, 2021 ) :Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Senator Dr Sania Nishtar Saturday said that Ehsaas registration desks would be set up across the country this month. She was talking to the media during her visit to Ehsaas registration desk, set up in Garhi Shahu area here. Dr Sania talked to the registration staff and also asked about Ehsaas initiatives from deserving women, who had come to Ehsaas desks for registration. She inspected the process of registration of a deserving woman. Dr Sania said that the households, who could not participate in the survey for some reasons, would also be able to get themselves registered by contacting the Ehsaas registration desks. The Ehsaas survey in the country was completed up to 98.14 per cent, and in Lahore, it was still under process, she added. Dr Sania also reviewed the ongoing activities of Ehsaas survey in the area of Tezaab Ehata, and inspected the Ehsaas survey registration of a local family and talked to the residents of the area about the usefulness and method of Ehsaas survey. She also reviewed the registration of children hailing from deserving families for educational scholarships. QUETTA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Aug, 2021 ) :Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan Friday said the process of vaccination was in full swing as more than one million people were being vaccinated against COVID-19 every day. Talking to media persons, he said it was a positive sign for controlling the virus in the country. Dr Faisal was accompanied by Balochistan Parliamentary Secretary for Health Dr Rubaba Khan Buledi who also highlighted the Federal government's support during anti-COVID and polio vaccinations in the province. He said Pakistan was undergoing the fourth lethal wave of coronavirus as the current Indian delta variant spread faster than the previous ones. He said the vaccinated persons data was being fed in the system in real time adding sometimes a manual list also was made to feed later. He said the rate of complainants was very low as 99 percent people had received certificates of complete vaccination on time. He said a complaint portal had also been set up where only a few thousand grievances had been received and most of them had been resolved timely. He said measures had been taken for preventing coronavirus especially at border crossing areas. Dr Faisal said the number of polio cases had been declining in the country and not a single case of polio had been reported in the last six months. "We have to save future generations from this contagious disease and convince the people that polio drops are not harmful but beneficial for children's health." He said for quality medicines, effective legislation was being enacted for transparency in pricing adding a draft had been finalized and to be presented in the next few weeks. He said Dr Rubaba being a medical professional was taking concrete steps for the betterment of health sector in the province. The federal government would provide all possible assistance and support for improvement of the health sector in Balochistan, he concluded. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th August, 2021) The Israeli army stroke facilities of the Hamas Islamist movement in the Gaza Strip after several arson balloons had been launched from the Palestinian enclave, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday. "In response to continual launches of arson balloons from Gaza into Israel today, we just struck a Hamas military compound and rocket launching site. The rocket launching site was in a civilian area, once again emphasizing how Hamas endangers Palestinian civilians," the IDF wrote on its Twitter page. The IDF vowed to respond firmly against any terrorist attacks from the Gaza Strip. Hamas, a Palestinian Sunni militant organization in control of the Gaza Strip, has been locked in a protracted on-and-off conflict with Israel, which still refuses to recognize Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity. Israel holds Hamas responsible for any attack coming from the Gaza Strip. Austria is one of the key partners of Russia in Europe, Austrian firms have been working with confidence in the Russian market for a long time, the volume of accumulated investments is $6 billion, Russian President Vladimir Putin said PERVOMAYSKY VILLAGE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th August, 2021) Austria is one of the key partners of Russia in Europe, Austrian firms have been working with confidence in the Russian market for a long time, the volume of accumulated investments is $6 billion, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. "This country is one of our key partners in Europe, we treat this this way, which is confirmed by the participation of its representatives, and this was the widest representation, in the St. Petersburg Economic Forum and the speech at its plenary meeting of the Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria, Mr. Sebastian Kurz," Putin said during the launching ceremony of the plant for the production of dry cement mixes Cemix of the group of companies Lasselsberger in Russia's Bashkortostan. "Austrian firms have been working confidently on the Russian market for a long time. About 1,500 companies from Austria are successfully doing business in our country. The volume of accumulated investments is $6 billion," Putin said. He added that Russia was investing not less in the Austrian economy. Russia will continue to support mutual investment flows with Austria, remove barriers, Putin said. "And, of course, this will open up additional opportunities for the creation of new jobs and modern production facilities, will allow to quickly restore business ties, overcome negative consequences in the post-pandemic period," he said. LONDON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th August, 2021) UK's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that his country was considering sheltering the Afghan journalists who had cooperated with UK media, the Independent reported on Saturday. On Wednesday, it was reported on a joint letter of 23 UK media to the foreign secretary and the prime minister, Boris Johnson, urging the authorities to protect Afghanistan's media representatives amid the rise of the Taliban's violence in the central Asian country. "Under existing schemes, we are able to consider individual cases for relocation on an exceptional basis, where there is evidence they are under imminent threat due to the nature of their engagement with the UK," Raab said in the reply letter, as quoted by the Independent. The foreign secretary called the Afghan media "vibrant" institutions, and said they were a real success in the past 20 years, therefore, the media should be "protected." "Journalists (and those supporting them) can be eligible for our support, depending on the individual circumstances that apply," Raab noted in the letter. The spike in the Taliban (banned as a terrorist organization in Russia) aggression is observed in Afghanistan now amid the international troops withdrawal. The pullout was a part of the US-Taliban peace deal concluded in Doha in 2020. The troops are scheduled to leave the country by September 11. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) have urged the member states to "cooperate actively" with Pakistan and China in holding the perpetrators of the July 14 terrorist attack of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, that had killed nine Chinese nationals and three Pakistanis UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Aug, 2021 ) :The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) have urged the member states to "cooperate actively" with Pakistan and China in holding the perpetrators of the July 14 terrorist attack of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, that had killed nine Chinese nationals and three Pakistanis. "The members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice," a press statement issued by the UNSC on Saturday said. The UNSC condemned in strongest words the terrorist attack and called upon the member States to cooperate "in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions". They reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by all means, in accordance with the UN Charter and other obligations under international law of human rights, refugee law and the international humanitarian law, to counter the threats to international peace and security. The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the governments of Pakistan and China, and wished a speedy and full recovery to the injured. They reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constituted "one of the most serious threats to international peace and security". The UNSC members reiterated that "acts of terrorism were criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed". The US Embassy in Kabul called on American citizens to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible due to the security issues in the central Asian country, having published an alert statement on Saturday MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th August, 2021) The US Embassy in Kabul called on American citizens to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible due to the security issues in the central Asian country, having published an alert statement on Saturday. The American staff of the embassy in Kabul that can work remotely have already departed Afghanistan, in accordance with the order of the Department of State issued on April 27, which hinders timely assistance to US citizens in emergency situations. "The U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens to leave Afghanistan immediately using available commercial flight options. Given the security conditions and reduced staffing, the Embassy's ability to assist U.S. citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited even within Kabul," the statement read. The embassy said US citizens in Afghanistan could use repatriation loans if they experienced difficulties in buying tickets for commercial flights. Additionally, US nationals were reminded to enroll in the Safe Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) so that the embassy could keep them updated in case of emergencies and inform of an evacuation flight in the future. Among the threats in Afghanistan, the embassy cited "crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, armed conflict, and COVID-19." Afghanistan is seeing a spike in violence now as the Taliban have stepped up their offensive after international troops started a gradual withdrawal from the country, which was scheduled to be completed by September 11. The pullout was stipulated in the agreement the Taliban and the United States signed in Doha in February, 2020. The British airline Virgin Atlantic is planning to list on the London Stock Exchange in the coming months, UK media reported on Saturday London, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Aug, 2021 ) :The British airline Virgin Atlantic is planning to list on the London Stock Exchange in the coming months, UK media reported on Saturday. According to broadcaster Sky news, which cited sources in the City of London, the carrier has been consulting with investors with a likely autumn announcement for the listing. It added the public offering -- Virgin Atlantic's first since it launched in 1984 -- was being overseen by bankers at Citigroup and Barclays. A spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic told AFP the company "won't be commenting on speculation". The airline, like much of the travel sector, has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and posted a pre-tax loss of 659 million in 2020, as passenger numbers fell by 80 percent. In March the airline secured 160 million ($223 million, 187 million Euros) in fresh loans and deferrals. The support package followed the raising of $230 million in January from the sale of two Boeing 787 planes and recapitalisation worth 1.2 billion in 2020. Sky reported the floatation will likely see parent Richard Branson-owned Virgin Group's share of capital fall below its 51 percent control. US Delta Air Lines holds the remaining 49 percent of shares. Valdosta, GA (31601) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki highlights the importance of joint efforts toward peace, as Japan commemorates the 76th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. By Vatican News staff writer Japan marked the 76th anniversary of the worlds first atomic bombing of Nagasaki on Monday, just three days after that of Hiroshima. In the annual ceremony, scaled-down this year due to Covid-19, citizens observed a minute of silence at 8:15 am local time - the exact time the first bomb hit Hiroshima 76 years ago. The United States dropped the worlds first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945, destroying the city and killing an estimated 140,000 people. It dropped a second bomb three days later on Nagasaki, killing another 70,000. Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945, bringing an end to the Second World War. Church in service of peace Ahead of the commemorations, Andrea di Angelis of Vatican News spoke to Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, who reflected on the blast anniversary and the Churchs role in working for peace. Reflecting on the massive destruction wrought by the bombs, the Archbishop noted that the effects, passed on to following generations, bring the importance of working for peace to the fore. He recalled that during Pope Francis visit to Japan in November 2019, the Holy Fathers central message was peace and the protection of the right to life for all creatures not only physical life but also spiritual. Archbishop Takami explained that this is also a mission given to us by Jesus. Inspired by this, the Church has to continue not only to pray for peace, but also to promote the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, so that it can be signed and ratified by all nations, and the world can finally become free of nuclear weapons. We know that a world without nuclear weapons does not automatically make for peace, he said, adding that abolishing nuclear weapons is one of the challenges the world has to surmount on its path towards peace. We have to make many efforts toward renewal, to recreate the human spirit by insisting on the importance of the practice of love taught and showed by Jesus Christ. Listen to our interview with Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki Calls for abolition of nuclear weapons During the anniversary ceremony held at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on Friday, the Mayor of Hiroshima, Kazumi Matsui, urged world leaders to commit to nuclear disarmament as seriously as they tackle the pandemic that the world recognizes as a threat to humanity. Nuclear weapons, developed to win wars, are a threat of total annihilation that we can certainly end, if all nations work together, Matsui said. No sustainable society is possible with these weapons continually poised for indiscriminate slaughter. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the government would continue to support the aging survivors of the atom bomb blast, and invited all nations to work together to promote the total abolition of nuclear weapons. In a video message, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres affirmed that the only guarantee against the use of nuclear weapons is their total elimination and expressed concern over the slow-paced progress towards achieving a nuclear-free world. Guterres pointed at the unparalleled advocacy of the bombs survivors the hibakusha which he describes as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. He added that they have dedicated their lives to sharing their experiences and campaigning to make sure that no one else suffers their fate. In this light, he reaffirmed the UNs commitment to working towards achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world. International attention has been on the East Asian country in recent times due to the ongoing XXXII Olympic Games in Tokyo, which came to an end on Sunday, 8 August. A non-governmental organization working to support the rights of migrants in border areas of western Europe and Africa sounds the alarm of a shipwreck on Friday of a boat heading to the Canary Islands. Over 40 are missing and ten have been rescued. By Adriana Masotti - Vatican City A boat has capsized off the coast of Dakhla in the Western Sahara region. Dozens are missing and feared dead . Caminando Fronteras, an NGO specializing in migration on the Africa-Canary Islands route, sounded the alarm. According to the NGO, the victims as of Saturday are 42: 30 women, four men and eight minors, while fishermen rescued ten others before the intervention of the Moroccan navy. A local news website, Dakhlanews, reported the discovery on Friday of twelve bodies found on a beach, possibly of migrants who died in the shipwreck. Boat capsizes when hit by waves The spokeswoman and founder of Caminando Fronteras, Helena Maleno, told the Italian news agency ANSA that her organization has tracked down the survivors and that through their testimonies it was possible to reconstruct the dynamics of the tragedy and the number of missing people. The boat on which they were traveling, bound for the Canary Islands, was likely hit by a large wave. In order to save those on board, fishermen onsite provided help and alerted the authorities. From Morocco and Spain, however, there is currently no official confirmation of the incident. Spokeswoman Maleno said, "This is a conflict zone, many of the shipwrecks that result there are not reported." Emergency search continues The latest tragedy is the second reported this week, after a boat sank on Wednesday with 75 migrants on board, three of whom died. Meanwhile, the Spanish Maritime Rescue Service has activated searches for another boat with migrants, which reportedly set sail last Monday from the same area of Western Sahara. According to the Spanish government, over 7,500 migrants have reached Spain's Canary Islands from Western Africa so far this year. The NGO Caminando Fronteras estimates over two thousand have died or disappeared during the same period attempting to make the dangerous journey that takes them into high seas. Remains of Marines and sailors killed in AAV incident arrive in Dover Air Force Base, Del., on Aug 12, 2020. US Marine Corps Photo 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 July 29, 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," Dubin, who was accompanied by relatives of five of the service members who died July 30, 2020, and ranged from 18 to 22, said. 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." Marines with Bravo Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/4, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, operate AAV-P7/A1 assault amphibious vehicles into the well deck of the amphibious landing dock USS Somerset (LPD-25) on July 27, 2020. US Marine Corps Photo 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. 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. Initium Media, a Hong Kong-based independent media outlet, has announced its plan to relocate out of the city. The decision comes amidst the Chinese Communist Partys crackdown on press freedoms in Hong Kong following the imposition of the National Security Law last year. Initium Media executive editor Susie Wu announced the decision through an open letter to its readers. The letter stated that the road to freedom has become a harder and harder one during the past six years of their operation. It pointed out that Hong Kongs press freedom index has fallen to the 80th spot in the world. Initium is moving its headquarters to Singapore, where it plans to produce content via online and decentralized methods. We hope to send you this signal: not to be depressed about [Hong Kongs] predicament The road to freedom is long Thinking and questioning are things everyone can do to safeguard their independence of thought, the letter said. Founded in August 2015, Initium is a subscribers-only news outlet that has 60,000 paying readers. The company employs around 20 to 30 staff in Hong Kong and Taiwan with some overseas correspondents. The shift to Singapore will not cause lay-offs in Hong Kong as the staff will continue working remotely. Initium is the first Hong Kong-registered media entity to relocate. In an interview with Hong Kong Free Press, Wu said that Initium s mission remains unchanged even though they will no longer be based in Hong Kong. We hope that relocating our headquarters to Singapore will enable us to better report for Chinese readers in other parts of the world. At the same time, Singapore is similar to Hong Kong in terms of its financial system and language, Wu said. In an interview with RTHK, journalism lecturer Grace Leung from Chinese University said that publications like Initium no longer see Hong Kong as a safe place to work in. Those outspoken media, like this media organization, even though it has just stayed in Hong Kong for a few years, find the pressure of self-censorship and the room for press freedom is declining Just like many Hong Kong people emigrating to other countries, even media organizations have to plan how to survive in such a depressive situation, Leung said. Media crackdown in Hong Kong Initiums decision comes as a major Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily was forced to shut down in June by the citys administration. On June 17, authorities froze the assets of the company that owns Apple Daily. The media outlet consequently could not pay electricity costs and wages. Apple Daily published its final print edition on June 24. The paper followed a pro-democracy editorial policy, which did not sit well with the CCP that seeks to apply the restrictive laws of the mainland in Hong Kong. Apple Dailys closure triggered condemnation from across the world. People in Hong Kong have the right to freedom of the press. Instead, Beijing is denying basic liberties and assaulting Hong Kongs autonomy and democratic institutions and processes, inconsistent with its international obligations, President Joe Biden said in a statement on June 24. Last year, The New York Times announced that its Hong Kong staff would move to Seoul just weeks after the National Security Law came into effect. The law allows authorities to arrest people under charges of subversion and collusion with foreigners. It has been accused of being weaponized against free speech and human rights activists. Steve Vines, Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) columnist and a former host for government broadcaster RTHK, recently moved out of the city. In an email to colleagues, Vines said that the near-term prospects of things getting better were simply non-existent. He added that Hong Kong is currently in a very dark place as the CCP continues to assault the citys democratic framework. According to Reporters Without Borders, RTHK is being subjected to a full-blown intimidation campaign by the government that aims to restrict the broadcasters editorial autonomy. In June, the Hong Kong Journalist Association said that press freedoms in the city were in tatters. China is the world's major seafood producer and critics say its fleets engage in aggressive tactics as the nation tries to feed its 1.4 billion people. Mike O'Sullivan reports from Honolulu that U.S. fishermen are worried about China's expanding footprint in the Pacific. Russia begins mass military exercises with its Central Asian allies Tajikistan and Uzbekistan near the Tajik border with Afghanistan this week. The maneuvers come against the backdrop of a US withdrawal from Afghanistan - and rapid territorial gains by its adversaries in the Afghan Taliban. For VOA Athens City School System Superintendent Beth Patton will recommend to the school board that mask-wearing be required starting Tuesday. The academic year begins Wednesday. Patton said she will make the recommendation to the board on Monday. She will ask that everyone over the age of 2 wear masks. Read her full letter to parents below: Based on guidance from the CDC, ADPH, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and most importantly from our local health professionals, I will recommend to the board that beginning Tuesday, August 10, Athens City Schools will require that masks be worn while inside school buildings by employees, students, and visitors over the age of 2. Based on the CDCs order, passengers and drivers must wear masks at all times on school buses. As your superintendent, I am charged with making tough decisions. This is certainly one of them! I know there are strong opinions on both sides, but in the end, we are responsible to do everything within our power to ensure the safety and well-being of our students- your children. We are not medical professionals, so out of an abundance of caution, it is imperative that we follow the recommendations of the experts. We will continue to monitor our local COVID data in hopes that conditions improve quickly and the mask requirement will become optional in the very near future. We have already seen how fast things can change, and we are prepared and ready to respond. Our desire is for all students who have been in our traditional schools to return to in-person learning. Those who have a need for virtual learning can apply for Athens Renaissance School here. Please read the guidelines carefully as virtual learning is a semester commitment (unless you choose virtual learning for the year). Remote learning will not be offered at our traditional schools. E-Learning will be utilized for students who need to isolate or quarantine. Here are some important things to note that are different from last year: Asymptomatic vaccinated close contacts do not need to quarantine but should monitor for symptoms and isolate if symptoms develop. Asymptomatic close contacts who have tested positive for and recovered from COVID-19 in the prior 3 months do not need to quarantine unless they develop symptoms. Unvaccinated individuals who are at a minimum of 3 distancing from positive cases and are wearing masks do not need to quarantine. For information concerning mask safety, click here. I am praying that we can get past this surge in COVID-19 cases quickly and have a normal school year. No matter what, we will do everything within our power to educate every child while nurturing their mental and physical health. We take this calling very seriously. For more information on the proposed ACS 2021-2022 COVID Mitigation plan, please visit https://www.acs-k12.org/domain/2198. The U.S. Department of Education issued this news release Friday. Washington, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Department of Education announced a final extension of the pause on student loan repayment, interest, and collections until January 31, 2022. The Department believes this additional time and a definitive end date will allow borrowers to plan for the resumption of payments and reduce the risk of delinquency and defaults after restart. The Department will continue its work to transition borrowers smoothly back into repayment, including by improving student loan servicing. The payment pause has been a lifeline that allowed millions of Americans to focus on their families, health, and finances instead of student loans during the national emergency, said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. As our nations economy continues to recover from a deep hole, this final extension will give students and borrowers the time they need to plan for restart and ensure a smooth pathway back to repayment. It is the Departments priority to support students and borrowers during this transition and ensure they have the resources they need to access affordable, high quality higher education. The Department will begin notifying borrowers about this final extension in the coming days, and it will release resources and information about how to plan for payment restart as the end of the pause approaches. Todays action is one of a series of steps the Department has taken to support students and borrowers, make higher education more affordable, and improve student loan servicing, including: Approving $1.5 billion in borrower defense claims, including extending full relief to approved claims and approving new types of claims. Reinstating $1.3 billion in loan discharges for 41,000 borrowers who received a total and permanent disability discharge and protecting another 190,000 from potential loan reinstatement. Helping 30,000 small business owners with student loans seeking help from the Paycheck Protection Program. The myth that kids can't get seriously sick from Covid-19 has been further debunked as more children get hospitalized during the Delta variant surge. Since this time last year, more than 45,000 children have been hospitalized with Covid-19, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Saturday, an average of 203 child Covid-19 patients were admitted to US hospitals every day over the past week, CDC data shows. That's a 21.4% increase from the previous week in the number of new children getting hospitalized every day with Covid-19. "Half of the children that we've admitted have been under the age of 2," said Dr. Mark Kline, physician-in-chief of Children's Hospital New Orleans. "This virus that we're dealing with now is a game changer," Kline said Monday. "It's just so easily transmitted from person-to-person." Doctors say it's crucial to protect children against the now-dominant Delta variant -- not just to preserve in-person learning and protect children's health, but also to help prevent even more aggressive variants from emerging. Almost half of children hospitalized with Covid-19 had no known underlying condition Much has changed since the last school year. A more contagious variant -- Alpha -- has been replaced by an even more contagious variant -- Delta -- as the dominant strain of coronavirus in the US. The Delta variant is as contagious as chickenpox, the CDC says. In just two months, Delta jumped from 3% to more than 93% of sequenced coronavirus samples in the US, the agency said. The weekly count of children newly infected with Covid-19 has more than doubled in two weeks. About 39,000 new cases were reported during the week ending July 21, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. That number soared to 94,000 new cases during the week ending August 5, the AAP said. With the rise in both new cases and hospitalizations, it's not just children with preexisting conditions getting hospitalized. Almost half -- 46.4% -- of children hospitalized with Covid-19 between March 2020 and June 2021 had no known underlying condition, according to CDC data froms almost 100 US counties. Covid-19 deaths in children shouldn't be ignored, CDC chief says While children are far less likely to die from Covid-19 than adults, the deaths are still significant, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said. At least 542 children in the US have died from Covid-19, according to CDC data. The number of Covid-19 deaths among children is more than twice the number of pediatric flu deaths reported by the CDC between 2019-2020. The main reason why Covid-19 is deadlier for children than other infectious diseases is because many children are vaccinated against other diseases, said Dr. James Campbell, professor of pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "Nobody's dying of polio, nobody's dying of measles in the United States. Nobody's dying of diphtheria," Campbell told CNN last month. But while children ages 12 to 17 can get a Covid-19 vaccine, millions have not done so. And it could be several more months before a vaccine is authorized for children under age 12. Rebecca Calloway's 7-year-old daughter Georgia is one of thousands of young children testing various doses of Covid-19 vaccines to make sure they're safe and effective before they get authorized. Part of why Calloway enrolled Georgia in the pediatric vaccine trial is because she recently lost her 3-year-old daughter to another unexpected disease -- Type 1 diabetes -- and doesn't want any more families to lose a child to Covid-19. While childhood deaths from Covid-19 and Type 1 diabetes are rare, "You don't want to be that statistic," Calloway said. Protecting kids from Covid-19 is critical to keep them in schools With the highly contagious Delta variant, the CDC recommends students from kindergarten through grade 12 wear masks in school, along with teachers and visitors. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends masks in schools for everyone over age 2. "Our children deserve to have full-time, in person, safe learning with prevention measures in place. And that includes masking for everyone in schools," Walensky said. Some students are returning to schools for the first time in a year. But long-awaited classroom learning can be quickly derailed by an infection or outbreak. In Atlanta, more than 100 students at Drew Charter School had to quarantine after nine students and five staff members tested positive. And it doesn't take much for Covid-19 to shut down a school again. Even one case can have a ripple effect on students, faculty and staff. "We need adults to run schools, and if my adults are sick or needing to quarantine, I don't have adults present to provide the education," said Carlee Simon, superintendent of Alachua County Public Schools in Florida. The school board voted to require face masks for the first two weeks of school, but Florida's governor has threatened to reduce funding to schools that require masks. And that has the superintendent worried. "When we have families that don't want to have masks on their child, what they're doing is not only making the higher chance they will have to be quarantined," Simon said. If a student gets infected, "they will also have other students who did have masks on who would also need to be quarantined." "Everybody wants to move forward. Nobody wants to have masks forever," Simon said. But "we would like to be able to be safe and have instructional time with our students." In addition to masks in schools, the CDC recommends layering other strategies such as improved ventilation, physical distancing and testing on a screening basis. MIS-C and long Covid can leave lasting impacts Long-term Covid-19 complications can be significant for children and adolescents -- even for some who initially had mild or no symptoms, the American Academy of Pediatrics said. All pediatric patients who tested positive should have at least one follow-up exam with a pediatrician, the AAP said. Pediatricians should watch out for residual or long-term Covid-19 problems such as respiratory symptoms, which can last three months or more; heart issues, including a type of heart inflammation known as myocarditis; cognitive problems such as "brain fog"; headache; fatigue and mental health issues, the AAP said. Children who had moderate or severe Covid-19 may be at greater risk for subsequent heart disease, the pediatrician group said. In some cases, children who start with mild or even no symptoms from Covid-19 end up hospitalized weeks or months later with a condition called MIS-C -- multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. MIS-C is "a rare but serious condition associated with COVID-19 in which different body parts become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs," the CDC says. It happens when "the virus induces your body to make an immune response against your own blood vessels" -- which can cause inflammation of the blood vessels, said pediatrician Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia. Often, children with MIS-C don't start off very sick with Covid-19. "Usually children are picked up incidentally as having (coronavirus). Someone in the family was infected, a friend was infected, so they got a PCR test. And they're found to be positive. ... Then they're fine," Offit told CNN. "Then a month goes by, and they develop a high fever. And evidence of lung, liver, kidney or heart damage. That's when they come to our hospital." At least 4,196 cases of MIS-C had been reported between February 2020 and June 2021, including 37 deaths, the CDC said. It said 99% of MIS-C patients had tested positive for coronavirus, and the other 1% had contact with someone with Covid-19. The median age of patients with MIS-C was 9 years old. "CDC is working to learn more about why some children and adolescents develop MIS-C after having COVID-19 or contact with someone with COVID-19, while others do not," the CDC says. "Based on what we know now about MIS-C, the best way you can protect your child is by taking everyday actions to prevent your child and the entire household from getting the virus that causes COVID-19." The best steps parents can take to protect their children include getting vaccinated and vaccinating children ages 12 and up, Walensky said. And even if a parent is fully vaccinated, there's a small chance they could catch an asymptomatic breakthrough infection and pass the virus to their children. That's why it's a good idea for all parents of young children to wear masks in public. But the best way to protect unvaccinated children, Walensky said, "is to surround them with vaccinated people." Children can accidentally help spur new variants Protecting children from getting Covid-19 can help everyone in the long run, doctors say. As coronavirus keeps spreading, replicating itself in new people, the more chances it has to mutate -- potentially leading to even more contagious variants or one that might evade vaccines. "That's, of course, the concern," Walensky said. Fully vaccinated people are less likely to get infected with the Delta variant. But unvaccinated people -- including unvaccinated children -- are more susceptible to infection. And they can unknowingly help with the creation of new variants, Offit said. "If we are going to continue to allow this virus to spread, we're going to continue to allow these variants to be created," he said. "We're not going to be able to stop this pandemic until we have a significant percentage of the population vaccinated." The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Two men were mourning the loss of their brother, who had been struck by a light-rail train, when they were also struck and killed by a train in North Carolina. Pablo Tiquiram Us, 29, and Jose Chilambalam Tiquiram Us, 20, were walking north on the train tracks in Charlotte near 8200 South Boulevard at 5:10 a.m. on Tuesday when they were hit and killed by a Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) Lynx train, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police (CMPD) said in a press release. Medics announced both men dead at the scene. "They had been memorializing their brother on the one-week anniversary of his death, and they were conducting a memorial out by the site where he was killed," CMPD Sgt. Adam Jones said during a press conference Wednesday. "Unfortunately, the two brothers were also struck by a train while they were on foot and they both succumbed to their injuries pretty quickly." Their brother, Baltazar Tiquiram Us, 27, had been driving across East Hebron Street "when he was struck by the train and killed" on July 26, according to Jones. Video evidence confirmed the two brothers were standing on the tracks when they were struck, he added, but it is unclear how long they were on the tracks before the train arrived. They were lighting candles and "paying tribute to him as best they could on the tracks," Jones said. All safety features, including the crossing arms, lights and horns, were working correctly, he said. "I cannot imagine losing three of your children three of your siblings within a week, to such tragic circumstances," Jones said. Officials suspect that alcohol was a "contributing factor," according to the release. Tuesday's incident was one of four fatal traffic accidents with six victims this week in Charlotte. In all four, ; "there has been a level of impairment involved," Jones added. "So, I'd like to stress to our citizens, please if you have been drinking, use a rideshare, have a designated driver, or stay where you are." The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Decatur, IL (62521) Today A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low 62F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low 62F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. To that end, Oda sets up the main protagonist, Will (Winston Duke) as a kind of drudge-like celestial bureaucrat albeit one working in a decidedly grubby home office cluttered with filing cabinets. Will is in charge of vetting candidates for openings on Earth. Part of his job, in a slightly shabby home in the middle of a nameless desert is to monitor a wall of old-fashioned TV consoles attached to a bank of VCRs. They record the world as seen through the eyes of the handful of people Will has sent to terra firma. If one of his charges should die, as happens early in the film, Will is tasked with vetting a replacement. When it comes to getting enough sleep, both quality and quantity matter. While at least a third of Americans are not getting the recommended amount of at least seven hours of sleep a night, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, even fewer are sleeping well. The person sleeping next to you could be why. Virginia is for Lovers, you will remember, debuted in 1969, courtesy of the Martin Agency, an advertising firm in Richmond. The first print reference to Maryland is for Crabs that Answer Man can find is in a 1975 Washington Post story about a Fourth of July gathering at Fort McHenry in Baltimore. Among the T-shirts spotted was one bearing Maryland is for Crabs. As we were going home we came upon five people, three of them dead, two alive, she recalled. One of the men dying by the side of the road said to me, This is my child. She is dying. I am dying. Please save my child. Ms. Gobena took that child, too, back to her home. By the end of the year, according to an account of her life published by Jimma University in Ethiopia, she had taken in 21 orphans. Todays Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. Email address By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy He picked up the woman at her home at 8:30 a.m. and drove her to the church. They walked in and Fuentes laid a blanket on the church floor and had the victim on her back and began to massage her left thigh, court records state. The woman said her right ankle was injured, prompting Fuentes to ask her to lay on her stomach where he began fondling her despite the victim repeatedly saying she was not comfortable with what was happening, according to the court records. She told detectives that as the abuse continued, she stayed silent in fear and cried. We had already expected it was him, Brent said of Lanz. We had to drive by his house often. We were going by on walks. Every time we passed by he was outside smoking a cigarette or would be standing there and would give us the most creepiest unsettling looks and wave at us. Andrew Pennock, a public policy professor at the University of Virginia, said Northam's political quandary is more about compliance than the election. Democrats in Northern Virginia, where vaccination rates are higher than they are in redder parts of the commonwealth, probably dont need to be persuaded to be more cautious, Pennock said. But places where mask mandates would be most beneficial the less-vaccinated areas are also the most likely to buck them, he said. Patriot and self-described militia groups emerged in the early 1990s around the issue of gun control and fears of global government, and they were galvanized by violent confrontations with federal agents at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, and Waco, Tex. The movement's violent tendencies reached a bloody climax with the Oklahoma City bombing. The groups waned in the 1990s and 2000s only to be reignited by the election of Barack Obama, which saw the emergence of the anti-government paramilitary networks such as the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters, some of whose members have been charged in the storming of the U.S. Capitol in January. Republican and Democratic officials in South Texas have been sharply critical of the administration and have demanded immediate steps to slow the arrival of migrants who have been crossing the U.S. border in huge numbers over the past several weeks. Fox News and other networks have broadcast images of hundreds of migrants in U.S. custody waiting in the dust under border bridges, as well as video of detention facilities in South Texas dangerously crowded with migrants. Ginsburg disagreed with the Roe majoritys foundational finding that the right to abortion was based on the privacy of a womans decisionmaking with her doctor. Additionally, she felt the court went too far in 1973 in setting standards for the entire country, rather than simply striking down a Texas law she said intolerably shackled a womans autonomy. The outlines of some of the accusations against Cuomo had been known before, though in less detail than included in the report. Some were newly revealed, including the case of a state trooper, whom Cuomo had recruited to be in his detail. She told investigators that his behavior toward her was flirtatious and creepy. On several occasions, he reportedly kissed her and she felt powerless to say no. One time he ran his finger from her neck down her spine. Another time he ran the palm of his hand across her stomach. She said she felt completely violated. After pushing through an $800 billion stimulus bill in 2009, Democrats turned their focus to a nearly year-long slog to pass the Affordable Care Act, a health law that many centrist voters did not feel met their needs at a time when the unemployment rate hovered around 10 percent. Similarly, in 1993, the Clinton White House put a huge amount of political capital into a national health law proposal that never passed Congress, at a time when the economy was still lagging in job production and wage growth. There were many stories like that during the Algeria War, and that was one of the most famous, Mokhtefi recalled. People seemed to believe miracles during the war. Yet, victory was the real miracle. Who would have thought in 1954, when the armed struggle began, that the Algerian people with their bare hands, rusty old French rifles, were able to defeat the fourth-strongest military power of the time? He underscores the death of King and recalls the crowd leaving the March on Washington wondering about the future. He highlights Billy Grahams 1970 "The Unfinished Dream" speech in front of a predominantly white crowd and how his power and prestige legitimated the marriage of God and country. Pannell documents Graham laying the foundation for evangelical support for conservative agendas. After his death and the evangelical movement shattered along ideological lines, he asks, Whats next? He had grown up in an evangelical church in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When he got to Berkeley he noticed the church he was attending never discussed sexuality. So he proposed leading a support group for LGBTQ members. He was told he could start the group, so long as he forswore dating, promised he wouldnt disparage the theological position of the church or advocate for other positions. (Some evangelical churches have accepted the reality of same-sex attraction but require gays to be celibate if they are to serve in leadership positions.) Companies from Goldman Sachs to Havas are hoping the way to their employees hearts is through their stomachs as they try to lure staff back to the office. At Goldman Sachs, free breakfast, lunch and ice-cream are part of the pitch to convince employees from London to Hong Kong and New York to leave the comfort of their homes, where some have worked since March 2020 when the pandemic took hold. One of the most vocal proponents of bringing everyone back even allows those meals to be enjoyed on Plumtree Courts landscaped roof garden once reserved for clients and visiting royalty. Office workers walk near the Goldman Sachs headquarters in New York. Credit:Bloomberg Food is playing a much more central part in office life and businesses are using their food offers to try and influence behaviour, said Robin Mills, UK and Ireland managing director at catering company Compass Group. We are now fully part of these reopening conversations and part of this new world as companies think about how to get people to come back. After more than a year of empty offices and zoom calls, pandemic restrictions are easing and businesses are trying to figure out how to manage in-office working plans. With uncertainty over whether Britains vaccination program will contain the fast-spreading delta variant, some workers dont want to return to the office at all. Companies are treading a fine line, allowing flexibility while trying to fill expensive office space and reinvigorate their business culture. Leading landlords are holding talks with tenants to determine what an office tower must offer in order to entice staff back to the city at a time when vacancy rates are at near quarter-of-a-century lows and people are nervous or unable to travel too far from home. Talks centre not just on space requirements and providing flexible leases to hand back space, but what the landlord is providing in terms of cleaning, checking-in rules, contactless lifts and doors and general staff wellness. It has added a new layer of issues that landlords must deal with and also how tenants are reconfiguring internal spaces to offer social distancing to allay employees concerns about coming back to the office. Investa and Gwynvill Groups 60 Martin Place in Sydney is at the cutting edge for COVID-safe amenities. Reflecting the impact of the lockdowns and new supply was the rise in the national office vacancy rates to 11.9 per cent for the six months to July. Melbourne was hardest hit at 10.4 per cent the lowest since 2000 while Sydney rose from 8.5 per cent to 9.2 per cent. Green versus gold You would not have thought gold was fetching about $2500 an ounce in recent months given the way base and battery metals were pumped up at the three-day conference. IGO Limited, which promotes how it is mining the metals for a clean energy future, picked up one of the two major awards by being named the dealer of the year. It did so by selling off its interests in the Tropicana gold mine in WA, which it was shopping around at the last Diggers and Dealers event, and going into a joint venture with Tianqi Lithium Corporation which has a 51 per cent stake in the Greenbushes project the worlds largest hard-rock lithium mine and 100 per cent ownership of the Kwinana Lithium Hydroxide Refinery. IGO Limited managing director and chief executive Peter Bradford whose company was named the dealer of the year at the annual Diggers and Dealers conference. Credit:Peter de Kruijff IGO managing director and chief executive Peter Bradford said BHPs recent deal with EV manufacturers Tesla, run by offbeat billionaire Elon Musk, for nickel supply and Rio Tintos move into lithium were significant developments in the broader battery metals sector. Its wonderful advertising for the whole space in really getting that interest from the top end of town and from the investors who invest in the top end of town, he said. WA is so well positioned in this electric vehicle battery space ... the opportunity is there for WA to work out how far we go. IGO also has a nickel-copper-cobalt operation that has been producing since 2017 but will need to find more significant deposits if it wants to keep supplying nickel in the back end of the decade and in the future. Bill Beament, a mining engineer in his 40s, set the tone on day one, announcing his company Venturex Resourcess rebrand to DEVELOP with a plan to turn the small miner, which has a copper-zinc-silver asset, into a global underground workforce consultancy with an eye on the commodities of the future. Mr Beament roved the stage like the event was a TED Talk or the launch of a new tech product as he unveiled his vision for the company with an untucked shirt. The young and tie-less engineer stood out from many of the lectern-bound mining executives as he talked up the environmental benefits of his proposals. Mr Beament was the architect of the $16 billion merger of Northern Star Resources and Saracen Minerals, which runs Kalgoorlies iconic gold producing Super Pit, which he only detached himself form earlier this year. But he boldly said on the sidelines of Diggers an event where Aurum-loving companies dominate the speakers list gold was not green-friendly. There may not been any east coast investors at this years event thanks to WAs hard border, but the 2520 delegates, the second-largest crowd on record, and people watching on a livestream were treated to presentations focusing on the social and environmental requirements of various funds. Loading Ken Brinsden the boss of lithium company Pilbara Minerals, which has an asset he thinks could rival Greenbushes in production said on the sidelines of the conference miners in iron ore, fossil fuels, and even gold would be having an existential crisis. You have to come up with innovation, you have to come up with an alternative to make sure the protesters arent standing outside your AGM, he said. But the under-fire gold miners at this years conference were not going to take any imputations lying down in a city built off the commodity. Evolution Mining executive chairman Jake Klein voiced his frustrations that the gold price had dropped from the lofty $2800 an ounce last year. This year we the gold miners are in the dog house, even though the pandemic is far from over, the markets and the metal prices are acting as if it was, he said. So-called green metals are the rage. Companies with assets in these commodities are being priced like internet companies, all about their potential and future earnings, it all seems almost too good to be true and just maybe it is. Mr Klein told reporters after his presentation while the gold price was still good he thought fund managers enthusiastic about green metals were under-valuing what he mined. I want Elon Musk to start tweeting about gold and not Bitcoin and all these other things, he said, half-jokingly. Upstart new metals did little to take the shine off many of the gold presenters at the conference. One Australian-listed gold company, West African Resources Limited, was named the digger of the year for starting a new mine in the land-locked country of Burkina Faso in the middle of a pandemic to build up a $1 billion market capitalisation. Closer to home, Northern Star Resources new chief executive Stuart Tonkin took the gold comments of his predecessor in good humour as he maintained the company would find ways to reduce its carbon footprint when it came to power generation and keep its focus on the precious metal. Mr Tonkin said wind farms could be a possibility but he thought governments should start talking about nuclear again. Fukushima was 10 years ago, he said. If we dont start talking about it, it absolutely wont be part of our options in 10 years or 20 years. Theres gold under the streets of Kalgoorlie, which is plonked right next to the famous Super Pit, and Mr Tonkin said you did not have to move far from the headframe to find it, with the company planning to steadily work its way outwards from its current target area. Northern Star Resources recently started a dialogue with the 137 residents of the suburb of Williamstown on a voluntary relocation program, where it could buy up homes and help move residents. There is no specific mine plan in play for the suburb but the early community work is the sign of an expansion of operations which could be inevitable. One looming spectre pushes long-term issues out of mind for many workers and executives: fears of Delta-variant COVID-19 spread in Australia loomed large on the last day of the conference and showed how quickly things could come crashing down. Loading Pilbara mine rocked by COVID-19 scare Fortescue chief executive Elizabeth Gaines had a whirlwind Diggers and Dealers conference as the last presenter for the forum. Upon landing in Kalgoorlie on Wednesday afternoon she was in the middle of a crisis after the Department of Health notified the company a fly-in, fly-out contractor who had been at its Cloudbreak iron ore mine for a recent week-long swing had recorded a weak positive COVID-19 test. No lockdowns have been triggered at the site, which can have as many as 2000 workers at any one time, or elsewhere in WA with uncertainty around whether the contractor, who got the virus last year, was actually spreading it. Testing has ramped up at FMG and Ms Gaines said the company was keen to distribute vaccines when they became available from the government. She also noted the skills shortage, coupled with vaccine hesitancy, could mean FMG did not try to enforce any sort of mandatory jab rule. Weve all been hearing about labour shortages, it has been a key theme recently of this conference as well, Ms Gaines said. Cutting off a large portion of the workforce in this current environment also doesnt make sense. So I just think we have to work through this. Australias vaccine rollout was a bugbear for nearly all companies wanting to get access to skilled workers from overseas and interstate to supplement the workforce. Mr Klein said he was frustrated at how Australia had gone from leading the fight against the pandemic to being a laggard. In a bitter twist of irony, Evolution has six assets, five of which are in Australia, and the only asset we can really visit at the moment is in Canada, he said. There is clearly only one solution for this, and thats for everyone to get vaccinated. Roy Hill chief executive Gerhard Veldsman called for serious conversations around facilities for quarantining international workers and set dates for the federal governments vaccination target plan. Dealing with dinosaurs Loading Ms Gaines used her platform to once again decry the dearth of women in the mining sector as WA prepares to start a parliamentary inquiry into sexual harassment and rapes in the industry. She said it was critical forums like Diggers and Dealers demonstrated a commitment in pushing for a diverse workforce. I know that my address has become somewhat synonymous with the annual Diggers Diversity Index and this year, I was pleased to note a small increase in the number of females on the speakers list, which has increased from three to four, Ms Gaines said. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Everyone certainly everyone who reads this newspaper knows who Paul McCartney is. More than half a century since John Lennon said flippantly that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus, it is almost impossible to imagine what it must be like to be so famous. To be so famous is to be known and yet not known, not even recognised as a real person, because who screams as girls used to do in the 60s wherever the Beatles appeared at the sight of a real person? When the Beatles toured Melbourne in 1964, the screamers gathered outside the Southern Cross Hotel after the concert to weep and rend their clothing. Beatlemania was, in fact, a kind of religious ecstasy. McCartney says he used to joke that he ruined his wife Lindas career. When they met, Linda Eastman was already a star in the nascent field of rock photography. She was the unofficial resident photographer at the legendary New York venue Fillmore East, the first woman to have a photograph on the cover of Rolling Stone (a portrait of Eric Clapton in 1968), and a familiar who moved in the circles she chronicled. Linda McCartney, Self Portrait with Paul and Mary, London, 1969. Credit:Linda McCartney They married in 1969, after which, as he later told The Guardian, she became known as Pauls wife. There was some professional recognition her work was shown in 50 galleries, including the Victoria and Albert Museum but by the middle of the 70s, the only rock star she photographed was her husband. When she died in 1998, aged only 56, she was better known for getting vegetarian sausages into mainstream supermarkets than she was as a photographer. In fact, she never stopped taking photographs, as will become obvious at the retrospective of her work that will form the centrepiece of this years Ballarat International Foto Biennale. I think she always had a camera in her hand, says Fiona Sweet, the biennales artistic director. The exhibition comprises 200 photos, including a room of pictures taken when Wings, the band she and Paul fronted together in the 70s, toured Australia. Wherever she was, so was her Nikon or perhaps, when she was seized with an urge to experiment, a snappy Polaroid camera or a large plate camera of the kind used in the 19th century. There are photographs taken from cars, from the back of a horse, through windows, around the house. As their daughter Mary said later, she was always interested in photographing ordinary things, like the kids brushing their teeth. And here is the impossibly famous star as a real person: Paul McCartney sitting at an outdoor table with a cup of tea, Mary and Stella clambering on the dry-stone wall in their jim-jams, the Mull of Kintyre just seen as a wedge of blue beyond moorland. In her pictures, Linda reclaimed him from the unreality of stardom. Advertisement Sir Paul McCartney rings me to talk about them. The archive runs to half a million pictures; pulled together as part of a tour sponsorship deal with Hewlett-Packard about 15 years ago. It took the HP boffins two years to get them into the sort of order that allows instant retrieval. Its like an enhanced scrapbook, he says. Its a family photo album really, even though everything isnt of the family. Some of his favourites date from before he and Linda met. There is a beautiful one of Jimi Hendrix on stage where the background is black, hes in a white suit and hes just played this great chord and hes got his arms in the air; thats fabulous, he says. Then she took a great picture of us, the Beatles, where were kind of joking, shaking hands and laughing, me and John. Which captures the thing. Linda McCartney said she shot on instinct, ready to seize what Henri Cartier-Bresson famously called the decisive moment. There was no fiddling with a light meter. She would just see something that caught her eye, lift the camera and click and then put the camera down again, Sir Paul says. All the photographers Id been used to would have taken the whole roll of that one thing, but she was very confident; she just knew what lighting situation she was in, so she was prepared for it. She realised her true self was more artistic, so she didnt do what was expected of her. And Im lucky because of that. Paul McCartney Nor did she crop the images, Fiona Sweet points out. What she shot was what she produced; its quite different from contemporary digital photography, where there is so much manipulation. She would just give things a shot, quite literally. I prefer to work by trial and error, she once said. Some of my best pictures have come precisely because I didnt know enough. Coming from her background, that made her a rebel spirit. Linda Eastman was born in 1941. Her father was a prominent lawyer in wealthy Scarsdale who was also an art collector; he even had some eminent Abstract Expressionists as clients. Unlike the rest of her family, she wasnt academic; she went to Arizona to study fine art. Jimi Hendrix, London, 1967. Credit:Linda McCartney She was brought up in a very conventional world, Sir Paul says. She was destined to follow that route, to marry a lawyer or an accountant and do all the things that come with that. But her love of music was so passionate the early doo-wop groups and then all the rocknroll groups and then the blues that led to her being rebellious. She realised her true self was more artistic, so she didnt do what was expected of her. And Im lucky because of that. Advertisement Her only photographic training was an encounter at a local art class in Arizona with a notable nature photographer, Hazel Archer. Basically Hazel just said get hold of a camera, take a lot of photographs, come back in a week and Ill look at them, Sir Paul says. And so thats what she did. Her father thought she should apprentice herself to a professional photographer and master technique. She said she didnt have the patience. Loading We had both come from backgrounds where, to be good at something, you would have to be formally trained, he continues. But with the rocknroll revolution that happened, some of us became musicians and just picked it up and made it up as we went along. And other than that little encounter with Hazel Archer in Tucson, Linda had never been formally trained either. It was the spirit of the times. None of the groups I knew could read or write music. I think that still applies. Its a very instinctive art were involved in. She certainly had an instinctive understanding of how to deal with fractious rock stars. According to David Dalton, a former boyfriend who was an established photographer when she was starting out, the lovely Linda would bring order to chaos in no time. I think she was a very comfortable person to be around, Sir Paul says. She didnt come in demanding things. Shed just go in and chat generally to her subject and they would get to like her. A key asset was her nerd-level knowledge of current music. You know, theyd think oh gosh, she knows about my music, she knows about other peoples music! so they could talk music for a little while, and then she would just say OK, just sit over there, then snap a couple of pictures and put the camera down again. You didnt feel like you were at a very important photographic session. You felt like you were just with a friend. Stella, Amsterdam, 1989. Credit:Linda McCartney They met in a London club. She had come to England to do photographs for a book called Rock and Other Four-Letter Words, which was quite a nice title. She had been photographing the Animals and had been invited by them to go and see some music Georgie Fame and the Blue Notes, actually. As she was leaving, I rather cheekily introduced myself and we basically took it from there. As they crossed the Atlantic, meeting up casually at first, media bile started to flow about this upstart American who had supposedly vowed to come to Britain and nab a Beatle or find a well-heeled father for her daughter: whatever fitted at the time. A groping groupie was one description. Advertisement But it wasnt the hostility of strangers that finally turned her off rock photography, but a change in the tone of the industry. Somehow it wasnt as fun or as loose, she said in 1976, remembering a shoot she had done in 1969 with Crosby, Stills and Nash. Perhaps it just wasnt the beginning of things any more. And so she turned to nature, her beloved animals and family. McCartney adopted Heather, her daughter from a youthful marriage to an academic called Melville See. They then had three children together: Mary, who became her mothers assistant and then a photographer in her own right; fashion designer Stella and son James, now also a musician. She created a sense of comfort there too, Sir Paul says. She was a great cook, another thing where Mary has followed in her footsteps, so a lot of stuff centred around the kitchen. She would cook a meal and again, it was very casual and comfortable. She was just that kind of woman, very easy to get on with and the kids grew up in that atmosphere. This photograph shows the real Lennon-McCartney, which was a very loving and successful relationship ... Every time I see it, it just draws me in. Paul McCartney She had loved riding as a child; Paul bought her a horse and learnt to ride too. He was inspired by one of her proof sheets portrait shots of the Grateful Deads Bob Weir to make a short film. They would sing together around the house and when he was stuck on a line, he would ask her advice. So we ended up actually writing songs together to some extent. Their worlds had elided. The demise of the Beatles left him depressed, directionless and frequently drunk, according to biographers. I had a decision to make, he says. What do I do now? Do I give music up and think of something else to do? And the answer to that was no, I love it too much. He thought about starting something new, from the ground up, with unknowns. One evening we were in bed watching Johnny Cash and his band and I thought well, theres Johnny, hes getting back out there with a band, I kind of like that idea! And I turned to Linda and said do you fancy being in a band? And we just looked at each other incredulously and said why not? Lets do it! Loading They first collaborated on his solo album McCartney, then on Ram, before forming the band Wings. The critics hated Wings, but they had a string of hits. We started from the ground up, did little tours and gradually built it up. By 75 or 76, we were getting pretty good! Actually, their blue-ribbon year was 1973; Band on the Run was a huge hit and they wrote the theme for that years Bond movie, Live and Let Die. In the end we did a massive tour of America and she was a very big part of that. She also recorded her own songs, collected as a solo album, Wide Prairie, after she died. But at the same time, he adds, the photography was always there. Advertisement Anonymised allegations about the workplace culture at its Sydney office were posted on Instagram account Beneath The Glass Ceiling late last month. Separately an internal complaint was made about a historical incident of poor behaviour. Universal Music Australia president George Ash said he feels he has let people down. Credit:Daniel Boud The biggest music label in the world, Universal has global superstars Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Kanye West and Rihanna on its artist roster as well as Australian acts like Troye Sivan and Tame Impala. Universal Music has become the second record label to launch an investigation into inappropriate behaviour at its Australian office. In an email on July 30, Universal Music Australias president George Ash acknowledged the company was aware of the allegations that had been published online, including an allegation that had been made about him. As the leader of this company I take full responsibility for creating a respectful workplace culture for everyone, Mr Ash wrote in the email to staff. With respect to my own behaviour, it is particularly painful to realise now that what I intended as jokes were unacceptable comments that made some of you uncomfortable. Last week Universal engaged Darren Perry at law firm Seyfarth Shaw to conduct an investigation into its workplace culture. Staff were informed of the investigation at a meeting on Friday and encouraged to raise any concerns through the internal and external complaints channels. Mr Ash told The Sun-Herald he was heartbroken to read the allegations, most of which appear to have occurred during his tenure as president. There are multiple claims of bullying, harassment, racism, homophobia, discrimination, as well as more serious allegations of sexual assault. Kanye West is in heaven now. That was Yeezy himself, if we can believe our Apple Music livestreams, levitating up, up and away into the blue smoke of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta like a speck of dust drifting into the eye of God. Let the rap historians note the prophets last (pre-recorded) words unless he changes them again, of course intoned over the gathering ecstasy of a (pre-recorded) celestial choir. Always count on God hes done miracles on me. Kanye keeps a tidy bedroom. Credit:Instagram: @Kanyewest The final stunt was by far the most spectacular moment in what had been a 12-hour online vigil for fans, mostly spent gazing at a stream of a cinder brick cell where the hip-hop messiah had holed up to complete Donda, his long-awaited 10th studio album. Actually, make that a two-week vigil, if youre counting from the originally promised release date. A couple of hours before the (new) Appointed Time of 11.30am Friday (AEST), the camera shifted to show Wests spartan stage in the middle of the 70,000-seat venue: a single white mattress; a rumpled black quilt and a sheaf of yellow pages strewn carelessly. A tidy array of black bedside accoutrements completed a random still life. INXS keyboard player, solo artist and farmer Andrew Farriss, 62, met US dancewear retailer Marlina Neeley, 46, in Canada in 2006. Four months after their wedding in 2013, Marlina was diagnosed with breast cancer. Marlina Neeley and Andrew Farriss: Someone once said to me, You guys are very codependent. But isnt that what a marriage is? MARLINA: I met Andrew in Toronto in 2006, when INXS was playing a show. I didnt own an INXS album, I wasnt into them in that sense, but I had this new appreciation for them through Rock Star: INXS [the 2005 reality series about the bands search for a new frontman]. After my girlfriends and I had checked into the hotel, we went to the bar and the band was there. I was telling my friends a joke and Andrew laughed at me. I said, What are you laughing at? and he said, I dont know. Youre cute. The next night, I ran into him again and we started chatting. As a business owner, I travelled all over the US. If I happened to be somewhere and INXS was in town, Id go say hi. I dont think there was ever an aha moment when I thought, This is the person for me. We just kept in touch and formed a really good friendship. We had a lot of things in common, including our faith. We both open our Bibles quite a bit. Andrews intelligent, kind and normal. When he came to meet my family in Ohio, he was sitting on my front porch having a glass of wine and he said, In all the years Ive been in the US, Ive never sat on a porch and enjoyed the sunset. I found that really endearing. Why was this impressive? For four reasons. First, it represented a humble acknowledgement by the Prime Minister that the existing program was failing. Second, it was a well-intentioned commitment to try to fix the problem. Third, instead of the earlier patronising approach to the needs of Indigenous Australia, the new Closing the Gap agreement is truly a partnership. Loading We werent at the table guiding government reforms, so I said, Bugger this you cant keep doing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander work without us because it has no impact, Turner says. She prevailed on Morrison to forge an equal partnership. Between the federal government and the Council of Peaks, they managed to persuade the states and territories to include peak Indigenous organisations in every aspect of the new deal. Local governments were brought into the system too. One critical result: Above the 17 specific targets for improving Aboriginal living conditions sit four priority reforms. These four create the capacity to deliver the 17 targets. The four? One. A shared decision-making partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at every level. Two. Building and strengthening Aboriginal-controlled organisations to deliver services. Three. Government institutions such as the police and judiciary to rid themselves of racists. Four. The sharing of data with the Australian people. Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Pat Turner, chief executive of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation on Thursday. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen The principle of power sharing is enshrined in the structure of the new Joint Council that is to run the Closing the Gap program. The council is co-chaired by Turner representing the 51 peak organisations and the federal Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt, himself Indigenous. It met on Friday to consider implementation plans presented by the states. Turner gives an example of how the equal partnership influenced the setting of the 17 targets: The previous target aimed to get every child from the age of four enrolled in preschool. We said, We are not interested in how many are enrolled we want to know how many from the age of three are actually attending. Whos getting an education and whos not? The new creation is impressive for a fourth reason although Morrison gets primary credit as the indispensable co-creator and enabler, the overall set-up is bipartisan. Turner explains: Ive always said to the Minister and the Prime Minister, You need to have bipartisanship on this. You need Labor at the table. Federal Labor has indeed signed up to support the program. Turner describes the whole thing as a turning point as a result of this partnership, which is unique in working with any community as far as I know. Contrast this with Parliaments approach to the pandemic this week. With all governments straining to improve the pace of inoculation against COVID-19, the Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, made a proposal to help push it along: that the federal government consider paying $300 to everyone who gets themselves fully vaccinated. The total cost was estimated at $6 billion. That was it. Simple, practical and constructive. Loading This is something that we need to do, Albanese said. We need to get our vaccination rates up; we are running last in the developed world. This would be good for our health, but also would provide a much-needed stimulus at a time when workers and small businesses are really struggling to get by. The Prime Ministers reaction was volcanic. This is a bad idea, he told the Parliament. The Leader of the Oppositions proposal is a vote of no confidence and an insult to Australians, he said in increasingly strident tones. Suggesting they wont get vaccinated unless you dole out the cash ... that is an insult. And: The leader of the Labor Party might think that Australians need to get the cash to get vaccinated, but I think a lot more highly of the Australian people than he does. Morrison also accused Albanese of profligacy, calling the idea a cash splash for jabs. Awkwardly for Morrison, the man hed appointed in June to fix the vaccine rollout, Lieutenant-General John Frewen, Co-ordinator-General of the National COVID Vaccine Taskforce, made the response that the Prime Minister himself should have made: We will look at all positive alternatives. There is cash, there is the ideas of lotteries, all these things are being discussed. Morrison had many options for dealing with Labors idea. If hed managed the same attitude that hed taken to Closing the Gap, he would have humbly acknowledged that the situation wasnt perfect, said hed welcome any constructive ideas, and invited Labor to meet to discuss options. Hed have been inclusive and bipartisan. He would have looked like he cared about the public health outcome rather than defending his own political vanity. Loading This is a recurring theme in Morrisons political instincts. When confronted with a problem or circumstance that might require him to change his plans or adjust his agenda, he commonly goes into denial. When Australia was burning in its season of fire, he refused to accept leadership and went on holiday to Hawaii. When a cascade of sexual offences against women moved more than 100,000 to march for justice, Morrison initially dodged the role of national leader and refused to meet the womens rally at Parliament House. When Labor offers constructive ideas for dealing with a pandemic, Morrison immediately rules them out. This weeks idea wasnt the first time. In the early phase of the pandemic Labor first proposed a federal wage subsidy. Morrison dismissed it as a dangerous idea. Ultimately he adopted it and JobKeeper was born. Labor has made other useful suggestions, too. A year ago it urged the government to order five or six types of vaccine instead of three or four, for instance. Sadly, Morrisons political vanity deludes him into thinking that he has a monopoly on good ideas. On federal election day 2019, I was in Aragon, touring the battlefields of the Spanish Civil War with Richard Blair, George Orwells son. While the vote was being counted back in Australia, we were inspecting the remains of fascist machine gun positions outside Huesca, which Orwells left-wing militia had besieged in 1937. Orwell adopted his son Richard in 1944. He died when the boy was six. Credit: Vernon Richards The previous day we had been up in the mountains at the spot where Orwell was famously shot in the throat by a sniper. Orwells trenches are still there and from them you can see the lie of the battlefield below. When his comrades rose from those trenches to assault the city, few survived. As my distraught 18-year-old son relayed the Australian election count to me by text message, the moral of both results was obvious: dont charge into a well-prepared trap if ever you can avoid it. Six months later , the Australian Labor Party still reeling from defeat in the election it had been widely expected to win asked me to help redraft its platform. The review of the election loss by Craig Emerson and Jay Weatherill had targeted the document dubbed by some the longest suicide note in history for serious attention. My job, if I chose to accept it: get it down from 310 pages to 50, without reducing the font size. Another crazy mission? That platform had a lot of history and stakeholders. After the divisions of the Rudd-Gillard era, the federal caucus had sought unity. Rocking the boat was discouraged. You want a policy change to repay some supporters? Fine. Impressed by the ideas of some tidy-minded economics professor? OK! Few proposals were rejected. Ironically, in its understandable desire to show internal discipline, the party had abandoned all policy discipline. And the election loss was the result. JobKeeper then JobSeeker, JobMaker, JobTrainer and now JobSaver Scott Morrisons coronavirus programs are starting to look like the most aggressive brand extension since Apple tried to trademark the letter i in 2010. But for businesses scrambling to keep their heads above water amid the lockdowns, the ever-changing systems are creating confusion and delay. Locked down and locked out of business ... JobKeeper could have had a second coming. Credit:Louie Douvis Many NSW businesses in particular are struggling to understand a new support system that changes every week and takes a long time for cash to arrive. Business owners and many employees are all asking the same question: why didnt we just bring back JobKeeper? Reason No. 1 is lack of planning. Australia didnt have a clear plan to support business through subsequent shutdowns after JobKeeper ended in March 2021. That was despite the multiple waves of COVID-19 we saw in many countries around the world and the obvious vulnerability of our slow vaccination rollout. Perhaps the extraordinary levels of altruism shown by healthcare workers and others in this pandemic make the selfishness of the few all the more obvious. The freedom marches were breathtaking in their selfish stupidity, but theyre not the only ones. Amazons Jeff Bezos, having made an extra $US70 billion from all of our lockdown shopping, then chose to spend a small fraction of it blasting himself into space for a few minutes exhilaration while the rest of us sat in our sad little cells and watched. This outbreak began in Bondi but wealthier areas have not been asked to shoulder the greater burdens of lockdown. Credit: Many people also feel that the unevenness of Sydneys lockdown specifying a much harsher regime for the eight LGAs of Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool and Parramatta where people tend to have more children, smaller dwellings, fewer parks and greater financial pressures is unfair. Ive been doing my bit, say people Ive spoken to from some of those LGAs. Staying home, taking just enough work to pay the mortgage, home-schooling three kids in an apartment. Meanwhile in Bondi, which started it all, theyre doing margarita crawls along the beach. To reach the 6 million goal, every delivery channel available to state and federal authorities is being ramped up. Just under 4.3 million doses have been administered in NSW so far, of which about 2.7 million have been delivered via Commonwealth channels which include GPs, specialist respiratory clinics, and aged and Indigenous health care. The NSW government has been responsible for delivering the balance, around 1.6 million doses, through outlets which include three mass vaccination hubs at Sydney Olympic Park, Lake Macquarie, and Macquarie Fields in Sydneys south-west, with two more mass hubs due to open at Wollongong and the Qudos Bank Arena on Monday. To bolster the vaccine workforce, appropriately trained student dentists, podiatrists and speech pathologists among others are being brought in. People wait in line at the mass vaccination centre at Sydneys Olympic Park this week. Credit:Wolter Peeters Local authorities are also pumping out vaccines via another 40 or so NSW-run clinics around the state, and through 100 outreach locations (where metropolitan-based medical teams fly to rural areas on set days to administer jabs). In the hotspots of south-west Sydney, pop-up and walk-in vaccination clinics targeted heavily at multicultural communities are now operating on set days a week at places like mosques and community centres, with a key walk-in clinic operating seven days a week at Prairiewood. The head of the federal governments Operation COVID Shield, General John Frewen, has proposed adding drive-in clinics to the mix, a move which caught the state government off-guard when it was announced mid-week. But NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard told the Herald he welcomed the initiative and encouraged Canberra to work with the state on determining the best locations, while preferably getting on with it as fast as possible. Hes also welcomed federal help in getting vaccine programs into south-west Sydneys major distribution hubs for suppliers such as Woolworths, Coles, Aldi and Metcash. If a shop closes down there is always another shop. But taking out a distribution centre would be a disaster Hazzard says. So far 21 per cent of the states eligible residents have been fully vaccinated, including 45 per cent of over-70s. Between April and the end of July, 2.53 million of those jabs were AstraZeneca and 1.51 million Pfizer, with the vast bulk of the AstraZeneca going out through federally-run channels. However one in five over-70s have yet to even receive a first dose, which Chant says is of grave concern. For the state to reach its 6 million target by months end, around 69,000 doses will have to be put into arms daily, a tall order given that weekends usually dip to around half the weekday rate. Yet it would seem within reach if NSW keeps up the pace of more than 80,000 doses administered every day this week. On Wednesday the figure exceeded 84,000 doses. GPs are doing a substantial proportion of the heavy lifting, with 1800 of the states almost 3000 general practices participating in the program. Many small practices however are turned off by the costs and staffing demands of the consent process, reporting requirements and a delivery protocol which requires the observation of patients for 15 minutes after each jab is administered. GPs get a rebate $31 from Medicare for every first jab, then it drops to $24 for the second, Mount Druitt GP Kean-Seng Lim told the Herald. It can be financially non-sustainable for many doctors. For normal vaccines its pretty simple. But with AstraZeneca the consent process is significantly longer. This is not like giving the flu vaccine. The latest weapon to be added to the vaccine armoury is pharmacies, only now gearing up despite many having engaged with the federal governments expression of interest process back in March. Across the state 1250 pharmacies have been authorised to join the program, though only around 300 have started inoculating customers and just 56 pharmacists were listed this week as vaccine providers on the NSW Health website. That number will climb swiftly next month, as hundreds more join the rollout. NSW pharmacy Guild president David Heffernan says weve been ready to go from day one its just been the block of government. Port Macquarie-based pharmacist Judy Plunkett says the vaccine rollout has been singularly the most frustrating thing in [her life] for the past six months. If pharmacies were brought on in April we could have done tens of thousands of doses by now, says Plunkett, who has given out 4000 flu vaccines this year. Every barrier has been put in front of us. Plunkett adds that many pharmacists are uniquely connected to their communities and well-placed to help long-standing customers who might struggle with impenetrable booking systems and consent process. The booking system is a mystery to most people. Its not accessible. Its not easy. And its not selling itself. These are all people who often dont have cars and many have carers that bring them in to see me. They are saying Judy we will wait for you to vaccinate us. At his family-owned Priceline pharmacy in Fairfield, pharmacist Quinn On has been staggered by the demand for the vaccine since he started administering AstraZeneca on July 26. Having erected a gazebo on the pavement outside in order to keep patients socially distanced while he explained the vaccine process to them, Quinn discovered he and staff were attracting quite an audience among local Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese and Lao speakers (the pharmacys staff are multilingual). During the day we started noticing everyone was hanging around listening to us, as we counselled people over the consent form and explained the risks and benefits of AstraZeneca. We managed to debunk a lot of the misinformation because many dont speak much English, Quinn says. We went from doing 25 on the first day, to 172 on the third day. He rapidly exhausted his government-allotted quota of 300 vaccine doses for the fortnight and had to borrow extra from a local GP and another pharmacy. Hes now won agreement to administer 600 a fortnight, but could do more. Cabramatta pharmacist Quinn On runs two pharmacies, both offering walk-in AstraZeneca vaccine shots. Credit:Dean Sewell Quinn says for some of his peers the $19 paid per jab has been a deterrent, given the higher Medicare rebate paid to doctors. Quinn finds the payment does not cover his costs. But I say do it for the community the more people we can do the quicker we can get out of this. His experience highlights how effective local leaders can be in countering misinformation about the virus, which has seeped into Sydneys most vulnerable ethnic communities from overseas media and eroded confidence in vaccines. Data from Operation COVID Shield revealed for the first time this week the glaring vaccination gap between some of Sydneys most privileged areas, and the hardest-hit south-west. More than a quarter of those aged over 15 living in North Sydney, for instance, are fully vaccinated compared with just 14 per cent in the south-west. As well as being the epicentre of the citys outbreak, the south-west is home to many of the key authorised workers who must leave the area daily to provide essential services such as aged care and food distribution. Public health experts say lack of easy access to vaccines, constrained supply and complex booking systems have been to blame, with younger people who predominate in the south-west locked out of AstraZeneca until very recently because of changing advice from the expert ATAGI advisory group. Theyve been denied Pfizer because of lack of supply. In the Hunter and Newcastle, now under tight lockdown for a week, there are also low rates of vaccination. In the Hunter only 14 per cent are fully vaccinated. On Thursday Berejiklian announced a fast-tracked 180,000 Pfizer vaccines would be provided to NSW in the next fortnight, news which the premier said had left her and her health officials overjoyed. Yet federal sources later confirmed these were the same jabs that had been foreshadowed by the prime minister on July 25. The top-up comes after Canberra sent an extra 300,000 doses earlier in July half Pfizer, half AstraZeneca - to boost jabs available for south-west Sydney. The Pfizer doses were used almost immediately on teachers and aged care workers, and state authorities asked the federal government to direct the AstraZeneca doses to community pharmacists instead of state hubs. Hazzard warned that thousands of appointments had not been taken up due to ATAGIs changing advice on AstraZeneca. Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly, COVID-19 Taskforce Commander, Lieutenant General John Frewen and Prime Minister Scott Morrison at Parliament House on Friday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen But in July NSW administered 773,976 AstraZeneca doses compared to 325,086 in April. The message from local health authorities now is unambiguous: if you are 18 or over, dont wait take whatever is available. From September the state should start to receive at least 290,000 Pfizer doses each week, together with 30,000 Moderna and at least 300,000 AstraZeneca. We can provide as much AstraZeneca as people request right now, Frewen said this week. Anthony Albanese has proposed a $300 cash incentive, a measure the prime minister has been quick to dismiss, but some form of carrot to shift the doubters may prove necessary down the track. On Friday, two federal government sources with knowledge of the vaccine rollout told The Age 150,000 extra doses of the Pfizer vaccine would be brought forward for Victoria in response to a request from Premier Daniel Andrews. Loading It follows the federal government on Thursday bringing forward the delivery of nearly 185,000 jabs for NSW and 112,300 for Qld, which has also locked down to suppress the virus. Modelling by the Doherty Institute commissioned by the federal government suggests lockdowns are needed about 40 per cent of the time while less than half the Australian population is vaccinated. By Thursday only 21.38 per cent of Australians aged over 16 had received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. This model assumes light restrictions are in place at all times and there are low levels of circulating virus when emerging from lockdown. Importantly, it does not account for periods when the virus is eliminated and could therefore overestimate the amount of time spent in lockdown. University of Melbourne modelling published in JAMA Health Forum last week suggested Melbourne could expect to spend about a quarter of the year in lockdown. That modelling could underestimate the extent of disruption as it was conducted with data from the coronavirus strain that first emerged from the Chinese city of Wuhan, not the Delta variant circulating in Australia. Delta is about 60 per cent more infectious than the Alpha variant of the virus, which in turn was perhaps 50 per cent more contagious than the strain of the virus that emerged in Wuhan. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian at a media conference, on a day that she announced a record high number of Covid-19 cases during Sydneys extended lockdown back on July 29. Credit:Janie Barrett Victorias fifth and previous lockdown was triggered by three Sydney-based removalists who spread the virus. One theory behind Victorias latest outbreak is that it stems from a family who spent a week in hotel quarantine in NSW. The University of Melbourne modelling assumed there was a one in 100 chance per day of a new case being seeded in Victoria, but with Sydneys worsening case numbers that threat has increased. When youve got it more like one in every two or three weeks, that totally changes the equation, said Dr Jason Thompson of the University of Melbourne, who worked on the Victorian governments epidemic modelling. If your strategy is go hard, go early, but you cant control the incursions, youre going to be doing it a lot. So you have to control quarantine, and the border, and the incursions. Thats it, really because otherwise you are in permanent lockdown, Dr Thompson said. At Fridays national cabinet meeting, state and federal governments signed off on a plan to phase out lockdowns once 70 per cent of the population was vaccinated. Vaccination levels above 70 per cent would also allow increased freedom of interstate and international movement. Health Minister Martin Foley said on Friday lockdowns would continue to be part of the states pandemic playbook. No one likes lockdowns. As weve now established, they work. They are one of our major tools in our public health response, and until such time as we have the levels of 70 or 80 per cent vaccination, they are ging to continue to be a part of that, Mr Foley said. Doherty Institute modelling suggests Australia will vaccinate 70 per cent of the eligible population by the start of November, with 80 per cent coverage reached closer to the end of the month. The vaccine centre at the Al-Taqwa College on Friday. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui Much of that is driven by a sharp uptick of Pfizer supplies expected in September. Burnet Institute head of modelling and biostatistics Nick Scott said that as more people were vaccinated, the chance of a single case turning into an outbreak should fall. But even with more chance of a dead end, it is still a roll of the dice each time and some will lead to an outbreak that requires a lockdown, he said. We will be transitioning in and out of lockdowns for a while. Victorias seven-day lockdown means people are expected to stay in their homes at all times and not allow any visitors. There are only five reasons for leaving: food, work, education, caregiving and to get vaccinated. Three of Victorias new infections on Friday were in a household linked to a teacher at the Al-Taqwa College in Truganina. Two cases are linked to the City of Maribyrnong outbreak, including one person who attends the Warringa Park School in Hoppers Crossing. Loading The new infections also included a cleaner at the Epworth Hospital in Melbourne. In a statement, Epworth Hospital chief executive Lachlan Henderson said the contractor works after business hours cleaning parts of the centre, not including patient areas. Unions representing nurses and paramedics said healthcare staff were under immense stress with the added pressure of staff furloughing at western Sydneys hospitals due to mandated isolation after COVID-19 exposures. Almost 1000 healthcare staff were on leave in the fortnight ending July 18. Health Services Union boss Gerard Hayes said the states health system was now in a chronic situation, not an acute situation. Delta is different from what we saw last year and this is added stress on a system that is already over-stretched. The next four to five weeks will be crucial for the health system as a whole. Two of the 10 deaths reported this week were patients who contracted the virus while receiving care at Liverpool Hospital: a woman in her 60s, announced on Friday, and a man in his 90s, announced on Monday. Three staff members at the hospital two nurses and a student nurse worked in the geriatric and vascular wards while infectious late last month, resulting in at least nine cases in patients. NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant acknowledged the health system was stressed because of the number of cases coming into hospitals. More than a quarter of new cases reside in the Canterbury-Bankstown area, placing authorities on high alert for increasing transmission and non-compliance. Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly says NSW needs a circuit breaker Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Ms Berejiklian said there would be an enhanced police presence in the area, where too many people were frequenting shops and not adhering to stay-at-home orders. Dr Chant said there had been a flattening of the curve in Fairfield and other hotspot areas, but health authorities were observing escalating cases in Campsie, Bankstown, Lakemba, Punchbowl, Wiley Park, Yagoona, Greenacre, Earlwood and Chester Hill. We are seeing transmission, potentially around shopping areas, she said. Do not enter shops when there are other people in the shop. Wait outside. Keep your social distance. Wear your mask correctly at all times and stay safe. Dr Chant said workplaces in hotspot areas were major breeding grounds for transmission despite tighter lockdown restrictions in those areas, which the government maintains are the toughest in the nation. She said it only took one person introducing the virus to a workplace before multiple people and their households became infected, as occurred at KFC Punchbowl where 12 staff members have tested positive to COVID-19. Anyone who visited the fast-food venue between July 27 and August 2 is considered a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days. That is why it is so critical that people get tested at the earliest point, and that people within workplaces follow all the COVID safety practices, Dr Chant said. Two new COVID cases were reported in the Newcastle area on Friday, after the lower and upper Hunter regions entered a one-week lockdown sparked by a string of cases linked to a beach gathering at Lake Macquarie last week. Hunter Street in Newcastle during the seven day COVID-19 lockdown. Credit:Kate Geraghty Dr Chant urged locals in the lower and upper Hunter to maintain high testing levels to ensure all chains of transmission were being detected. Professor Kelly said the key issue for NSW was decreasing the transmission potential. Loading Looking at ways that they can find people more quickly, making sure the compliance with those orders to stay at home are being complied with, that movement around Sydney and specifically outside of Sydney is enforced, he said. How do we decrease the transmission potential? Its about people not moving around whilst infectious and infecting others in workplaces. The extra vaccines that have been provided clearly are an important component of that. And they need to stay the course. More than 93,600 people received a vaccine in NSW on Thursday. The state needs to maintain a level of 69,000 doses a day if it is to reach the governments goal of six million jabs, or 60 per cent of the population, by the end of the month. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said more than a million additional AstraZeneca vaccines could be provided to NSW, on top of the 180,000 further Pfizer announced this week. We announced that were going to bring forward some 180,000 additional Pfizer vaccines, that comes on top of more than a million that can be provided with the AstraZeneca vaccines to NSW to support their efforts. The government on Friday also revealed its revised return-to-school plan for year 12 students, which will only apply to those living outside the eight hotspot areas in south-western and western Sydney. All HSC trials will be completed at home across Greater Sydney, and only small groups of students will be allowed on campus at any one time from August 16. Ms Berejiklian said the plan would ensure students will not be disadvantaged in acquiring their qualifications, including those in hotspots who will not be allowed to attend classrooms. Thats why were giving the students in those eight local government areas of concern the opportunity to get the vaccine from Monday next week, she said. The government plans to vaccinate 24,000 year 12 students from south-western and western Sydney over five days at Qudos Bank Arena in Homebush next week. Asked if the state would adopt a similar strategy to mass vaccinate essential workers who are driving the current outbreak, Ms Berejiklian said tens of thousands of workers were already being vaccinated across Sydney every week. Singapore: Regional vaccine leader Singapore is preparing to re-open its economy and establish quarantine-free travel corridors for fully inoculated passengers as it nears coverage of 80 per cent of its population. The city states multi-ministry pandemic taskforce has announced that it would begin the transition to becoming a COVID-19 resilient nation next month, loosening curbs and travel restrictions in a bid to treat the virus as endemic. A deserted street in the Chinatown area of Singapore, on Tuesday. Credit:Bloomberg Singapores re-opening will occur gradually in a cautious and calibrated way and renewed freedoms are being linked to vaccination. From next week only fully vaccinated adults will be able to visit indoor venues such as restaurants and gyms and expanded caps on events such as weddings, religious services and sport will be contingent on attendees having had both shots. The only way for unvaccinated people to get around those protocols is by having a test in advance. Wilmington, DE (19810) Today Thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 74F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 74F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP) After four years of homelessness, Kesia Studebaker thought she finally landed on her feet when she found a job cooking in a diner and moved into a house in the small community of Greenville. She had been renting for three months and was hoping stability would help her win back custody of her 14-year-old daughter. But in just one night, a raging wildfire tore through the mountain town and took it all away," she said. Fueled by strong winds and bone-dry vegetation, the Dixie Fire grew to become the largest single wildfire in state history. People living in the scenic forestlands of Northern California are facing a weekend of fear as it threatens to reduce thousands of homes to ashes. We knew we didn't get enough rainfall and fires could happen, but we didn't expect a monster like this, Studebaker said Saturday. The fire incinerated much of Greenville on Wednesday and Thursday, destroying 370 homes and structures and threatening nearly 14,000 buildings in the northern Sierra Nevada. It had engulfed an area larger than the size of New York City. The Dixie Fire, named for the road where it started, spanned an area of 700 square miles (1,813 square kilometers) Saturday night and was just 21% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Four firefighters were taken to the hospital Friday after being struck by a fallen branch. More 20 people were initially reported missing, but by Saturday afternoon authorities had contacted all but four of them. The fires cause was under investigation. The Pacific Gas & Electric utility has said it may have been sparked when a tree fell on one of its power lines. A federal judge ordered PG&E on Friday to give details about the equipment and vegetation where the fire started by Aug. 16. Cooler overnight temperatures and higher humidity slowed the spread of the fire and temperatures topped 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) instead of the triple-digit highs recorded earlier in the week. But the blaze and its neighboring fires, within several hundred miles of each other, posed an ongoing threat. Studebaker sought shelter at an evacuation center before setting up her tent in a friends front yard. She is counting on returning to her job if the restaurant where she works stays open. Her boss also evacuated when the town of Chester, northwest of Greenville, lost power and the smoke was so thick that it made it hard to breathe. Heat waves and historic drought tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight in the American West. Scientists have said climate change has made the region much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make the weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. Near the Klamath National Forest, firefighters kept a close watch on small communities that were ordered evacuated in the path of the Antelope Fire, which earlier threw up flames 100 feet (30 meters) high as it blackened bone-dry grass, brush and timber. It was just 20% contained. Further northwest, about 500 homes scattered in and around Shasta-Trinity National Forest remained threatened by the Monument Fire and others by the McFarland Fire, both started by lightning storms last week, fire officials said. About a two-hour drive south from the Dixie Fire, crews had surrounded nearly half of the River Fire that broke out Wednesday near the town of Colfax and destroyed 68 homes and other buildings. Evacuation orders for thousands of people in Nevada and Placer counties were lifted Friday. Three people, including a firefighter, were injured, authorities said. Smoke from the fires blanketed Northern California and western Nevada, causing air quality to deteriorate to very unhealthy and, at times, hazardous levels. Air quality advisories extended through the California's San Joaquin Valley and as far as the San Francisco Bay Area to Denver, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, where residents were urged to keep their windows and doors shut. Denvers air quality ranked among the worst in the world Saturday afternoon. California's fire season is on track to surpass last year's season, which was the worst fire season in recent recorded state history. Since the start of the year, more than 6,000 blazes have destroyed more than 1,260 square miles (3,260 square kilometers) of land more than triple the losses for the same period in 2020, according to state fire figures. Californias raging wildfires were among 107 large fires burning across 14 states, mostly in the West, where historic drought conditions have left lands parched and ripe for ignition. ___ Nguyen reported from Oakland, California. Associated Press writers Adam Beam in Sacramento, Terry Chea in Colfax, California, Christopher Weber and Stefanie Dazio in Los Angeles and Jocelyn Gecker in San Francisco contributed to this report. ___ This version corrects that by Saturday afternoon, authorities had contacted all but four of the people initially reported missing, not five. Today Mostly cloudy and muggy with a shower or thunderstorm, mainly early. Tonight Mostly cloudy and muggy with a shower or thunderstorm, mainly early. Tomorrow Partly to mostly cloudy and not as hot but still humid; a few showers and thunderstorms. 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. Sing-along musical evening Overtures will return in style with a fresh series of events at the Hippodrome in London. Often held as London's answer to the legendary Marie's Crisis Cafe in New York (something of a Broadway staple), Overtures will return from 26 August, playing at Lola's Underground Casino at the Hippodrome on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 8.00pm. The evening will see audiences invited to sing along to their favourites, from shows such as Les Miserables, Wicked, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music and Grease. Rather than having audiences watching others go up and sing on a stage, the evening is said to feature "just the crowd, the piano, the pianist and the showtunes". Ray Rackham, who founded Overtures and partners with Fourth Wall Live on the series, said: "What started as a one-week folly in 2018 lead to a permanent establishment that only a pandemic could close! Whilst we were in lockdown waiting to reopen one thing was clear to me, we had to find a location right in the heart of Theatreland. And what a venue, the site where Judy Garland played her last London concerts, which welcomed the likes of Sophie Tucker and Liza Minnelli, and where Ethel Merman made her only British appearances. "We never anticipated the hunger of the general public of London, in needing a place to sing out loud until the wee small hours; we just needed to make sure our clientele could get from theatre to singalong in a hop, skip or jump. I'm so happy Overtures has teamed up with Fourth Wall Live and the Hippodrome to glow up our very unique singalong experience." The show is for over 18s only. ATLANTA (AP) As her father lay dying last August from the coronavirus at a Georgia hospital, Lindsay Schwarz put her hands on his arms and softly sang him lines from their favorite songs. Eugene Schwarz had been admitted three weeks earlier, but the hospital had not allowed his daughter to visit him for fear of spreading the virus. The 72-year-old looked nothing like the ebullient, crisply dressed cardiologist who used to kiss her on the forehead before heading off to work. I was hugging my father, and it didnt really feel like my father, Schwarz said. Less than an hour after she was allowed to see him, he died. Schwarz recalled the painful experience in a phone interview on Friday to raise awareness about the devastating impacts of COVID-19. She and other victims of the virus, including people who were infected months ago and are still experiencing severe symptoms, organized rallies in Atlanta, New York, Washington D.C., Denver and more than a dozen other cities around the country on Saturday to encourage people to get vaccinated and wear a mask. Tanya Washington, who organized the Atlanta rally of COVID Survivors for Change, told about 50 people gathered outside a downtown church on Saturday that COVID is still very much a part of our lives. If it saves one person from hurting, just one person, it would have been worth it, said Washington, who lost her father to the coronavirus in March. She earlier recalled her harrowing final moments with him. Never in a million years did I think that I would have to take my dad off of oxygen dressed from head to toe in PPE and say goodbye to him, she said. I couldnt touch him except through gloves. I couldnt kiss him except through a mask. The rallies came amid a surge in infections around the country that are again straining hospitals, particularly in the South, where vaccination rates remain low. COVID survivors and those who have lost loved ones to the disease say they are frustrated by ongoing resistance to vaccines and misinformation about the virus. It has become a political issue, and its not about that. Its a real virus, and its killing everybody no matter what political thoughts you have, said Paula Schirmer. Schirmer, 50, of Marietta, Georgia, her husband and three children contracted the virus in March 2020, but her symptoms have not gone away even more than a year later. She has difficulty remembering appointments and words key to her job as an interpreter and suffers from intestinal problems. The virus also took a toll on her mental health. Schirmer's husband was hospitalized for nearly two months, and she twice received calls from nurses informing her that he was in a critical state. The experience has left her with post-traumatic stress disorder, she said. It was awful not knowing what was going to happen, she said. The rallies also aimed to push lawmakers for financial and medical help for COVID victims. Marjorie Roberts, 60, said she continues to require regular medical care for damage from COVID. She has lung and liver problems and lost seven teeth. She can now barely walk several blocks and sometimes has no energy hours after waking up. I was living my life like it was golden. I was traveling, she said. I literally have to start my life all over again. Because of the pandemic, Schwarz has put off traveling to New York to bury her father's ashes at a cemetery where other members of the family have been laid to rest. That's made it hard to move forward. Its delayed closure, she said. I dont want people to go through that. - Associated Press writer Jeff Amy contributed. Winchester, VA (22601) Today Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. LONDON (AP) A British scientist who gained prominence for issuing dire warnings about the spread of COVID-19 said Saturday the U.K. is unlikely to need future lockdowns, although new infections may rise significantly as social interactions increase. Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, right, talks to Ed Bartlam, founder of Underbelly during a visit to London Wonderground festival, as he announces further support for the events sector, in London, Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021. Live events are set to be covered by a Government-backed 750 million insurance scheme in a bid to stop a second summer of mass cancellations due to coronavirus. (Peter Nicholls/Pool Photo via AP) LONDON (AP) A British scientist who gained prominence for issuing dire warnings about the spread of COVID-19 said Saturday the U.K. is unlikely to need future lockdowns, although new infections may rise significantly as social interactions increase. Professor Neil Ferguson, an infectious disease expert at Imperial College London, told The Times of London that Britain is likely to move to a situation where the disease can be managed by vaccinations rather than crisis measures such as lockdowns. I wouldnt rule it out altogether, but I think its unlikely we will need a new lockdown or even social-distancing measures of the type weve had so far, he said. The caveat to that is, of course, if the virus changes substantially. Data released Friday showed the latest virus surge in the U.K. has eased, with the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 falling in most parts of the country. Based on its weekly survey of infection levels, the Office for National Statistics said infection rates appeared to be falling in England, Scotland and Wales, though not in Northern Ireland, with the biggest declines in younger age groups. Public health experts credit the U.K.s successful nationwide vaccination program for slowing the spread of COVID-19 even in the face of the more infectious delta variant, which was first discovered in India and is now the dominant form of the disease in Britain. With almost 74% of adults now fully vaccinated, the government plans to expand the program to teenagers. The government reported 31,808 new infections across the U.K. on Friday, down 42% from the peak of the third wave in mid-July. But many scientists warn that infection levels are still too high for complacency and that the reported figures may be inaccurate due to a drop in testing. Over the past week, the U.K. has reported an average of 26,513 new cases a day, up from fewer than 2,000 cases a day in late April. It still has the second-worst pandemic death toll in Europe after Russia, with over 130,000 confirmed deaths. The sensitivity of the issue can be seen in the latest controversy surrounding Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The Guardian newspaper reported Friday that Johnson had been in close contact with a staff member who later tested positive for COVID-19, which should require Johnson to self-isolate for 10 days under rules designed to combat the disease. But Johnsons refusal to self-isolate has sparked criticism from the opposition Labour Party, which says its another example of one rule for them and another for everyone else. The drop in U.K. infection rates has surprised some scientists. Many had predicted a sharp rise this summer after the government lifted most remaining lockdown restrictions on July 19. Ferguson urged caution. Were at a stage where weve got a huge amount of immunity in the population, but the virus is more transmissible than its ever been, so we have this complicated trade-off, Ferguson said. If we increase contacts, then we may well reach another point where we start seeing increasing case numbers again. After successfully vaccinating most people over 50, Britain is now focusing on younger people. One university is even offering cash prizes to students who have been fully vaccinated. All students at Sussex University are being entered into a drawing, with 10 winners receiving 5,000 pounds ($6,937) if they can prove they are double-jabbed or exempt. Professor Adam Tickell, the universitys vice-chancellor, denied the move amounted to bribing students to get vaccinated. Were not bribing them, Tickell told the BBC. Were just giving an incentive. Follow all AP stories on the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic. More than $3.5 million in funding for fisheries and harbours is on the way from Ottawa to help small coastal communities in Manitoba and the rest of the Prairies. More than $3.5 million in funding for fisheries and harbours is on the way from Ottawa to help small coastal communities in Manitoba and the rest of the Prairies. With roughly 45,000 Canadians employed in the sector, the federal government wants to renew investments towards infrastructure, such as safe access to waterways for the network of small craft harbours that allow the commercial fishing industry to thrive in the country. Bernadette Jordan, minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, said the financial support is part of the Liberal governments nearly 700-page federal budget, presented at the House of Commons in April, which had set aside $300 million to be invested over two years for the industry. Its funding that comes on a cash basis directly meant to address costs for repairing, renewing and replacing harbours and fishing vessels currently earmarked mostly for Manitoba locations. "Small craft harbours are vital to so many fisheries and entire communities," Jordan said Friday, in a statement. "To build greener, safer, and more efficient harbours from coast to coast to coast, were investing in the people who live in those communities, and rely on these harbours every day." Jordan noted that about 90 per cent of all Canadian seafood goes through small craft harbours, and that Canadas fish harvesters depend on these facilities to support their livelihoods. Thats especially true for Gimli, one of the communities receiving a bulk of the funding. The rural municipalitys mayor, Lynn Greenberg, told the Free Press he couldnt be happier. "We have around 75 commercial fisheries here and so, its very much a fishing community with our economy depending on it heavily," Greenberg said Friday, adding the location is home port to 66 fishing vessels and over 210 recreational vessels. Not only is fishing a driver for employment in the small Manitoba town, but it also has historical significance. The commercial sector in Gimli still features many fourth-generation fishers of Icelandic origin, which lends itself to the strong connection it has to Iceland and Nordic culture today including the Icelandic Festival hosted there annually. "It may come as a surprise for people outside of the Prairies to learn there is a robust fishery here," said Jim Carr, the federal governments representative for the Prairies and MP for Winnipeg South Centre. "Water and fishing is a way of life. Gimli is the biggest harbour between Ontario and B.C. "In the heart of Manitobas Interlake region the Gimli harbour has received numerous improvements over the past few years and its great to see these latest investments, not only for Gimli but for several harbours across the Prairies." Outside Gimli, many Manitoba harbours have been identified for improvements. Wharf improvements are planned for Thicket Portage on Wintering Lake in northern Manitoba. Launch ramps will also be rebuilt at Calders Dock and Gull Harbour on Lake Winnipeg, Mossey River, Whitefish Point Harbour on Lake Winnipegosis, and Whiskey Jack Portage on Kiskittogisu Lake. Across the Prairies, the small craft harbour in Missinipe on Saskatchewans Otter Lake will also be updated. And in Alberta, engineering investigations are planned at ports in Canyon Creek and Hardisty. "When we invest in our local harbours, we invest in the people who work and live near them, and Im proud to be a part of such an important initiative," said Terry Duguid, a Winnipeg-based MP and parliamentary secretary to the minister of economic development. Dan Vandal, federal minister of Northern Affairs and MP for Saint BonifaceSaint Vital agreed. "The work carried out will renew and maintain the infrastructure that is essential to the region, and support our local communities," Vandal said. "I am proud that we are investing in people, promoting inclusive growth, and building stronger communities." temur.durrani@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @temurdur TULSA, Okla. (AP) Two Indigenous filmmakers are smashing the caricatures and stereotypes of Native Americans, who since the earliest days of film and TV have often played supporting roles or been portrayed as bloodthirsty killers standing in the way of white, westward expansion. TULSA, Okla. (AP) Two Indigenous filmmakers are smashing the caricatures and stereotypes of Native Americans, who since the earliest days of film and TV have often played supporting roles or been portrayed as bloodthirsty killers standing in the way of white, westward expansion. Sterlin Harjo, a Seminole and Muscogee filmmaker from Oklahoma, teamed up with Taika Waititi, a Maori director from New Zealand, on Reservation Dogs," a new series debuting Monday on FX on Hulu that features four rough-and-tumble teenagers who cuss, fight and steal their way toward adulthood in a rural Oklahoma town. Filmed entirely on the Muscogee Nation reservation in eastern Oklahoma, the network says the half-hour comedy is the first show on cable TV in which all the writers, directors and regular characters on the series are Indigenous. Sten Joddi, left, who plays Punkin Lusty, and D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, who plays Bear, in the new series "Reservation Dogs,' pose for pictures during the premier of the show at Circle Cinema in Tulsa, Okla., Monday, Aug. 2, 2021. (John Clanton/Tulsa World via AP) To be able to tell a real story about real people through comedy, its about time, Harjo, who directed Mekko" and Barking Water," said during a premiere of the series this week in Tulsa. Theres been 130-something years of cinema and were finally showing ourselves as human beings, which shouldnt be radical, but it is pretty radical today. Devery Jacobs, a Mohawk actor from Quebec, Canada, who plays one of the show's lead characters, said working on a set with so many Indigenous actors and crew was a breath of fresh air. On a lot of projects, I was the only Indigenous person for miles," Jacobs said. Stepping on the set of Reservation Dogs' and seeing my community around me, a community of fellow Indigenous folks from different backgrounds, it was truly being welcomed home. I'd never experienced it before, and it just meant so much to me, and I know it's going to mean so much to audiences across Turtle Island and beyond," she said, using a term many Indigenous people, mainly in the northeastern part of North America, use to refer to the continent. Waititi and Harjo, longtime friends collaborating for the first time, said the series arose out of discussions about the kind of show theyd like to see, and before they knew it had come up with this idea about these kids who had turned into vigilantes and wanted to clean up their community, recalled Waititi, the Oscar-winning writer and director of Jojo Rabbit," whose credits also include Thor: Ragnarok" and the TV series What We Do in the Shadows." Oklahoma filmmaker Sterlin Harjo speaks to a reporter on Monday, Aug. 2, 2021, outside the Circle Cinema in Tulsa, Okla., for the premier of Reservation Dogs, a new series premiering on FX on Hulu created by Harjo and Taika Waititi. (AP Photo/Sean Murphy) We werent entirely sure where it would be and then it just struck us that setting it here would be perfect. Filmed mostly in the small eastern Oklahoma town of Okmulgee, where the Muscogee Nation is headquartered, the show's restless young characters are familiar beyond Indigenous communities and small towns, Waititi and Harjo said. The idea of just wandering around the suburb or a small community with nothing to do, wondering what the hell's out there for me and what am I going to do with my life," Waititi said. That's the heart of what drives these kids ... a lot of teenagers all over the world, they feel like that." Although the characters aren't identified as members of a specific Native American tribe, the Muscogee Nation was heavily involved in helping to scout locations, and a public premiere at its River Spirit Resort and Casino in Tulsa drew close to 2,000 people. Oklahoma filmmaker Sterlin Harjo speaks to a reporter on Monday, Aug. 2, 2021, outside the Circle Cinema in Tulsa, Okla., for the premier of Reservation Dogs, a new series premiering on FX on Hulu created by Harjo and Taika Waititi. (John Clanton/Tulsa World via AP) The real value in this show and the representation is the authenticity of it," said Jason Salsman, a Muscogee Nation spokesman. There have been so many years and instances of invisibility, mischaracterization and misappropriation of Native culture in film and movies." This is a welcome change," he said. Like many of the 39 federally recognized tribes in Oklahoma, the Muscogee Nation has been diversifying its economy with the help of an infusion of cash from tribal gambling approved by voters in 2004. The U.S. Supreme Court also upheld the boundaries of the Nation's reservation 3 million acres (12,100 square kilometers), including most of the city of Tulsa in a landmark decision last year on tribal sovereignty. The show's production in Oklahoma comes at a time when the film and television industry is booming in the state. The Oklahoma Film and Music Office estimates the 33 film and television productions, including Reservation Dogs," that qualified for a state rebate on qualifying expenditures in the last year had a direct fiscal impact of more than $161 million. Other films shot in Oklahoma include Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon," Stillwater" starring Matt Damon and this year's Academy Award-winning film Minari." Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, himself a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, signed into law earlier this year a bill that increases the cap on the film rebate from $8 million to $30 million annually, which is expected to draw more productions, diversify the state's workforce and beef up its film infrastructure. That's welcome news for Oklahomans who work with the film industry, said Shane Brown, freelance photographer and videographer from Tulsa who was hired to work on Reservation Dogs." Brown, who is also doing photo and video work for a couple of documentaries, said he's so busy he had to turn down job offers for work on other film productions. Everybody is busy," Brown said. All of these independent, freelance positions, just whatever you need to crew up a film, everybody seems to have work." Associated Press television writer Lynn Elber contributed to this report from Los Angeles. WASHINGTON (AP) The Senate moved closer to passing a $1 trillion infrastructure package Saturday after lawmakers from both parties came together and voted to clear a key procedural hurdle. More votes will be needed before Senate passage of one of President Joe Bidens top priorities. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arrives as the Senate convenes for a rare weekend session on the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, at the Capitol in Washington, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) WASHINGTON (AP) The Senate moved closer to passing a $1 trillion infrastructure package Saturday after lawmakers from both parties came together and voted to clear a key procedural hurdle. More votes will be needed before Senate passage of one of President Joe Bidens top priorities. The measure would provide a massive injection of federal money for a range of public works programs, from roads and bridges to broadband internet access, drinking water and others. In a rare stroke of bipartisanship, Republicans joined Democrats during the weekend session to overcome the 60-vote threshold needed to advance the measure toward final votes. The vote was 67-27. If approved, the bill would go to the House. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is the first of Bidens two infrastructure packages. The administration and congressional leaders will soon turn to a second, larger package that is expected to draw only Democratic support. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story follows below. WASHINGTON (AP) Edging toward a vote, senators convened Saturday for a second consecutive weekend session on the bipartisan infrastructure bill, and passage of the $1 trillion package could wrap up quickly or drag on for days if opponents try to slow President Joe Biden's big priority. We can get this done the easy way or the hard way, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said as the Senate opened. He said he would keep senators in session until they finished the bill and sent it to the House. Vice President Kamala Harris arrived on Capitol Hill for meetings on the legislation, which Biden said offered a potentially historic investment, on par with the building of the transcontinental railroad or interstate highway system. The Senate appeared on track to approve the bill, despite days of fits and starts. At noon, senators planned to see whether they could reach a crucial 60-vote hurdle that would determine whether the tenuous alliance between Republicans and Democrats could hold on the public works package. Ten Republicans would have to join all Democrats to advance the measure past a filibuster; more votes would then follow. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has so far allowed the bill to progress, and his vote will be one to watch. This is a compromise, he said Saturday, signaling potential support. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is a first part of Bidens infrastructure agenda. It would inject $550 billion of new spending over the next five years on roads, bridges, waterworks, broadband and other projects to virtually every corner of the nation. For senators who have been slogging through debate and months of give-and-take negotiations it's a chance not only to send federal dollars to their states, but also to show the country that Congress can work together in a bipartisan way to solve problems. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the needs in her state were obvious including money for water systems in remote villages without running taps for handwashing during the COVID-19 pandemic. But as one of the negotiators, she also wants to demonstrate that lawmakers can unite. I'm really worried that everybody believes that were as dysfunctional as we appear to be, and so to prove otherwise, it's kind of important, she said. The Senate needs some demonstrated acts of bipartisanship. The weekend action comes as Congress is under pressure to make gains on the presidents infrastructure priorities first with the bipartisan bill and then Democrats more sweeping $3.5 trillion budget blueprint they plan to shoulder on their own. If senators wrap up work on the bipartisan bill, they immediately will turn to the much more partisan undertaking on Bidens agenda, the outline for the $3.5 trillion proposal. That plan would provide billions in what the White House calls human infrastructure child care support, home health care, education and other expenditures that are Democratic priorities that Republicans have pledged to reject. Debate on that will extend into the fall. For some Republicans, that back-to-back voting schedule is what they are trying to delay, hoping to slow or halt what appears to be a forward march by Democrats to make gains on the president's infrastructure goals. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., an ally of Donald Trumps who had been the former presidents ambassador to Japan, said he objected to expediting consideration of the bill. I could not, in good conscience, allow that to happen, Hagerty said in a statement Friday. He said he was especially concerned that passing the bipartisan bill would pave the way for Democrats to move quickly to their $3.5 trillion tax-and-spend spree. Former President Donald Trump weighed Saturday with a statement criticizing Biden, senators of both parties and the bill itself, though it's not clear whether Trump's views hold sway over the lawmakers. Senators have found much to like in the bill, even though it does not fully satisfy liberals, who view it as too small, or conservatives, who find it too large. It would provide federal money for projects many states and cities could not afford on their own. Senators had hoped to wrap up the 2,700-page bipartisan bill during the week . But the Senate ground to a halt with new problems late in the week as members wanted to consider more amendments and Republican opponents objected to an expedited the process. An analysis of the bill from the Congressional Budget Office drew concerns, particularly from Republicans. It concluded that the legislation would increase deficits by about $256 billion over the next decade. 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. But the bill's backers argued that the budget office was unable to take into account certain revenue streams including from future economic growth. Additional analysis released Saturday by the budget office suggested infrastructure spending overall could boost productivity and lower the ultimate costs. Paying for the package has been a pressure point throughout the monthslong slog of negotiations after Democrats objected to an increase in the gas tax paid at the pump and Republicans resisted a plan to bolster the IRS to go after tax scofflaws. Unlike Biden's bigger $3.5 trillion package, which would be paid for by higher tax rates for corporations and the wealthy, the bipartisan package is funded by repurposing other money, including untapped COVID-19 aid, and other spending cuts and revenue streams. Senators have spent the past week processing nearly two dozen amendments to the bipartisan package, with more possible on Saturday. So far, none has substantially changed the framework of the public works package. The House is in recess and is expected to consider both Biden infrastructure packages when it returns in September. Associated Press writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report. DENVER (AP) When the delta variant started spreading, Gina Welch decided not to take any chances: She got a third, booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by going to a clinic and telling them it was her first shot. FILE - In this Jan. 15, 2021, file photo, Dr. Yomaris Pena, Internal Medicine Physician with Somos Community Care at a COVID-19 extracts the last bit of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine out of a vial so as not to waste it at a vaccination site at the Corsi Houses in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York. An untold number of Americans have managed to get COVID-19 booster shots even though the U.S. government hasn't approved them. They're doing so by taking advantage of the nations vaccine surplus and loose tracking of those who have been fully vaccinated. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) DENVER (AP) When the delta variant started spreading, Gina Welch decided not to take any chances: She got a third, booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by going to a clinic and telling them it was her first shot. The U.S. government has not approved booster shots against the virus, saying it has yet to see evidence they are necessary. But Welch and an untold number of other Americans have managed to get them by taking advantage of the nations vaccine surplus and loose tracking of those who have been fully vaccinated. Welch, a graduate student from Maine who is studying chemical engineering, said she has kept tabs on scientific studies about COVID-19 and follows several virologists and epidemiologists on social media who have advocated for boosters. Im going to follow these experts and Im going to go protect myself, said Welch, a 26-year-old with asthma and a liver condition. Im not going to wait another six months to a year for them to recommend a third dose. While Pfizer has said it plans to seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for booster shots, health authorities say that for now, the fully vaccinated seem well protected. Yet health care providers in the U.S. have reported more than 900 instances of people getting a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines in a database run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an Associated Press review of the systems data found. Because reporting is voluntary, the full extent of people who have received third doses is unknown. Its also unknown if all of those people were actively trying to get a third dose as a booster. "I dont think that anyone really has the tracking in place to know how widespread it is, said Claire Hannan, executive director for the Association of Immunization Managers. One entry in the CDC database shows a 52-year-old man got a third dose from a California pharmacy on July 14 by saying he had never received one and by providing his passport, rather than a driver's license, as identification. But when the pharmacy contacted the patients insurance provider, it was told he had received two doses in March. In Virginia, a 39-year-old man got a third shot from a military provider on April 27 after he showed a vaccine card indicating he had received only one dose. A review of records turned up his previous vaccines. The patient then told the provider that the time between his first and second doses was more than 21 days, so they spoke to their provider, who authorized them to get a third shot, an entry states. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said at a recent news briefing that he knew of residents who had received third dose by using fake names, but neither his office nor the state health department could provide any evidence. Despite a lack of FDA approval, public health officials in San Francisco said Tuesday that they will provide an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for people who got the single-shot Johnson & Johnson variety referring to it as a supplement, rather than a booster. Several studies are looking at booster shots for certain at-risk groups people with weakened immune systems, adults over 60 years old and health care workers. But the verdict is still out on whether the general population might need them, said Dr. Michelle Barron, senior medical director for infection prevention at UCHealth, a not-for-profit health care system based in Aurora, Colorado. She said the best data in favor of possible boosters is for people whose immune systems are compromised. Israel is giving boosters to older adults and several countries, including Germany, Russia and the U.K. have approved them for some people. The head of the World Health Organization recently urged wealthier nations to stop administering boosters to ensure vaccine doses are available to other countries where few people have received their first shots. Will Clart, a 67-year-old patient services employee at a Missouri hospital, got a third dose in May by going to a local pharmacy. Clart said he gave the pharmacist all of his information, but that the pharmacist didn't realize until after administering the shot that Clarts name was in the vaccine system. It sounded like there was a benefit to it. And theres also been talk that eventually well need a booster mine was five or six months out and so I thought well Ill go ahead, thatll give me a booster, Clart said. Ted Rall, a political cartoonist, explained in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that he got a booster because of a history of lung problems, including asthma, swine flu, and repeated bouts of bronchitis and pneumonia. I made up my mind after reading a report that states were likely to toss 26.2 million unused doses due to low demand. My decision had no effect on policy, and I saved a vaccine dose from the garbage, Rall said. Welch, the graduate student from Maine, put the blame on people who have refused to get the vaccine for political reasons. About 60% of eligible people in the U.S. are fully vaccinated. Their absolute demand and screeches for freedom is trampling our public health and our communal health." Nieberg 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. Opinion Wine is a liquid investment in the most literal sense. In most other respects, however, fine wine is one of the worlds least liquid investment assets. After all, its not just a matter of going to your neighbourhood wine store and buying a few good bottles hoping they will be worth a small fortune someday (providing you dont drink them first). Like fine art, diamonds or gold, wine is considered an alternative investment to stocks and bonds, says Warren Porter, president of IronGate Wine in Toronto, a seller of fine wine for consumption and collecting, as well providing storage and auction services. "Wine investing is unique, though, because its alcohol, and subject to duties and taxes that can erode the value of your investment," he says. "Additionally you cant put it on eBay to sell; in Canada, you have to be a licensed agent to sell wine." Auction is the most common way for collectors to legally sell fine wine, which can range from a few hundred a few thousand dollars, and often only precipitated by one of the "four Ds death, divorce, debt or (going) dry," Porter says. But true investment in wine involves buying, holding and selling the worlds finest wines like a Chateau Latour or a Domaine de la Romanee-Contis often without a bottle ever being uncorked and consumed. "Investment-grade wine is almost always acquired from and remains in bonded storage in warehouses in London," says Rachael Ryan, business development manager at Vinfolio, a Napa-based wine retailer that recently launched a managed wine investment portfolio. "Although most wine in the world is made to be consumed by whoever is buying it," significant amounts of the worlds finest wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne in France, for example, are kept in their original cases in climate controlled, insured storage in the UK to be traded among investors who generally have no desire to drink their investment. As strange as it may seem, this arrangement has proven itself a worthy long-term investment, performing comparably to stocks and even outpacing them. "Up until COVID, fine wine returns actually outperformed the S&P 500," says Atul Tiwari, chief executive officer (CEO) of Cult Wines Canada Ltd, which offers investment portfolios of wine to high-net-worth Canadians. While the stock market has since gone on a historic run, he notes wine has proven itself to be great alternative asset, offering about 12 per cent annual returns over the last decade. Equally compelling is it is largely uncorrelated from stock and bond performance. "When you look at 2008, for example, the S&P 500 was down 37 per cent," says Tiwari, former head of Vanguard Investments Canada, a subsidiary of one of the worlds largest investment asset managers. By contrast, the Liv-Ex 1000 Wine Index one of the more prominent of the many wine indices measuring the asset classs performance was down 0.6 per cent. "So it can serve as a good buffer for investors portfolio when equities are falling in value," he adds. The price of entry, however, does not come cheap. The minimum investment for Vinfolios managed portfolio is US$25,000. At Cult Wines, plans are in the works to launch a more accessible option starting at $15,000 later this year, Tiwari says. Fees are also fairly significant. Cult Wines charges a two per cent annual management fee for its individualized, diversified portfolios of investment grade wine. And it charges an up-front fee of five per cent of the money invested to cover storage, insurance and other costs. Given the initial expense, investors are best served remaining invested for the long haul. "We recommend clients hold their positions at a minimum of three to five years to give their assets time to appreciate," Tiwari adds. Indeed the long-term outlook for wine is bright as demand grows amid limited supply, Ryan says. "What makes wine a really interesting asset class is there are parameters around production." She notes that First Growth vineyards, for example, from Bordeaux considered among the best wine producers in the world cant simply up production. 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. "For the worlds finest wines, the amount is set every year," Ryan says. Whats more, climate change is likely to reshape the market, potentially making the most sought-after investment wines even scarcer. All told, wine presents an intoxicating investment premise one that you can even drink and enjoy. In fact, Tiwari adds a handful of clients do take delivery of their investment to consume. "But most dont because it can get pretty costly, given the applicable taxes and duties," Tiwari says. Then again, taking a loss on an investment probably has never tasted so good. OTTAWA - An investigation into the conduct of Canadas top military officer Admiral Art McDonald has ended with police saying there is not enough evidence to lay charges. Vice-Admiral Art McDonald, the new head of the Navy, addresses the audience at the Royal Canadian Navy Change of Command ceremony in Halifax on June 12, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan OTTAWA - An investigation into the conduct of Canadas top military officer Admiral Art McDonald has ended with police saying there is not enough evidence to lay charges. Provost Marshal Brig.-Gen. Simon Trudeau announced the end of the investigation on Friday evening, nearly six months after the Canadian Forces National Investigation first revealed that it was investigating the chief of defence staff. The CFNIS was able to both identify and interview a large number of potential witnesses, Trudeau said. The evidence gathered from these witnesses was considered in the ultimate determination that the evidence did not support the laying of any charges. The decision paves the way for McDonald to return to his position as commander of the Canadian Armed Forces after he voluntarily stepped down in February due to revelations about the military police investigation. But it is also likely to spark fresh questions about the militarys ability to properly address allegations of misconduct involving top officers. The nature of the allegation against McDonald has not been publicly confirmed, but CBC reported in February that it related to an allegation of sexual misconduct dating back to his time commanding a Canadian warship in 2010. Global News has reported that navy Lt. Heather Macdonald, a navy combat systems engineer, came forward with the allegation against McDonald. Macdonald was quoted by Global on Friday as saying she was upset by the military police decision. I am not surprised as this was exactly why I was reluctant to come forward and why most survivors dont come forward. Its not worth it. I feel a little like Ive gone through hell for nothing, Macdonald was quoted as saying. Feel a bit like Ive been punched in the stomach. Trudeau in his statement emphasized the independence of his military police investigators, saying: The CFNIS conducts its investigations in a thorough and professional manner independent of the chain of command. He added that no further information would be provided. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjans spokesman Todd Lane refused to comment on Friday, including on whether McDonald would be reinstated as chief of the defence staff. McDonald did not immediately respond to requests for comment. McDonald temporarily stepped down from his position on Feb. 24 because of the investigation, only five weeks after taking over as Canadas top military commander from Jonathan Vance, who was accused of sexual misconduct. Vance, who has denied any wrongdoing, was charged last month with one count of obstruction of justice following a separate military police investigation. His case has been referred to the civilian justice system. The allegations against Vance, McDonald and other senior officers prompted the Canadian Armed Forces latest reckoning with sexual misconduct, which included months of parliamentary hearings and promises of action from the government and military. Underlying much of the crisis were questions of fairness and accountability in how the military handles such allegations, with concerns that those higher up in the ranks are treated less severely than those near the bottom. Those concerns coincided with a report from retired Supreme Court justice Morris Fish in June that noted that it is legally impossible to court martial Canadas top military commander, though criminal cases can be handled by the civilian system. The government has also tapped retired Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour to review and come up with specific recommendations on how to better handle sexual assault, harassment and other misconduct in the ranks. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2021. OTTAWA - The federal government says the proposed Grassy Mountain coal project in southwestern Alberta cannot proceed. Federal Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson makes an announcement in Calgary on July 20, 2021. The federal government says the proposed Grassy Mountain Coal Project in southwestern Alberta cannot proceed. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh OTTAWA - The federal government says the proposed Grassy Mountain coal project in southwestern Alberta cannot proceed. Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson made the announcement in a release Friday. He said while mining is important to the economy, coal can include significant adverse environmental effects. Wilkinson said the decision was based on information including the findings of a joint review panel report. He said the project would have likely caused harm to surface water quality, to species including the threatened westslope cutthroat trout and endangered whitebark pine trees, and to the physical and cultural heritage of the Kainai, Piikani and Siksika First Nations. Benga Mining Limited has said the proposed metallurgical coal mine in the Crowsnest Pass area would create hundreds of jobs and produce up to 4.5 million tonnes of coal per year over a mine life of approximately 23 years. "The Government of Canada must make decisions based on the best available scientific evidence while balancing economic and environmental considerations," Wilkinson said in the release. "It is in Canada's best interests to safeguard our waterways for healthy fish populations like the Westslope Cutthroat Trout, respect Indigenous peoples' culture and way of life, and protect the environment for future generations." Katie Morrison, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, applauded the federal government's decision. She said it reinforces the Alberta Energy Regulator's earlier conclusion that the significant environmental effects of the open-pit mine would outweigh any potential benefits "This is another win for clean water, fish and wildlife and for the many Albertans who have been worried about the negative effects of new coal mines on their communities," she said in an email. "Its great news that the Grassy Mountain coal project has now been officially denied at both the federal and provincial level." When asked for comment on the federal decision, the Alberta government said a statement made in June by Energy Minister Sonya Savage and Environment and Parks Minister Jason Nixon, when the joint review panel denied an application for the mine, still stands. In that June statement, the ministers said, "the Alberta government respects the joint review panel's recommendation, which is the result of a rigorous review process carried out by the Alberta Energy Regulator and the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada." The ministers acknowledged that the panel determined the project would result in adverse environmental effects on surface water quality particularly on westslope cutthroat trout and their habitat. "All proposed coal projects are subject to stringent review to ensure development is safe, environmentally responsible and meets all requirements. In this case, the process worked as it should." Officials at Benga Mining Limited could not immediately be reached for comment. Last month, Benga filed a request to appeal the decision by the review panel that rejected the project as being not in the public interest. In the court filing, Benga said the June 17 decision by the panel, including the Alberta Energy Regulator, contains errors of law and procedural fairness that warrant the granting of permission to appeal. Later in July, two Alberta First Nations also filed separate requests to appeal the June decision. The Stoney Nakoda Nation said the panel did not properly assess the impact that rejecting the project would have on Stoney Nakoda Aboriginal and treaty rights and economic interests related to the accommodation of those rights. The Piikani First Nation filed a similar request. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2021. The provinces promise of a near normal 2021-22 school year was welcomed this week by many Manitobans who have long missed seeing children's smiles during a year of strict rules over masking, sanitizing and physical distancing. The provinces promise of a "near normal" 2021-22 school year was welcomed this week by many Manitobans who have long missed seeing children's smiles during a year of strict rules over masking, sanitizing and physical distancing. Leigh Phillips was not among them. In fact, the father of two describes the back-to-school plan and in particular, the loosening of the mask mandate as "heartbreaking." ALEX LUPUL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Leigh Phillips, with his son Keenan, says this plan "completely excludes anybody with health conditions." "It just makes me feel like the adults are starting to fail the kids," said Phillips, who lives in Winnipeg with his wife and their children; their oldest, a 10-year-old, misses both his friends and in-person support from teachers, but his immunocompromised status complicates returning to the classroom. "(This plan) completely excludes anybody with health conditions. The thing with cystic fibrosis is that its a respiratory thing. If a regular cold puts my son in the hospital, (COVID-19) could kill him." Manitoba rolls back pandemic restrictions for back to school Click to Expand JESSE BOILY / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS One of the classrooms that has been downsized to accommodate 16 students at Andrew Mynarski V.C. School on Wednesday. Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020. Reporter: Posted: 2:45 PM Aug. 5, 2021 Manitoba is boasting a back-to-school season that will be near normal for all students and educators, including those who are unvaccinated by choice or for eligibility reasons, with a significant rollback of mandated public health protocols. Read Full Story Manitobas in-class learning plan emphasizes recommendations rather than requirements which the provinces top doctor has attributed to low community transmission and high vaccine uptake, while indicating such action is necessary to move toward a post-pandemic life. (Notably, children have also experienced far fewer severe outcomes related to COVID-19 in comparison with older populations, although deaths among young people have been recorded in the province.) Masks will be "strongly" encouraged, physical distancing promoted where possible, and cohorting of up to 75 people in a group will only occur in elementary classrooms to limit close contacts. Meantime, vaccinations will not be required for school staff or eligible students to attend classes. "We think we can provide safe school settings with these recommendations in place. We will not stand in the way if school divisions want to take additional measures in regards to some of the recommendations," said Education Minister Cliff Cullen, during a news conference held alongside Dr. Brent Roussin, the chief provincial public health officer, on Thursday. For guardians and teachers of students who cannot yet get a COVID-19 vaccine, as well as young learners themselves, the relaxed rules raise anxiety levels. At the same time, parents the Phillips family included want their children to reap the benefits of in-person learning, after a year that consisted of isolation periods, challenges related to motivation and mental health, and remote learning glitches. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES We think we can provide safe school settings with these recommendations in place. We will not stand in the way if school divisions want to take additional measures in regards to some of the recommendations, said Education Minister Cliff Cullen on Thursday. Genevieve Sprenger, a Grade 1-2 teacher and mother of two school-aged children who are younger than 12, said Friday she will continue wearing a mask at work and ask her students parents to pack face coverings before they send their kids to class. "Children have sacrificed a lot over the last 18 months and heres a shot for us to give them a normal year," said Sprenger. "As (children under 12) are unvaccinated, taking away the masks is just taking away another layer of protection that could potentially keep them safe." The Winnipeg teacher said she feels mask use is critical to limit self-isolation stints, minimize remote learning and ensure children can socialize safely in spite of their ineligibility for vaccines, a looming fourth wave and the threat of the Delta variant. As far as Andrew Halayko a professor at the University of Manitoba who studies chronic lung diseases in children is concerned, a more sensible strategy would be to continue requiring masks at the start of the school year and reassess it at the end of September. "For the vast majority of kids, wearing a mask in school is not a problem. In fact, we slip them on now without even thinking about it," said Halayko, a Canada Research Chair in chronic lung disease pathobiology and treatment. For the vast majority of kids, wearing a mask in school is not a problem. In fact, we slip them on now without even thinking about it. Andrew Halayko, a Canada Research Chair in chronic lung disease pathobiology and treatment Last fall, a study from the University of Saskatchewan found that healthy individuals oxygen levels are not affected when wearing a mask, even during strenuous workouts despite anti-maskers unbacked claims that face coverings are a serious impediment to breathing. Halayko said he is hopeful school divisions and schools will now take the torch and inform families about the importance and value of wearing masks. Not only do masks protect all community members, but they are also a much more affordable option to prevent the spread of aerosols than massive upgrades to ventilation, he added. Earlier this week, a provincial education official told reporters schools have been asked to assess their ventilation systems and make upgrades where needed. The back-to-school plan also highlights the importance of ongoing cleaning and sanitizing. Father Curtis Wiebe, who has purchased N95-masks designed for children for the first day of school, said he wants to hear more about school plans to address ventilation, given COVID-19 primarily spreads via aerosol transmission. Even if our children are OK or most of our children are OK, I think we still need to look out for those who are immunocompromised. Show some love to your neighbour. Curtis Wiebe "I dont understand this stubbornness of our provincial health officials in refusing to admit that COVID is airborne," said Wiebe, a father of three children, two of which attend elementary school in Hanover. Wiebe is also frustrated by the low vaccination uptake in his community; as of Friday, approximately 45 per cent of eligible residents in Hanover had received one dose and only 38 per cent of the population that is aged 12 and older is fully immunized against the virus. "Even if our children are OK or most of our children are OK, I think we still need to look out for those who are immunocompromised. Show some love to your neighbour," said Wiebe, who identifies as a proud Christian. "If the vaccination rates were higher, I'd be very much in favour of losing the (school) mask mandates." The province only required staff and students in Grade 4 and up to wear masks in 2020-21, but the Manitoba Teachers' Society, among others, has advocated for a universal mask mandate in schools for all staff and students for months to address concerns about highly infectious variants. maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @macintoshmaggie 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. Rather than slap a mandate label on their mask-wearing policies, Winnipeg school divisions are parroting the provinces strong recommendation that staff and students should wear face coverings on the first day of school. Rather than slap a mandate label on their mask-wearing policies, Winnipeg school divisions are parroting the provinces "strong recommendation" that staff and students should wear face coverings on the first day of school. School board offices are finalizing their back-to-school blueprints after the provincial government unveiled Thursday its code-yellow plan, which is made up mostly of recommendations, to welcome students of all levels back to in-person learning on a full-time basis in 2021-22. Not long after making the announcement, Education Minister Cliff Cullen said the province would not stand in the way of divisions that want to go above and beyond basic public health guidelines. On Friday, however, no public division with classrooms in the Manitoba capital (Winnipeg, Pembina Trails, River East Transcona, Seven Oaks, St. James Assiniboia, Louis Riel, Seine River, and the Division scolaire franco-manitobaine) said it would require all community members to wear masks in order to visit a school. "Kids of all ages can learn to wear masks and they did (last year). Without having to use the word mandate, for all intents and purposes, it was universal and it was a collective agreement I want to build on that," said Christian Michalik, superintendent of Louis Riel. Although the division was a leader in starting off 2020-21 with two metres of distance between all desks, Louis Riel will not be as strict with its tape measures this fall. Michalik acknowledged last years policy sparked some concerns, owing to staffing challenges and workloads, given teachers oversaw multiple physical classrooms. The division plans to seek feedback from its community on pandemic policies in the coming weeks, he added. For the second consecutive year, schools are slated to start in the caution phase, also known as code yellow, on the pandemic response system because of low community transmission. There will be some similarities, but this time around, the provincial government will not require all school employees and students in Grade 4 and up to wear face coverings. Brian OLeary, superintendent of Seven Oaks, told the Free Press his initial inclination is to make mask-wearing "an expectation" for all students, staff and visitors in buildings and mandate protection be worn on school buses. "Were all going to be anxious; I think the only way to overcome that is to start moving through it," he said. "Schools did really well last year and I think schools will do really well this year, but we need teachers to meet kids in person." Dr. Brent Roussin, the provinces chief public health officer, has backed the decision to focus on recommendations rather than mandates in the back-to-school plan as a step towards a "post-pandemic Manitoba." The top doctor said Thursday the policy is suited for the current risk level of COVID-19 in the community. Officials are expected to review the recommendations before Labour Day to assess the public health situation closer to Sept. 7. The NDP education critic, however, is not sold on the provinces approach. "Schools need to be held to a higher standard," said Nello Altomare, a retired principal. Altomare said many parents have contacted him to express concern about how this plan sets up "another fits-and-starts school year" that will continue to affect their childrens physical health, mental well-being and academic progress. maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @macintoshmaggie An Arkansas judge temporarily blocked the enforcement of the states law banning mask mandates in schools, in response to lawsuits filed by a school district and parents who want schools to be able to require masks if they choose to. Former United Nations ambassador Kelly Craft was the keynote speaker at a GOP dinner in Marshall County Friday night. Only 10 days before the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, a top official in the Department of Justice (DOJ) was circulating a draft letter to be issued by the agency, urging the Georgia legislature to convene a special session and award its electoral votes to Donald Trump, overturning the result of the popular vote in the 2020 election. Democrat Joe Biden won the state by a margin of 11,779 votes. Jeffrey Clark (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool) The letter, dated December 28, 2020, was drafted by Jeffrey Clark, acting head of the Civil Division. It declared that the DOJ had identified significant concerns that may have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple States, including the State of Georgia. This was not true, as no significant irregularities had been found. While the letter was nominally addressed to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp as well as leaders of the state legislature, it incited the legislature to usurp power from the governor if he, as expected, declined to call a special session. Clark would have claimed that the Justice Department believed the Georgia general assembly has implied authority under the Constitution of the United States to call itself into special session and appoint its own presidential electors, thus carrying out an electoral coup. Clark prepared similar letters for Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the other five closely contested states won by Biden but with Republican-controlled state legislatures, or, in the case of Nevada, a Republican secretary of state, the top election official. In each case, pro-Trump Republicans would have cited the claim that the DOJ was investigating election fraud as grounds for overturning the popular vote. Electors for all six states had already met in the state capitals on December 14 and cast their votes for Biden, as they were required to do by state law. The Electoral College total from that day showed Biden with 306 electoral votes and Trump with 232, a margin exactly equal to Trumps victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016, which he never tired of describing as a landslide. ABC News obtained an email from Clark to Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue. (These officials were acting because Attorney General William Barr resigned effective December 23, his deputy Rosen moved up to the top slot, and the third-ranking official, Donoghue, took Rosens position.) Clark indicated he wanted to send a letter to each relevant state. He added, referring to the Georgia letter, I set it up for signature by the three of us. I think we should get it out as soon as possible. But Rosen and Donoghue flatly refused to sign the letter. Donoghue was particularly opposed to the Clark letter. His email response cited the public statement by Attorney General Barr, three weeks before he left office, that the Justice Department had found no evidence of the type of massive vote fraud that could have changed the outcome of the election. He told Clark there was no chance he would sign the draft letter or anything remotely like it. He went on to say, This is not even in the realm of possibility. On January 2, Rosen sent an email declaring he was not prepared to sign such a letter. The next day, January 3, Clark told Rosen that Trump was about to fire Rosen and Donoghue and make him acting attorney general. The three met with Trump in the Oval Office, but Trump backed down after learning that every other top Justice Department official would resign rather than work under Clark. Three days later, the Trump-instigated mob stormed the Capitol and temporarily halted the congressional certification of electoral votes. Republican congressmen and senators had prepared to challenge the electoral votes of the same six states identified by Clark, and the House and Senate were debating the first challenge, against Arizona, when the mob breached the Capitols defenses. When the congressional session resumed, eight hours later, after the Capitol was retaken and the attackers dispersed, House and Senate Republicans dropped their challenges to the electoral votes of Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin, but they still pushed ahead with a challenge to the electoral votes of Pennsylvania, which was voted down at nearly 3:00 a.m. The date of the draft letter, December 28, 2020, is significant. The day before, Trump called Rosen and Donoghue and discussed his plans to continue his challenge to his defeat in the election, despite the Electoral College vote. When Rosen explainedaccording to Donoghues handwritten, contemporaneous notesthat the Justice Department cant + wont snap its fingers + change the outcome of the election, Trump replied that he understood Rosens position, but wanted him to just say the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen. This was a reference to Trumps most fanatical supporters in the House, including Paul Gosar of Arizona and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, who were planning to challenge the certification of the electoral votes of their own states, and others, like Mo Brooks of Alabama and Jim Jordan of Ohio, who were leading the effort to whip up Trumps supporters against Congress. Brooks would actually address the January 6 rally outside the White House, where Trump instructed gangs of fascists to march on the Capitol, which they then stormed. Brooks told the mob it was time to start taking down names and kicking ass. In the same discussion, Trump made a thinly veiled threat against the two officials, saying, according to Donoghues notes, People tell me Jeff Clark is great, I should put him in. People want me to replace DOJ leadership. When Clark came forward the next day with his draft letter to Georgia, he was clearly acting as Trumps agent and at Trumps instruction. There was an inside-outside strategy at work: mobilize and incite the mob that would attack the Capitol, while seeking to use the Justice Department to engineer a pseudo-legal effort by Republican-controlled state legislatures to overturn the vote, only three weeks before Bidens inauguration. State election committees in Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) have approved the participation of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality PartySGP) in these states for Septembers federal elections. In Berlin, SGP participation was also approved for the state legislature, which is held in parallel with the federal election. This means that just over 15 million eligible voters, a quarter of the 60 million nationwide, can vote for the SGP on 26 September. Demonstrators with SGP posters The SGPs election campaign is of great political significance. Capitalist society is in the deepest international crisis since the barbarism of World War II. Over 200 million people worldwide have contracted the coronavirus and over 4.3 million have died from it because the ruling class is unwilling to subordinate its profits to the preservation of life. And these are just the official figures. The real ones are many times higher. Workers everywhere are beginning to fight against the criminal herd immunity policies, against mass layoffs and factory closures, and against the enormous growth of social inequality. The ruling parties are responding by moving closer together, strengthening fascist forces, and preparing new wars. Germanys next federal government will continue and intensify the right-wing policies of the grand coalition of the Christian Democrats (Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union) and Social Democrats (Social Democratic Party) in all areasregardless of which parties end up forming the government and who becomes chancellor. At the state level, all the establishment partiesfrom the CDU/CSU and Free Democrats (FDP) to the SPD, Left Party and Greensare already forming coalitions with each other and putting the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) programme into practice. They are organising the mass deportation of refugees, increasing the powers of the police and secret services, fuelling nationalism and pursuing a murderous profits before lives policy in the pandemic, which has already cost the lives of more than 92,000 people in Germany. The SGP is the only party that opposes this right-wing conspiracy with a socialist programme. We do not seek lucrative posts and careers. The aim of our election campaign is to build a party through which the working classi.e., the vast majority of the populationcan independently intervene in the political process. All historical experience shows that the working class needs its own party to fight for its interests. As the German section of the Fourth International, we draw on a powerful historical tradition: on the Marxist SPD under August Bebel and Wilhelm Liebknecht; on the communist movement under Lenin, Trotsky, Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht; on the Left Opposition to Stalinism; and on the Fourth International founded by Leon Trotsky in 1938, as well as on the struggle of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), which has defended and developed Marxism since its foundation in 1953. We are using the election campaign to publicise our programme widely and unite workers across all borders in the struggle against social inequality, fascism and war. We have managed to obtain ballot status in the face of opposition from the establishment parties, which are doing everything they can to ban serious opposition in the elections to their herd immunity policies, growing militarism and glaring social inequality. While they collect millions from the state treasury as well as from rich donors and are automatically given ballot status, new parties that have no such funds had to submit 500 officially certified signatures per state, despite the coronavirus pandemic. This is not only undemocratic; it also favours radical right-wing parties that reject the social distancing rules and (for example, at the coronavirus deniers demonstrations) could easily collect signatures. The socialist candidates of the SGP, on the other hand, were not prepared to risk the health of their supporters to comply with the undemocratic electoral law. They therefore had to collect the handwritten signatures mainly online. As a result, they were unable to submit the required number of signatures for the state lists in Baden-Wurttemberg, Bavaria, Hesse and Saxony and were banned from the ballot, although all other formal conditions were fulfilled. The fact that we were able to submit more than the required signatures in Berlin and NRW despite these obstacles is an important political success that was possible only thanks to the support of hundreds of workers. Silke A., who is involved in the online group Schools without the risk of contagion, explained, I signed for the SGPs election participation because I want a policy that is fair to all people in our country and not just a small percentage, and that puts people first and not profit. Support also came from members of the Rank-and-File Committee for Safe Education as well as the Safe Workplaces Action Committees, which bring together workers who oppose the governments and companies herd immunity policies and are fighting for comprehensive coronavirus measures and the defence of all jobs. Although we are not on the ballot in every state, we will be taking our campaign nationwide and internationally, holding rallies in numerous cities across Germany and online events. We call on all readers of the WSWS to support our election campaign, to help spread our programme, to discuss it with colleagues and friends and to become members of the SGP themselves. At the heart of our programme is a socialist perspective. No social problem can be resolved without expropriating the banks and major corporations and placing them under the democratic control of the working class, reads the SGPs election manifesto. Their profits and wealth must be confiscated, and the trillions given to them over the past year must be returned. The world economy must be reorganised on the basis of a scientific, rational plan. The recent flood disaster underlines the importance of this programme. It reveals the bankruptcy of capitalism and the criminal inaction of its political representatives. They walk over corpses to satisfy the profit interests of the filthy rich. The same can be seen in relation to coronavirus policies, where all parties are pursuing an aggressive policy of reopening the economy. Although the Delta variant is spreading rapidly and is highly dangerous for children, they are opening up schools without any serious safety measures in order to place the parents labour at the disposal of the corporations. In order not to cut into profits, they are paving the way for the fourth wave and driving up the death toll. The SGP is calling for comprehensive safety measures in factories and schools to stop the spread of the virus. Instead of spending billions on increasing share prices, on armaments and on war, massive investments must be made in education and health. Other central points of our programme are the struggle against militarism and fascism and the defence of all jobs and social gains, and the democratic rights of the working class. These demands cannot be realised through appeals to the ruling elite, but only through the independent mobilisation of the international working class. The SGP therefore supports all genuine initiatives by workers and calls for the formation of rank-and-file action committees in workplaces, schools and neighbourhoods, which will unite internationally and organise workers struggles. These action committees must be independent of the trade unions and their works councils, which have turned into co-managers and the company cops of the corporations and are closely intertwined with the established parties. The SGP opposes all forms of nationalism and xenophobia, defends the rights of immigrants and refugees and fights for the international unity of the working class. Workers in every country around the world confront the same problems and can only oppose exploitation, militarism and fascism by uniting, the manifesto reads. It rejects the European Union, a tool of the banks, corporations and militarism, and fights for the United Socialist States of Europe. The state Labor government in Victoria is proceeding with its Shepparton Education Planat the centre of which is a staged merger of four public secondary schools in the regional city into one super-schooldespite enormous community opposition. Greater Shepparton Secondary School under construction [Credit: WSWS Media] The first stage of the forced amalgamation has already resulted in catastrophic consequences for students and teachers alike. Student welfare and additional needs programs have been slashed, subject choices scaled back, and students crammed into three campuses, where previously there had been four. Experienced teachers, dismayed by the changes, have left the school in high numbers, and violent conflicts between students have escalated to the point where ambulances and police have been forced to attend the school in response to emergencies. The government announced the second and third parts of its Education Plan in April and June. The second part was focussed on the provision of preschool education in Shepparton, while the third stage dealt with Sheppartons network of primary schools (for children aged 5 to 11). Accompanying both announcements was cynical government rhetoric proclaiming the transformational nature of these policies, which supposedly are going to ensure that children in Shepparton will get the best possible start in life. In reality, the governments measures will plunge the public education system in the regional city into an even worse crisis. Already there has been an exodus of students into private schools. This is set to further accelerate, following last months announcement of a new private combined primary-secondary school, run by the Anglican Schools Commission (ASC), a provider of religious private education. The ASC is receiving federal and state public funding to develop the $50 million project. By undermining confidence in the public education system, the state Labor government is driving the privatisation of public education, as families who can afford tuition fees seek to escape the chaos of the super-school. For the most socially disadvantaged layers in Shepparton, however, there is no choice other than under-resourced public schools. Government documents on stages two and three of the Education Plan included statistics on the shocking levels of poverty and hardship affecting working class families in the area. The stage two document explained: For decades, the young children of Greater Shepparton have experienced some of the lowest educational and health and wellbeing outcomes, and the highest levels of social disadvantage in Victoria. Nearly 70 percent of local children spend their early years living in the greatest social disadvantagetriple the state average. The document added that by the time Shepparton children begin school, they: are twice as vulnerable in critical development domains than the Victorian average, have double the risk of developing behavioural and emotional problems than their state-wide counterparts, are twice as likely to have experienced stress in their family home, such as parental alcohol or drug problems, child abuse or to have witnessed violence, compared to the whole of Victoria. Having pointed to certain aspects of the social crisis, the governments plans include not a single proposal to address the extreme deprivation and social disadvantage suffered by so many children and their families in Shepparton. Instead a series of limited measures are proposed, purportedly improving school services and early childhood education and caregiving. Stage two of the governments Shepparton Education Plan, focussed on the provision of pre-school services for children, promotes the recent opening of an Integrated Early Learning Centre (IELC) in Mooroopna. It will cater for 60 to 100 preschool children, staffed with a maternal health nurse, paediatrician and play therapist. This is a drop in the ocean, compared with what is required. Mooroopna is one of the areas in greater Shepparton most blighted by poverty, and has a significant indigenous population as well as refugee families who have fled the trauma of war. There are no immediate plans to build any other such learning centres. Instead, the Stage two policy document blandly states: It is envisaged that the IELC at Mooroopna will serve as an effective model that could be reflected in future years across Greater Shepparton. The state government established the Mooroopna IELC in partnership with the Colman Foundation, a philanthropic organisation that is already involved in a number of other projects with the Victorian Department of Education. The government has opened the door for private charities to operate within the public education system, a profoundly regressive move. A high-quality, free public education ought to be a social right, with every child also having access to publicly-funded and provided medical and social services. Instead, however, the government is abdicating its responsibility to working class children in Shepparton and throughout the state, moving to make the provision of decent facilities and resources dependent on the activities of private philanthropists. Mooroopna Park Primary school initiated a Healthy Eating Program in 2019, and now provides breakfast and lunch for all students, after it was found that 80 percent of children were coming to school either with no food or very unhealthy food. The program depends on the collaboration of community organisations that are reliant on donations from local businesses and the service of volunteers. School principal Hayden Beaton told The Educator Online that during the COVID lockdown and remote learning, it became clear to teachers that many students lacked even a pencil and paper at home. In the face of this grotesque social inequality, the third stage of the Shepparton Education Plan that focuses on primary schooling offers nothing but a continuation of the same government policies being imposed across all public schools in Victoria. This policy is known as FISO (Framework for Improving Student Outcomes), introduced by the Victorian state Labour government in 2015. It is a data driven model for education based on continuous improvement through the evaluation of teaching performance against key targets and indicators, including NAPLAN (National Assessment ProgramLiteracy and Numeracy) standardised test results. The Shepparton Education Plan document suggests that primary schools academic levels can be lifted by strengthening the implementation of the FISO improvement cycle to pursue innovation and best practice. In other words, the governments plan is to maintain and promote the very policies that have led to the current situation. As if students can be engaged in lessons, no matter how well planned and delivered, when they are hungry or when they come from homes where violence, drug abuse and homelessness are rampant (see: Shepparton teacher speaks of lack of health and psychological resources in schools). The state governments deliberate neglect of public schools in Shepparton, and its contempt for the social needs of working families, underscores the right-wing, pro-business nature of the Labor Party. To achieve a properly resourced public education system and an end to poverty and social deprivation, workers need to break with Labor and build a new party based on a socialist and internationalist program aimed at meeting social need, not private profit. In a blatant anti-democratic attack, Sri Lankan police arrested 40 teachers, including 16 female educators, and four drivers of the vehicles they were travelling in, following a protest for higher wages outside the presidential secretariat in Colombo on Wednesday. Some of the arrested teachers after being bailed out on August 5 Around 2,000 teachers participated in the demonstration which assembled outside the secretariat after travelling by motorcade from the suburbs of Welisara, Kadawatha, Moratuwa and Pannipitiya. The protest was held in defiance of a court order obtained by the police to ban the event. The teachers were arrested by Colombo Harbour police who jailed them until the following day when they were brought before a magistrate. Hundreds of teachers mobilised near the court premises in support of their arrested colleagues. They were blocked by baton-wielding riot police. In court police opposed any release, spuriously arguing that those arrested broke quarantine regulations, participated in an unlawful assembly and violated thoroughfare laws. The magistrate ruled, however, that the police had failed to justify why they should not be released. The decision was in response to widespread establishment fears that the ongoing incarceration of the educators would provoke mass outrage. Those arrested were released on 100,000 rupees ($US500) personal bail. It is not yet clear whether the police plan to initiate charges. The Rajapakse government is intensifying repression against anyone protesting its socially-regressive policies. This week police unleashed a witch-hunt against the organisers of a demonstration near parliament on Tuesday of students and teachers opposing the Kotelawala National Defence University Act (KNDUA). The law is a part of accelerating moves by the government to privatise education and expand the militarisation of government rule. The Student and Peoples Movement for Schools protest, which also involved university teachers, was initiated by the Inter University Student Federation (IUSF), controlled by the pseudo-left Frontline Socialist Party (FSP). Police used force and iron barricades to block the demonstration. Striking teachers in Welisara preparing to leave for Colombo protest [Credit: WSWS Media] On Wednesday night, police arrested FSP leader Chameera Koswatta and party member Kaushalya Hansamli who participated in the protest and the following day detained five student leaders, including IUSF convenor Wasantha Mudalige. Nearly 250,000 public school teachers and principals are continuing their online learning strike which began on July 12. The Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU), the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna-controlled Ceylon Teachers Service Union (CTSU), the FSP-affiliated United Teachers Service Union and several other unions called Wednesdays protest in response to the rising anger of teachers over repeated government rejections of their wage demands. Educators are also calling for the withdrawal of the KNDUA. The teachers strike is in defiance of education ministry orders that all principals and teachers should report for work on Monday. This directive is in line with last weeks government circular declaring that all state sector employees working from home must return to their workplaces. Teachers union leaders met with an official from the presidents office on Wednesday during the protest. He told the union leaders that a committee of officials from the state treasury and the national salaries commission has been appointed to look into teachers wage demand. The new committee is yet another government manoeuvre. Addressing Wednesdays protest, leaders of the teachers unions made demagogic speeches in an attempt to keep their members under control. CTU leader Joseph Stalin thundered: We came to inform you [the government] that if our problem is not solved by next Monday our actions will be stronger. He called on the cabinet of ministers meeting on Monday to provide a solution. CTSU secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe was more vociferous: If you do not solve the problem we will not only close the gates of the presidential office but will file around the whole secretariat building with hundreds of thousands of heads the struggle will end victoriously. In reality, the union leaders are rapidly moving to end the teachers strike action and impose another betrayal. On July 28, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse met with teacher union leaders, bluntly declaring that under the present global situation and the countrys financial predicament, the government is not in a position to rectify the salary issue at this moment. The union leaders assured the prime minister that they understood the economic crisis facing the country and were not expecting an increase in teachers pay. They urged him to simply make a policy decision to reduce salary anomalies. On August 2, President Rajapakse for a second time told his cabinet of ministers that the teachers wage demand could not be granted. According to media reports, he said nothing about a policy decision to reduce salary anomalies, as hoped for by the unions as an excuse to end all industrial action. Instead, the president cynically admitted that teachers wages had to be increased but said that the salary problems of all state employees would be considered in the governments November budget. Kapila Fernando, a teacher and a leading member of the Teachers-Students-Parents Safety Committee (TSPSC), attempted to address Wednesdays protest, following speeches by union leaders. Fernando is also a Socialist Equality Party (SEP) Political Committee member with a long record of struggle among teachers and other sections of the working class. CTU leader Joseph Stalin intervened and prevented him from speaking. Fernando insisted on his democratic rights as a teacher involved in the struggle, but Stalin stopped him, declaring, This is a meeting of our unions. You can speak in a meeting organised by you. We have taken this protest to a certain stage, dont spoil it. Speaking with World Socialist Web Site reporters after the event, Fernando said Stalin and the other union leaders stopped him speaking because they feared he would explain the critical political situation facing teachers and the necessity to fight for an alternative program to win their demands. Teachers cant rely on these unions and their leaders, Fernando stated. They have consistently betrayed us over the past 24 years. Now they are looking for an excuse to call off our current action. That is why they are urging the government to declare that it will merely accept as a principle that salary anomalies be resolved. Like all previous regimes, the Rajapakse government has repeatedly rejected our demands. The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened the economic crisis. The unions are tied to capitalism and the establishment, and cannot see beyond this, thats why they support imposing the economic burden on the masses. Fernando said teachers had to take control of their struggle by building action committees in every school, turning to other sections of the working class and fighting for the program elaborated in the July 28 TSPSC statement. Militancy and protest are important, he said, but they alone are inadequate. Teachers must base their struggle on socialist and internationalist policies. Such a turn is urgent. Educators are continuing to take action in several parts of the country. On Wednesday, teachers began a 100-kilometre march from Kandy in central Sri Lanka, expecting to reach Colombo this coming Monday. Regional protests have been held, including one on Thursday in Anuradhapura. Teachers demonstrate in Nuwara Eliya on July 30 [Credit: WSWS Media] The teachers struggle is part of a series of strikes and protests in Sri Lanka that have erupted this year involving health, postal and electricity workers in the state sector, and plantation workers in the private sector. This growing movement is in response to the skyrocketing cost of living and job losses which the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened. TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI)- Many people are hoping for a sense of normalcy this school year. Indiana teachers and students were looking forward to ditching the masks. As of right now, Indiana is not requiring students to mask up. After CDC's newest recommendations, this decision may be subject to change. Vigo County Health Educator, Roni Elder believes masking could lower COVID-19 numbers. "It's just so much easier when people are masked. It takes away a lot of those quarantines out of the equation so masks definitely help stop the spread" said Elder. Vaccinations are also highly encouraged for students. This could help stop the spread and keep students in the classroom and out of quarantine. To keep updated on COVID-19 and masks be sure to keep checking out our website for all the latest updates. Dick Farrel, a right-wing Floridian radio host, has died of complications from COVID-19, according to local news station WPTV. Farrel was vocal about his opposition to vaccination and general skepticism about the severity of the pandemic. On July 1, he made a Facebook post claiming to personally know two people in critical condition with COVID-19 despite being vaccinated. On July 7, he called Dr. Anthony Fauci a power tripping lying freak. These posts were among several others of the same sentiment, including at least one removed by Facebook for including misinformation, according to The Hill. More from Variety This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. But once Farrel contracted the virus himself, his opinion changed. WPTV reported that Amy Leigh Hair, Farrels close friend, decided to get the vaccine because of him. COVID took one of my best friends! RIP Dick Farrel. He is the reason I took the shot, she posted on Facebook. He texted me and told me to Get it! He told me this virus is no joke and he said, I wish I had gotten it! I was one of one the people like him who didnt trust the vaccine. I trusted my immune system. I just became more afraid of getting COVID-19 than I was of any possible side effects of the vaccine. Im glad I got vaccinated. He fought like a tiger. Please dont put off getting attention for this illness, Farrels longtime partner Kit Farley wrote on Facebook. Yes, for some it has minimal effects, but others it is deadly. According to another post by Farrels friend Mick McCabe, Farrel struggled with COVID-19 for three weeks before he died. He was 65. Farrels death comes as Florida battles a new surge in COVID-19 cases, having reported on Friday its highest number of daily reported cases since the start of the pandemic. Story continues Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. In a letter to State Department staff, Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded to the "growing concerns" from Department employees about Unexplained Health Incidents also called "Havana Syndrome" which are known to have affected roughly two hundred U.S. diplomats, intelligence officers and other U.S. personnel around the world. "Employees going abroad are anxious about whether they or their families are at risk," Blinken wrote. "That's completely understandable, and I wish we had more answers for you." Havana Syndrome incidents were first reported by U.S. officers in Cuba in 2016. Symptoms may include vertigo, ear ringing, nausea and intense headaches; some have even been diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury, though physical damage to the brain hasn't always been detected. Some victims were particularly upset that the secretary had not yet met with victims in person to hear their concerns. And they have complained that the department's efforts have been scattered, in part due to inadequate staffing and what they say is a lingering skepticism among its medical staff about the incidents' seriousness. Blinken told employees the department would "do a better job keeping you informed" of the government's ongoing efforts to identify the origin of the incidents, prevent future cases and provide care to those who have suffered symptoms. In March, he tasked Pamela Spratlen, a former U.S. ambassador to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, to oversee the State Department's response and to engage with employees affected by the health incidents. The department launched a pilot program to collect baseline health information on officers ahead of their overseas deployments and established a partnership with the National Institutes of Health for medical assessments. Blinken said in the letter that he would "soon" have the opportunity to meet with affected staff and their families. Story continues "A lot of talented and experienced people have been assigned to this. We're bringing all our resources to bear," Blinken wrote. Former Team USA gymnast calls Biles a role model for Tokyo Olympics decisions Facebook bans researchers looking into its practices, sparking criticism U.S. added 943,000 jobs in July as unemployment rate drops to 5.4% Theres been so much written about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leaving their senior royal roles and heading to the United States to pursue their passions. Life under royal protocols isnt for everyone and while the focus has been on Meghan, she wasnt the first romantic interest in his life who struggled under the rigid rules. Harrys on-again, off-again romance with Zimbabwean businesswoman Chelsy Davy was completely over after she attended the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011. Even though the couple was not dating at the time, Davy squashed any hopes of reconciliation with Harry because she realized she could never make the sacrifices she had witnessed Kate making, per Robert Laceys book, Battle of Brothers: William and Harry The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult, via the Mirror. More from SheKnows Prince Harry, Chelsy Davy - Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS. ASSOCIATED PRESS. In 2011, after more comings and goings, she finally decided to go and it was, ironically, Kate and Williams grand and glorious wedding that spring that did it for her, Lacey wrote. According to a friend, she told Harry that she could never make the scarifies she had witnessed Kate making, particularly when it came to moulding her life around the unremitting attention of the press. And that pattern would continue with his next girlfriend, model Cressida Bonas. Click here to read the full article. Cressida Bonas - Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS. ASSOCIATED PRESS. Even though she was used to being in the public eye as a model and actress, she felt that the fame of her relationship put her in a box.' But Bonas ran for the hills once she realized what royal duty really meant, especially for her future children. In 2014, she was said to have been completely spooked after watching the TV coverage of William and Kate touring New Zealand with baby George in tow that was not the way she would want to enjoy her eight-month-old son, she regretfully explained to Harry, according to Laceys book. Story continues Buy: Battle of Brothers $14.84 Royal life isnt for everyone, and given what weve heard Harry reveal over the last year it was uncomfortable for him, too. Thats why constantly scrutinizing Meghan for not fitting in (especially when they didnt all extend a warm welcome), isnt the best look for the royal watchers. It takes an extraordinary amount of effort to mold to royal expectations and there were at least two women before the Duchess of Sussex who understand her position very well. Our mission at SheKnows is to empower and inspire women, and we only feature products we think youll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale. Before you go, click here to see Meghan Markles best fashion moments as a royal. Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Launch Gallery: Inside Meghan Markle and Prince Harrys Relationship Best of SheKnows Sign up for SheKnows' Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iran on Monday reported more than 37,000 new coronavirus infections, the country's single-day record so far in the pandemic, state media reported. State TV said health workers registered 37,189 new COVID-19 cases since Sunday surpassing the previous daily record of 34,951 infections reported on Tuesday. Also, there were 411 deaths, bringing the country's total death toll in the pandemic to 91,407 the highest in the Middle East. The new surge has been fueled by the contagious delta variant, and Iranian authorities say less than 40% of the population follows measures such as wearing face masks and social distancing. Iranian health officials have regularly warned that hospitals in the capital, Tehran, and other major cities are overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. Also on Monday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the government to discuss the possibility of a two-week shutdown of the country, which Health Minister Saeed Namaki requested a day earlier. Namaki in a letter to Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, suggested the military could help enforce a lockdown. Authorities have avoided imposing heavy-handed rules on a population badly equipped to bear them. Iran, which has suffered the worst virus outbreak in the region, is reeling from a series of crises: tough U.S. sanctions, global isolation, a heat wave, the worst blackouts in recent memory and ongoing protests over water shortages in the southwest. Less than 4% of Iranians have been fully vaccinated. Many front-line medical workers have been vaccinated with Irans locally produced shots or the Chinese state-backed Sinopharm vaccine that report say may be less effective than other inoculations. Irans government announced that its homemade vaccine provides 85% protection from the coronavirus, without disclosing data or details. Iran also imports Russias Sputnik V vaccine, as well as the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot through the United Nations-backed COVAX program. Cassie Randolph And Brighton Reinhardt Make Their Relationship Instagram Official Brighton Reinhardt/Instagram Cassie Randolph and boyfriend Brighton Reinhardt have made their relationship Instagram official. On Thursday, the 26-year-old Bachelor alumna shared a carousel of photos and videos of her and the 25-year-old musician kayaking around Randolph's hometown of Huntington Beach, California. "Love exploring new places that I didn't even know were right in my backyard ," she captioned the post. Reinhardt replied to the post with a sweet sentiment: "love exploring new places with you ." The musician recently shared some sweet photographs on his own account, which showed the couple cuddling up together on the beach. "Insert cheesy caption here," he fittingly captioned the snaps. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Both Reinhardt and Randolph have also been teasing the release of a music video for his song "Dreaming" by posting photographs of themselves together while riding around in a car. "Went back in time for this one August 9th," she wrote in her post. RELATED: Cassie Randolph Is Dating Musician Brighton Reinhardt: 'She's Really Happy,' Says Source In May, a source told PEOPLE that Randolph and Reinhardt had been dating for a few months. Randolph was said to be "really happy" and had "definitely moved on with her life" following her messy breakup with Colton Underwood. In April, the couple appeared to travel together to Cozumel, Mexico according to photos posted on their respective Instagram accounts displaying the luxurious tropical getaway. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The vacation came around the same time as Underwood, Randolph's ex boyfriend, announced he is gay during an interview with Good Morning America. Randolph was Underwood's final pick on season 23 of The Bachelor. Though they didn't get engaged, they dated until announcing their split in May 2020. That September, Randolph filed a restraining order against him alleging he had stalked her home and put a tracking device on her car. Story continues Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories In early November, Randolph dropped the restraining order against Underwood. In a statement to PEOPLE at the time, Underwood said the two "were able to reach a private agreement." He went on to apologize to his ex for past mistakes during his GMA interview. "I would like to say sorry for how things ended," Underwood said. "And I messed up. I made a lot of bad choices." Photo credit: STX Films Captain America star Frank Grillo has a crazed hitman in the form of Gerard Butler on his tail in the first trailer for Copshop. Heading to the big screen next month, this Joe Carnahan-directed actioner looks both funny and adrenaline-inducing, with strong characters ready to lay down some violence. Photo credit: STX Films Related: Olympus Has Fallen's Gerard Butler sues producer over missed profits The official synopsis for Copshop reads: "Screaming through the Nevada desert in a bullet-ridden Crown Vic, wily con artist Teddy Murretto (played by Grillo) hatches a desperate plan to hide out from lethal hitman Bob Viddick (Butler). "He sucker-punches rookie officer Valerie Young (Alexis Louder) to get himself arrested and locked up in a small-town police station. But jail can't protect Murretto for long. "Viddick schemes his own way into detention, biding his time in a nearby cell until he can complete his mission. When the arrival of a competing assassin (Toby Huss) ignites all-out mayhem, mounting threats force Viddick to get creative if he wants to finish the job and escape the explosive situation." Photo credit: STX Films Related: Gerard Butler thought that Zack Snyder's 300 was "going to suck" This one reunites Grillo with director Carnahan once again after the time-looping Boss Level and survival thriller The Grey. Butler most recently turned up as John Garrity in disaster movie Greenland. Copshop comes to cinemas on Friday, September 10. In the latest edition of Digital Spy Magazine, we reflect on the 50 most groundbreaking soap characters of all time. Read every issue now with a 1-month free trial, only on Apple News+. Interested in Digital Spy's weekly newsletter? Sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox and don't forget to join our Watch This Facebook Group for daily TV recommendations and discussions with other readers. You Might Also Like Morne Steyn stepped off the bench to break British and Irish Lions hearts for a second time by landing a late penalty to clinch a dramatic series victory for South Africa. Steyn hit the target with a minute left to snatch a 19-16 victory for the Springboks in an unbearably tense third and final Test at Cape Town Stadium. In a cruel twist of fate, the 37-year-old also sealed the fate of the 2009 Lions when he booted another late penalty that gave South Africa an unassailable 2-0 lead in a 28-25 win in the second Test. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Inspired by Finn Russell who had replaced the injured Dan Biggar, the Lions produced their best rugby of the series in a first-half they lit up with off-loads, tempo and ambition. The only concern was that Ken Owens 19th-minute try as part of a 10-6 interval lead was a disappointing return given the time spent in the opposition 22 and so it proved in a tense third quarter dominated by the Springboks. Cheslin Kolbe struck with a brilliant finish to propel South Africa back in front and set-up a nerve-shredding climax to the series as Russell, Handre Pollard and then Steyn took over from the kicking tee. Finn Russell made an impact after coming on (Steve Haag/PA) But trailing 16-13, the Lions rolled the dice by opting for touch instead of another three points and the gamble backfired when a scrum won after they had been held up over the line saw the Springboks win a penalty to relieve the pressure. They did not make the same mistake twice, however, with Russell completing a long-range attempt to level the score with five minutes left, but there was still time for Steyn to strike. In a desperate blow for Biggar, his departure soon after missing a shot at goal brought on Russell who made an immediate impact with the ball in hand once Pollard had sent a kick sailing between the uprights to draw first blood. The Lions were gaining a crucial foothold at the scrum and when they squeezed the hosts once more, referee Mathieu Raynal awarded a penalty that Russell landed comfortably. Story continues And Russell was at the heart of a Lions attack that swept them downfield, sharp lines and slipped passes doing the damage and forcing another kickable penalty, but this time Alun Wyn Jones opted for touch. Ken Owens crosses for the Lions try (Steve Haag/PA) The gamble paid off as Owens was driven over from the line-out and with Russell on target with the conversion, the lead stretched to 10-3. Liam Williams ignored an overlap that would have led to a certain score for Josh Adams as the Lions, guided by Russell, continued to make ground with the ball in hand before a second attempt at scoring a maul try ended with Raynals whistle. Wyn Jones, the tourists most effective scrummaging loosehead, was clutching his shoulder in discomfort and South Africa forced a penalty at the set-piece that Pollard nailed. The first-half ended with the Springboks furiously defending their line with Siya Kolisi coming to their rescue with a critical steal. Wyn Jones finally departed with his injury soon after the interval and it became the Lions turn to weather a storm as South Africa pounded away without success, their disappointment compounded by a missed penalty by Pollard. A high tackle by Russell on Kolbe was whistled but once more Pollard could not hit the target and with 55 minutes on the clock, the tourists finally escaped their half with a long kick from their mercurial fly-half. Cheslin Kolbes try put South Africa ahead (Steve Haag/PA) But disaster struck almost immediately when a hoisted ball bounced off Jasper Wieses shoulder and fell to Lukhanyo Am, who fed Willie Le Roux. The former Wasps full-back did his job perfectly as he drew his man and fed Kolbe who twisted and turned through despairing tackles by Williams and Cowan-Dickie to score. Russell punished an infringement by Wiese to level the score but Steyn replaced Pollard and his first act was to land a penalty. The Lions were held up over the line and could not capitalise on a five-metre scrum, but they were back on the front foot through a rampaging break by Robbie Henshaw. Russell then found the posts but Steyn had the final say as he returned to haunt the Lions. Orlando Bloom Offers an Inside Look at His Refreshing Vacation In Italy Orlando Bloom/Instagram Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom Orlando Bloom has been vacationing in Italy, and it looks like a blast! The Carnival Row actor, 44, shared a series of photos from his international getaway Saturday, including a few snaps with fiancee Katy Perry. In one snap, the 36-year-old American Idol judge posed at the bottom of a staircase leading to a wine cellar alongside Lydia Kives and stylist Jamie Mizrahi. Meanwhile, in another adorable shot, Perry helped hold up a plate of full of truffles while Bloom got a good sniff in. "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizzapie That's amore When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine That's amore ," he captioned the carousel of pictures. At the end of the post, Bloom even tacked on a video of him and his pals singing the popular Dean Martin hit at a restaurant. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Bloom's dog Buddy, who he began fostering in November, also made a couple of adorable appearances. In one adorable shot, the pup lovingly gazed at the Pirates of the Caribbean actor while floating on a boat along the coastline. However, Perry had one complaint about the social media share. "You forgot to tag my daddy," she jokingly wrote in the comments section. RELATED: Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom Share a Kiss During Loved-Up Trip to Turkey: 'Infinity & Beyond' This is the couple's second trip to Italy in the last two months. In June, the couple posted several photos and videos from their trip to Venice, including a snapshot that showed them smooching on a gondola ride. "dump and a kiss under the bridge for good luck ," Bloom captioned his post. RELATED VIDEO: Katy Perry on Motherhood: "Becoming a Mother Makes You a Superhuman" RELATED: Orlando Bloom Enjoys a Stroll with Katy Perry and Son Flynn in Sweet Family Photo: 'Family Love' Bloom and Perry are parents to 11-month-old daughter Daisy Dove. Bloom also shares son Flynn, 10, with ex-wife Miranda Kerr, whom he split from in 2013. Story continues In June, the Hobbit star shared a sweet shot on Instagram of his family on a relaxing stroll in between vacations, alongside the caption "FAMILY LOVE ." This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Kerr, 38, told The Wall Street Journal in May that she is pleased to see Bloom happy and "absolutely" adores Perry. "I just feel so happy that Orlando found someone that makes him happy, because at the end of the day, for Flynn to have a happy father and a happy mother is the most important thing," the Australian model said. 98 Wines Dan Kitchens Winemaker Yuki Hirayama vinifies Muscat Bailey A in barrels and Koshu in steel tanks in a small temperature-controlled warehouse. I spent last winter making sake at a fourteenth generation brewery near the Japan Sea, a job I started a few years ago as research for my book, Water, Wood, and Wild Things, and have continued as the town of Yamanaka Onsen becomes my home. In spring, when the bubbling fermentation tanks had calmed and bottling was finished, my thoughts turned from sake to an even more ancient beverage: wine. The story most often repeated in Japan and beyond is that Japanese winemaking started just 150 years ago with the introduction of European oenology. But I'd read in the Kikizake-shi textbook (like a sommelier's manual for sake) that people in Japan fermented grapes long before any encounter with the West. The alcoholic drink people made from grapes in premodern Japan is usually called budoshu (grape alcohol) to distinguish it from wine, but I wanted to know: was there any meaningful difference? To find out, I headed inland to the heart of the modern wine industry in Yamanashi prefecture, southwest of Tokyo. 98 Wines Dan Kitchens Hammocks at 98wines encourage guests to enjoy the view of Mt. Fuji. To reach Yamanashi's Kofu Basin, I drove eight hoursalong winding mountain roads, through long tunnels and across deep ravinesarriving in a landscape more dry and open than the mossy densely forested Japan I know. I parked among budding vineyards under a cloudless sky, and climbed a long staircase to Daizenji temple, where a thousand-year-old wooden bosatsu holds a bunch of grapes, signifying their medicinal value. Today, Daizenji's head monk and his daughter make palatable wine from Koshu (an indiginous varietal) that wouldn't disappoint if you ordered the house white at a restaurant. The head monk's wife, acting as docent, told me that the famous travelling monk Gyoki founded the temple and taught viticulture to local people after an encounter with Yakushi Nyorai, a god of healing. (A similar story exists where I live, in Yamanaka Onsen, but it was by the hot spring that Gyoki met Yakushi Nyorai and founded a temple; I marveled that this monk had travelled distances on foot that were exhausting for me by car.) Story continues 98 Wines Dan Kitchens Daizenji, also known as the grape temple, offers clues about the history of viticulture in Japan. Even if Gyoki's tale is apocryphal, records show that by 1316 farmers were cultivating over fifty acres of grapes in the Kofu Basin, mostly for eating. The Koshu grape is related to stock brought along the silk road from the Caucasus (where present-day Georgia is located) that arrived here roughly 1300 years ago, crossbreeding with wild grapes along the journey. Koshu is classified as vitis vinifera, the species that encompasses most popular wine grapes, and it's rumored that farmers fermented fruit that wasn't good enough for the table. Seeds of wild grapes called yama-budo have been unearthed in lacquered clay vessels made by the hunter-gatherer Jomon people around around 48003000 BCE, thousands of years before the Japanese adopted rice cultivation from China (around 1000 to 500 C.E.) and started making sake. RELATED: F&W Game Changers: Now That's Good Wine And yet, as I discovered when I left the temple and began visiting wineries, most Yamanshi winemakers associate their craft with Europe. But do Japan's exciting contemporary wines have some connection to an ancient history of budoshu? Each winery I visited gave me a different answer, and their stories took me on a journey back through time. 98wines and the legacy of Japan's modern winemaking Kofu, Yamanashi's capital, is a city of postmodern midrise boxes built after the sixteenth-century castle town was burnt to the ground by American bombs during WWII. But the hills above the city are green with vineyards and orchards, interspersed with fruit stands and tasting rooms that look like chateaux. New leaves still sparkled on the mountainsides the day I visited 98wines. Veteran winemaker Yuki Hirayama bottled his first vintage there in 2018 after decades of working for well-respected Yamanashi vintners. His eclectic record collection is on display in a tasting room built like a kominka, or farmhouse, with wooden posts and beams and a tile roof. There's an espresso machine for the weekends, when friends and customers linger, soaking up Hirayama's worldly charm. He directed my attention to thick glass panels in the floor, revealing a pair of amphora, clay urns like the qvervi used to make the world's first known wine, in Georgia around 6000 B.C.E. 98 Wines Dan Kitchens The rose at 98wines, with a label by artist Tarek Abbar, hints at wild strawberry jam and the faintly medicinal fragrance of yomogi, Japanese mugwort. Hirayama uses Koshu grapes to make a delicate thirst-quenching white wine that pairs well with the bitter and umami flavors of many Japanese dishes. He also grows Muscat Bailey A, a Japanese cultivar bred from American and European grapes in the 1920s. Hirayama tells me he wants to make wine that reflects its origin, and only Koshu and Muscat Bailey A are truly suited to this climate, which is more humid and wet than most places in the world where wine grapes thrive. A metal door with the patina of a Richard Serra sculpture leads to a climate-controlled cellar, where Hirayama's business partner, Akiko Yoshidome, and a young man who is their only employee were sealing bottles of their third vintage with pink wax. They distribute to only eight wine shops in Japan, and they were expecting customers at the winery to pick up the new vintage the following day. Hirayama put me to work sticking on labelsblue and red line drawings by his friend Tarek Abbar from Spainwhile he prepared lunch. RELATED: This Unpasteurized Sake Is the Freshest, Funkiest Sip of Spring When the meal was ready, Hirayama called us up to the open-air tasting room and seated me facing a view of Mount Fuji. He served improvised tacos, small buckwheat crepes with avocado and braised lamb, and poured his effervescent white and rose into short wine glasses. The rose hinted at wild strawberry jam and a faintly medicinal fragrance of yomogi, Japanese mugwort. The white had a gently herbaceous aroma that mingled with the smell of weeds and dirt carried on the breeze from the vineyards. It buzzed on my tongue like kumquat. Yuki Hirayama making buckwheat tacos Hannah Kirshner Winemaker Yuki Hirayama enjoys cooking original recipes like buckwheat tacos for his friends and guests at 98wines. Hirayama studied lithography in France before returning to Japan and finding work in the office of Chateau Mercian, a winery that grew out of Daihatsu Dai-Nihon Yamanashi Budoshu, Japan's first private commercial winery. Founded in 1877 during the country's rapid modernization under Western influence, Daihatsu Dai-Nihon Yamanashi Budoshu sent two young men, Masanari Takano and Ryuken Tsuchiya, to France to learn winemaking. But their French-inspired wine didn't immediately catch on (the popular Japanese wines of the early twentieth century were fortified with honey and medicinal herbs, and marketed as health tonics). The Chateau Mercian brand was created later, in the post-war period, to make what they called "real wine," which began to receive international praise in the 1960s. Chateau Mercian sent Hirayama to Burgundy for three years to study winemaking. He returned to make wine at Mercian for 25 years, travelling to wineries New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, and Argentina. He then became head winemaker at another Yamanashi winery, Katsunuma Jyozo, for nine years, all the while dreaming of one day opening his own winery. He explained that the name 98wines refers to good but imperfect wines that are scored below 100 points in competition. They can become a perfect 100 or even off the charts, he says, with communication and collaboration among people from all over the world. RELATED: Japanese Pantry Essentials Hirayama tells me those first young Japanese men sent to France were looking for technologyin sake making the skill of the brewer is at least as important as the quality of ricebut winemaking is really about growing grapes. Hirayama wants the grapes to speak for themselves. He claims to do nothing more than crush the bunches, and control the temperature while the juice ferments with wild yeast. But when I ask him if the wine he makes has any connection to the budoshu Jomon people might have made, he says no, that was saru-zake, monkey wine. Katsunuma Jyozo and Portuguese Influence The next morning I visited Katsunuma Jyozo, a third-generation winery run by the three Aruga brothers that's large enough to export wine to Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, France, Italy and the US. The oldest brother, Hirotaka, has an obsessive highly-technical nature, and took over as head winemaker after Hirayama departed to start 98wines. The youngest brother, Sho, loves nature and spending time outdoors, so he manages the vineyards. And the middle brother, Jun, is the outgoing onewith the polish of a young man who spent time in Tokyoin charge of marketing. Eager to share the family story, Jun welcomed me to their tasting room in a 19th century machiya, a nearly-black post-and beam two-story house where their ancestors cultivated silkworms before turning to winemaking. Their father wanted to tear down the old machiya and build something modern, but a Frenchman convinced him of the value in old buildings that convey a sense of heritage. As he poured me glass after glass of Koshu wine to taste, Jun Aruga explained that the labeldesigned by a Japanese artist who lived for years in Portugal, is a dad joke. The family name, Aruga, sounds a little like the Portuguese word for wine cellar or winery, adega, so they call themselves Adega du' Aruga, a play on words enhanced by the vintage Portuguese look of the hand-drawn lettering. The Aruga brothers (left to right: Jun, Sho, and Hirotaka) Courtesy of Katsunuma Jyozo The Aruga brothers (left to right: Jun, Sho, and Hirotaka) are the third generation to run the family winery, Katsunuma Jyozo. The nod to Portugal has historical relevance. Japan's first contact with European wine was likely through Portuguese missionaries, in the sixteenth century when Jesuits brought wine to Kyushu, in southern Japan. Imported wine became popular among some elites. At least one was inspired to make his own: from 1627 to 1632 the head of the Kokura domain in Northern Kyushu, Tadatoshi Hosokawa, ordered the production of budoshu from wild grapes and black soybeans. But around that time the missionaries were exiled for meddling with politics, and Christianity banned for more than two centuries while Japan remained sealed off to most foreign trade. If winemaking continued, it was kept secret to avoid dangerous associations with Christianity. That changed after 1853, when US Commodore Matthew C. Perry and his fleet of black ships forced Japan into trade and diplomatic relationships with the West. By the 20th century, European grapes were all the rage. The Aruga brothers' grandfather opened Katsunuma Jyozo in 1937 to make European wine. But in recent years the brothers have shifted the focus to Japanese grapes and terroir. They tore out the Cabernet and Sauvignon Blanc their father favored and replanted the vineyards with Koshu and Muscat Bailey A. As I tasted distinct expressions of Katsunuma Jyozo's Koshu from different parts of Yamanashi, vinified in various styles, Jun Aruga told me that their scale of production (the winery occupies an old Asahi warehouse) allows for experimentation. Most Koshu wine is served young and fresh, but Katsunuma Jyozo has been aging their wine since the nineties. Their ten-year-old Aruga Branca Pipa reminded me of a dry Riesling and tasted like delicate dashi; Aruga said it pairs well with bittersweet river fish like iwana. A light barrel-aged red made from Muscat Bailey A had the wild berry brightness of a Pinot Noir, with subtle earthiness and floral notes of black tea; it's a good match with tuna belly and wasabi, Aruga told me. In a small vineyard near the tasting room, Aruga showed me a few remaining rows of Cabernet, grown on vertical trellises like the ones in France. When weeds grow tall around the vines, he explained, they trap moisture that makes the fruit prone to disease, so growing Cabernet this way in Japan necessitates using herbicide. Crouching to pick the vertically-trellised grapes in the brutal late-summer sun is terribly strenuous. Next he showed me Koshu grown in the Japanese style on trellises that form a high roof of grape vines (like European pergola trellising), so you can stand in their shade and reach up to pick them. This way the vines are well ventilated, like traditional Japanese houses, which are built to breathe in Japan's damp climate. We sat among wildflowers in the sweet-smelling grass beneath Koshu vines grown without commercial chemicals, a stark contrast to the bare dirt in neighboring vineyards, like most of the farms they contract with. The Arugas are working to demonstrate that herbicides actually create unnecessary work and expense. Aruga took me to lunch at the family restaurant, Kaze (meaning wind), built like the arcade of a Romanesque cathedral, with high vaulted ceilings and arched windows. After the carpaccio and sparkling wine were cleared, cooks dressed in white wearing tall toques sliced steak tableside, serving it with freshly grated wasabi. While I sipped another glass of vintage Koshu that paired marvelously with the meat, I asked Aruga if he could tell me the difference between budoshu and wine. He explained that he thought it had to do with export rules or taxation in the early twentieth century. The standard sake bottle size is different than a standard wine bottle, and because Yamanashi Koshu grapes have relatively low sugar, they are often fortified to raise the alcohol content of the finished productso by calling it budoshu, Japanese vintners didn't have to meet the international regulations for wine. I asked Aruga if he knew anything about budoshu made by grape farmers before Yamanashi's wine industry was formalized. He didn't, but he knew just the guy to answer my question. Japanese wines Hannah Kirshner Many of Japans contemporary wines feature indiginous and wild grapes, and express a palate and terroir unique to Japan. Budou-Batake and Farmers' Budoshu We pulled up to a little shop called Budou-batake, which simply means "grape field," and Jun Aruga introduced me to a farmer in mud-stained jeans and a ballcap, Hitoshi Mitsumori. Mitsumori led us to a shed downhill from his vineyards, where white goats grazed below the vines, and explained how he makes budoshu with a collective of farmers, the way it was done before industrialization and modern tax laws formalized Yamanashi's wine industry. He showed us the hand-cranked centuries-old soybean mill they used to crush grapes in the past, and beside it the slightly-updated motorized one they use now. The crushed grapes fall through a chute into the shed, where the farmers transfer them by bucketful to a press. The pressed juice is then fermented in an old enameled sake tank (the same kind we use at the brewery in Yamanaka). If the weather is too cool for wild yeast to multiply, Mitsumori adds commercial yeast to prevent spoilage, otherwise, he lets wild yeast do its work. Mitsumori enthusiastically answered my questions and poured us glasses of rose while we sat on broken school chairs in the winemaking shed. I eagerly took notesas he expounded on the history of farmer-made budoshu. Made from a mix of table grapes, the budoshu we sipped was sweet in a way that made it taste round and easy to drinklike chilled umeshu (plum cordial). It wasn't cloying like the sugary souvenir wine Yamanashi used to be known for. He had a dry rose and white too, which he said he made by mistake when he forgot to stop the fermentation. Farmers growing grapes to sell as fruit used to work too hard to drink much, Mitsumori told me, but they made their own budoshu to share at weddings and funerals. They would ferment unsellable grapes with any other excess or damaged fruit they had on hand before it spoiled. When tax regulations made homebrewing illegal in the early twentieth century, farmers began burying fermenting crocks in their field or hiding them in bamboo groves. The problem, says Mitsumori, was that if you made a really good batch you'd want to share it, but then word would get around and inevitably someone would rat you out. These days, the farmers make their budoshu collectively under a special license, held by the Mitsumori household and passed down through generations. They bring their best grapes to show off: if they don't the other farmers will get mad about mixing them with their own harvest. More than half this budoshi is bottled in isshobin, 1.8liter sake bottles, for the farmers. The rest is sealed in unlabeled 750mL wine bottles and sold in the Budou-batake shop (I took several home). So what's the difference between budoshu and wine, I asked Mitsumori? Nothing, he said, laughing. Except that budoshu can be made from large thin-skinned table grapesor whatever is on handwhile wine should be made from small thick-skinned wine grapes. But I can think of at least a few wines made from table grape varieties of vitus labrusca, like Concord and Niagara on the East Coast of the US, so it seems to be a distinction without a difference. Osamu Ishihara Dan Kitchens Osamu Ishihara selects a yama buso (wild grape) vine to transplant. Wild Grapes for the Road I was done with my reporting on wine, but before I left Yamanashi I visited a couple of acquaintances, Yuuki and Paul. Just as I was about to go home, they offered to show me their vegetable plot. They casually pointed out some yama-budo, wild grapes, that Yuuki's father, Osamu Ishihara, was using to make wine, and my eyes lit up. Ishihara, who practices natural farming, told me he's only made wine a few times. A friend of his used to bring him homemade yama-budoshu every year, and he knows a woman in her nineties who's been making her own wine forever with some of the grapes she grows commercially. It's hard to know how many people make country wine for personal consumptionit's not something they brag about. I asked Ishihara, don't you think since Japan has wild grapes, people have probably been fermenting them all through history? Of course, he said, and then offered me my own yama-budo to plant at home. With my yama-budo vine in the passenger seat, I drove away from the budding vineyards of Yamanashi, back towards flooded rice fields reflecting the sky as farmers pushed seedlings into the soft mud. The complete history of budoshu may be buried in the memory of people long gone, but by repeating the story that winemaking in Japan began in the nineteenth century, surely we are missing something important. I thought about a red wine I had picked up from a rest stop in Nagano made of yama-budo by Goichi Wines; its cinnamon fragrance mellowed into mountain dirt and stewed berries, with a gently tannic finish. I wondered if it tasted anything like what Jomon people madeintentionally or notin their lacquered clay pots. I headed home feeling certain Japan's relationship with grapes has deep roots, and excited about the winemakers propelling it into the future. A sweeping white gown. A teary-eyed father walking his daughter down the aisle. A vow to "love, honor and obey." When most people picture summer wedding season, familiar memories of classic traditions like these may come to mind. But many tropes that come with tying the knot have had major makeovers in recent years, as more couples opt to reimagine or completely jilt wedding traditions that revolve around gender. From who's allowed to be a bridesmaid or groomsman and what you call them to who gets walked down the aisle, more traditions are getting modern twists, as couples seek to be more inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community and consistent with a feminist view of gender. Plus, in the age of COVID, couples are re-evaluating what is important to them, and ditching traditions doesn't just allow them to flex their creativity. It allows them to host ceremonies more aligned with their values. "There are a lot of rules and etiquette around weddings, and a lot of them are, frankly, sexist and outdated, and they need to be rethought," says Amy Shack Egan, a wedding planner in Brooklyn, New York. "I've seen couples get so creative and make choices that really feel right for themselves and their partnership, so that a wedding can actually feel empowering." Here's how couples are choosing to de-gender wedding traditions and why some wedding experts say the changes may be for the best. According to wedding planners, many tropes that come with tying the knot have had major makeovers in recent years, as more and more couples opt either to reimagine or completely jilt wedding traditions that revolve around gender. Wedding parties, other traditions get gender-neutral spin Though couples make varied decisions on which practices to include at their weddings, planners agree two traditions are on the way out: The bride tossing her bouquet to her single female friends and the husband removing his wife's garter in front of all their guests. "Anything that feels super gendered or patriarchal or anything that supports the notion that women are property to be handed off from one man to another man all those things are things that have been questioned," says Cindy Savage, a wedding planner based in Seattle. Story continues When it comes to other traditions like the bride wearing white couples differ in their approaches. For Cavin Elizabeth, a wedding photographer based in San Diego, who got married in 2019, a white dress "did not feel like it honored my personality," she says. Instead, she opted for a blue gown with vibrant floral patterns. She also declined to take her husband's last name, with the aim of "not giving in to the system of patriarchy." "A poofy, fairytale white dress might actually feel really empowering and awesome for somebody, and for somebody else it might feel like a cage," says Egan. "So you have to decide what's right for you." For Cavin Elizabeth, a San Diego-based wedding photographer who married her husband in 2019, a white dress "did not feel like it honored my personality," she says. Instead, she opted for a blue gown with vibrant floral patterns. One tradition that can be more difficult to ditch is the bride's father walking her down the aisle to symbolically give her away to her groom. In a June YouGov poll of 700 Americans who have been married, 64% said they think the tradition of the bride's father, or another male, giving her away should be maintained. But it's not because brides necessarily want to be traded from one man to another they just don't want to hurt their parents' feelings. Minneapolis-based marketing director Megan Westman says she would have skipped this tradition for her wedding in 2020, but kept it because it was important to her dad. "Just the context of it seems like, why would you give a person away?" she says. "But I just loved the idea of something special for my parents, because it was a really big day for them too." Some couples are more inclusive with their wedding parties, not letting gender determine who gets to be a bridesmaid and who a groomsman, and calling them whatever they want. "Across the board there is a lot more trending towards inclusivity, and I think that is reflected in changing up traditions," says Savage. Despite de-gendered trends becoming more popular among couples, the $51 billion wedding services industry is still playing catch up when it comes to inclusion, says Laura Reitsma, whose company Fierce Productions specializes in nontraditional celebrations. According to a 2018 Community & Marketing Insights survey of same-sex and queer-identified couples, 83% of respondents said it was important to see other LGBTQ+ couples on a wedding vendors website for them to consider doing business with them. "I've definitely seen an uptick in the last couple of years, with more of the Gen Z, the younger folk who are getting married, getting engaged and coming to me because they're realizing the wedding industry is still extremely binary," she says. "They're not seeing themselves represented in a lot of publications, a lot of websites, documents, photos, so they come to us to create their own traditions." #WeddingFail: Mother-in-law wore wedding dress to son's big day, but bride wasn't mad Actually, gendered wedding traditions aren't even that traditional Many may balk at the idea of de-gendering weddings, but Stephanie Coontz, the director of research at the Council on Contemporary Families and author of the 2006 book "Marriage, A History: How Love Conquered Marriage," says structuring wedding ceremonies around gender is a relatively recent phenomenon. For much of history, Coontz says, wedding traditions had more to do with class and social status than with gender. That changed, she says, during the 19th century, as men began to work away from the household while women were confined to the domestic sphere. These traditions, she says, "reflected this new emphasis on gender as the most important division between people, more important than class." In the 1970s and '80s, more women joined the workforce, causing people's notions of gender, relationships, and family structures to shift. And though many may consider weddings simply as a fun party, Coontz says the traditions surrounding them reveal deeper cultural and social attitudes. "Rituals tend to reinforce certain expectations," she says. "Asking the father for the woman's hand in marriage reflects an idea that men initiate and that men dispose. And increasingly, people are wanting to find rituals that reinforce more egalitarian and more outgoing ways of organizing romantic relationships and family relationships." Staying Apart, Together: Why a Zoom wedding can be just as good as a regular wedding Not every couple fits into gender norms The 2015 legalization of same-sex marriage across the United States has also cast gendered traditions in a new light. Christina Stewart and Amanda Taylor of Lansing, Michigan, who wed at sunrise in Montana's Glacier National Park in July, said these traditions can be especially tricky for same-sex couples. "It's just hard because there's not really a template for it, and everything you see is very gendered, and that obviously didn't fit necessarily who we are," says Taylor. "I even feel like I caught myself buying into a lot of the traditional things because that's just how it's supposed to be." Amanda Taylor, left, and Christina Stewart of Lansing, Michigan wed at sunrise in Montana's Glacier National Park in July. According to Savage, who planned the couple's wedding and officiated the ceremony, the movement away from gendered traditions signals more awareness of the LGBTQ+ community, "It really mirrors the trajectory of LGBT rights progress and marriage equality progress through the country," she says. "Younger generations are so much more open and embracing of fluidity, both in gender identity and in sexual orientation. There's a real desire to be inclusive, even if they themselves are not queer or gender-queer." COVID made weddings more intentional Another factor in people reconsidering tradition is the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many people to cancel, postpone or downsize their ceremonies. As a result, couples have reconsidered which traditions are most important to them. Savage says COVID has made people more intentional in their planning. "It's made people have to really think about who do I want there and what can or will this celebration look like," she says. Weddings are for couples, not society Perhaps most important, planners say, the trend away from gendered traditions means people are thinking more deeply about weddings and what the ceremony means to them. Tweaking traditions to include people of any gender, or to give women more agency, they say, only makes the day more special. "It signals a generation of folks that are willing to question the status quo and willing to push against etiquette for the sake of just etiquette," says Egan. "There's just more and more people asking the why behind the traditions and making sure that it feels validating and good for them before they decide to do it." Reconciling tradition with progress, Westman says, is something everyone must consider, whether or not they walk down the aisle one day. "In every aspect of life, there's that balance between how things have been done in the past and evolving and making new traditions," she says. "A lot of the traditions are sexist and are geared towards your male-female couple, and I don't think it needs to be like that. I think people are recognizing that it's OK to go away from that." Why marriage is still a sexist institution and what we can do about it This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Weddings going gender neutral? How couples are reimagining traditions 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. New Delhi: IndiGo on Saturday (August 7) announced that leading air carriers will provide unlimited free travel to Neeraj Chopra for one year. The Olympic gold medallist can travel for free with IndiGo from August 8, 2021, till August 7, 2022. Announcing the offer for the Olympic gold medallist, Ronojoy Dutta, Whole-time Director and Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo said, Neeraj we were all overjoyed to hear about your remarkable achievement. You have made the country proud, and I know all IndiGo employees would be truly honoured to welcome you onboard one of our flights. With all humility, we would like to offer you free flights on IndiGo for a year. Notably, Chopra won the Gold Medal at Tokyo Olympics 2020 in the finals of Mens javelin throw on August 7, 2021. You have shown us what hard work, resilience and passion can achieve and I am sure you will be a torch bearer for future Indian athletes. Well done, Neeraj, Dutta added. Earlier in the day, Mahindra group Chairman Anand Mahindra on Saturday promised to gift the company's upcoming SUV XUV700 to Chopra. Also Read: TVS Jupiter scooter prices increased! Check latest rates, features and more: In Pics Responding to a Twitter user who asked him to gift Chopra the XUV700 on the microblogging platform, Mahindra replied, "Yes indeed. It will be my personal privilege & honour to gift our Golden Athlete an XUV 700. Also Read: Anand Mahindra promises to gift XUV700 to gold medalist Neeraj Chopra Live TV #mute New Delhi: Atleast three persons were rescued while one is feared trapped under the debris of a two-storeyed building that collapsed in the Nand Nagri area of the national capital on Saturday (August 7, 2021). The owner of the building, identified as Dhani Ram, was residing there with his family during the time of the collapse, the police told ANI . A police team rushed to the incident site and launched a rescue operation, as per an official statement. "There is a possibility that one person may be still under the debris. Efforts are being made to rescue the person," added the police. The building owner, his wife Anaro Devi, 65 and one other person identified as Rajkumar, 64, was rescued said the police. All the three are currently receiving medical treatment at the GTB Hospital. Kabul: The Nishan Sahib, which was removed by the Taliban from the roof of a Gurdwara in Afghanistan's eastern Paktia province, was restored with its "proper dignity" on Friday (August 6) night, said President Indian World Forum, Puneet Singh Chandhok. Chandhok said he talked with the local caretaker of the Gurdwara, who informed him that several Talibs revisited the Gurdwara on Friday (August 6) evening and agreed to the "functioning of the Gurdwara as per its customs".They also directed the caretaker to restore the Nishan Sahib, a Sikh holy flag, immediately in their presence. Yesterday, it was reported that armed men had forced the caretaker to remove the Nishan Sahib from its assigned place and tied it to a tree so that it could not be viewed as a distinct symbol from afar. "I have been personally informed a few minutes back by Rahman Chamkani, local caretaker at the Gurdwara that Nishan Sahib has been restored with its proper dignity at the roof of historical gurdwara last night," Chandhok said. He further informed that Taliban officials including their forces revisited the Gurdwara yesterday evening and conveyed their assent for the functioning of the Gurdwara as per its customs and also directed him to restore the Nishan Sahib immediately in their presence," he added. The gurdwara, located in the Chamkani area of Paktia, was once visited by Guru Nanak. The restoration of the Nishan Sahib comes after India condemned its removal. "We condemn this act and reiterate India`s firm belief that Afghanistan's future must be one where the interest of all sections of Afghan society including minorities and women are protected," government sources said. Sikhs all across the world are hurt by Taliban removing Nishan Sahib from historical Gurdwara Thala Sahib, which was visited by Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Talibans action reflects grave threats to Sikhs religious freedom in Afghanistan.@ANI @htTweets @republic @punjabkesari pic.twitter.com/WyV40Opyi2 Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) August 6, 2021 Chandhok appreciated the efforts of the Indian government and the international community for ensuring that the rights of minorities are well protected. "I and the diaspora deeply appreciate the efforts of Government of India and the International Community for ensuring that the rights of minorities are well protected in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The data connectivity is affected in the entire region and as soon as I receive the visuals will be sharing with all," he said. NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting on Friday to review the ongoing projects and the action plan for the future projects of the Delhi Jal Board. The meeting was majorly held to discuss the projects of providing 24x7 water supply to every household in Delhi, ensure 100% water pipeline connectivity in Delhi, extending 100% sewerage services in the city and to review the Yamuna cleaning projects. The CM emphasised on delivering the actual promises made under the projects and instructed the officers to make sure that 24x7 water supply actually translates into constant water in the pipelines and not just laying out pipelines for the sake of it. He further asked the officials to make sure that the 100% sewerage connectivity project is completed within the stipulated timelines and that the officers should be prompt with the on-ground realities of the projects and have an understanding of what the project can deliver. Alongside the CM, Water Minister Satyendar Jain, Delhi Jal Board Vice Chairman Raghav Chadha, Delhi Jal Board's Nikhil Kumar and other concerned senior officials of the Delhi Jal Board were present in the meeting. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while discussing the projects said, The Delhi Government will not make any false promises to the people of Delhi. Officers should have a complete understanding of the on-ground reality and what we can deliver. While improving infrastructure ensure that we supply water 24x7 to the households The project of providing 100% sewerage connectivity across Delhi should be completed within the stipulated timeline. Major interventions have been done by the Delhi Government to clean all the wastewater and drains flowing into the Yamuna river The Delhi Government is making best possible efforts to clean the wastewater and drains flowing into the Yamuna river. In-situ treatment of wastewater has been taken up by the agencies and quality improvement of Effluent Parameters of existing Sewage Treatment Plants has been undertaken on optimum levels. Sewage Treatment Plant capacities are being augmented by installation of additional aeration systems and floating aerators among other measures. Status of piped water supply in unauthorised colonies and in pilot project areas also discussed Of the total 1799 unauthorised colonies in Delhi, 1633 are being provided with water networks, piped water supply has been released in 1573, supply is yet to be notified in 60, and the balance number of colonies are 166. 24x7 water supply is already being made available by the Delhi Jal Board in some areas like Malviya Nagar, Nangloi and Mehrauli-Vasant Vihar which were taken up as pilot projects and cater to 12% of the population. In Malviya Nagar 98% of the project has been completed and the entire project will be completed by 30-09-2021. In Nangloi 76% of the project has been completed whereas in Mehrauli-Vasant Vihar 77% of the project has been completed and the projects will be completed by 31-03-2022. Presently, 12% population of Delhi is covered under 3 pilot projects for 24x7 water supply system and around 11% population will be covered under 24x7 projects being taken up under the command of the Chandrawal Water Treatment Plan. Number of milestones met in the 100 % Sewerage Connectivity Services Project in Delhi Notification for 55 colonies has been issued. Additionally, 12 colonies in Badli Assembly Constituency were commissioned and the notification in process, thereby increasing the number of colonies laid and commissioned from 561 to 573. Notification regarding norms of land for DSTPs and SPSs was issued by DDA on 26.06.2021. Estimates for internal sewerage system along with connected DSTPs at 8 locations in Najafgarh Drainage Zone, have been prepared and are in process of administrative approval from Board. New Delhi: Afganistan on Friday (August 6) exposed Pakistan's support to the ongoing Taliban offensive in the country how the group continues to enjoy "safe haven". Afghan envoy to the United Nations Ghulam M. Isaczai, speaking at United Nations Security Council said, "Taliban continue to enjoy a safe haven in and supply and logistics line extended to their war machine from Pakistan." He was speaking at the session of UNSC organized under India's presidency of the top UN body. The session was organized days after Afghan foreign minister Hanif Atmar had called India's external Affairs minister Dr. S Jaishankar. The Afghan envoy Isaczai highlighted, how "graphic reports and videos of Taliban fighters congregating close to the Durand Line to enter Afghanistan, fund-raising events, transfer of dead bodies for mass burial, and treatment of injured Taliban in Pakistani hospitals are emerging and are widely available." Pointing that this is "not only a naked violation of the 1988 UN Security Council Sanctions Regime but also leads to further erosion of trust and confidence towards establishing a collaborative relationship with Pakistan to end the war in our country." Last month at the Uzbekistan connectivity summit, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had publically slammed Pakistani PM Imran Khan for his country's support to the group and terror elements that are causing mayhem in his country. During a bilateral meet between Ghani and Khan in Tashkent, the latter had urged that Islamabad must help in removing and dismantling of the Talibans sanctuary and supply line. Kabul also called for the establishment of a joint monitoring and verification mechanism to make the fight against terrorism effective and credible. Giving details of the Taliban offensive in 31 of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, the Afghan envoy said, "these attacks have been launched with the direct support of more than 10,000 foreign terrorists Fighters representing 20 groups including Al-Qaeda, Lashkar e taiba, TTP, IMU, ETIM, and ISIL who entered our country and are fighting alongside the Taliban against our population and security forces." It is not for the first time Pakistan-based international terror group Lashkar e taiba's name has been mentioned by the Afghan govt. Recently in a briefing to foreign envoys based in Kabul, Afghan FM Atmar had also mentioned Lashkar's name. The terror group has been responsible for attacks in India. Later at the media stakeout, in response to the WION question will the Afghan govt provide evidence of Pak support to the Taliban, the Afghan envoy said, "Our government is constantly in touch. We have been providing evidence to the Pakistani Government and should remember that the security Council wants that evidence, we are ready to provide them." Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday asked BJP workers to be active on social media to take on those who are allegedly painting a negative picture of the central and state governments. Addressing a workshop of the IT and social media department of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Uttar Pradesh unit, Adityanath asked them to highlight the achievements of the BJP-led governments. "We do not try to bring the truth in front of people and this is our shortcoming. The opposition takes advantage of it," he said. We will have to move forward positively in a professional manner and with a strategy that will force the opposition to go on the back foot, he added. ALSO READ | BJP using e-Ravanas on social media to spread propaganda and hatred, says Akhilesh Yadav The chief minister said if anyone discusses the issue of farmers on social media, BJP workers should highlight that more than Rs 1.40 lakh crore has been paid to 45 lakh sugarcane farmers. "We must tell the people about the achievements of the governments," he said. Being active on social media should be part of everyone's daily routine, he told the gathering. "The media industry has undergone vast changes in the last two decades and today, we cannot separate ourselves from it. Hence, it must be used in an effective way to influence lives positively," he said. Live TV Ballia: Brahmins have always supported the BJP and will continue to do so, Uttar Pradesh minister Anand Swaroop Shukla said on Saturday (August 7), days after the BSP and the SP launched their programmes to reach out to voters from the community ahead of the state assembly elections. Especially targeting the Samajwadi Party, the minister of state for parliamentary affairs said the people of the party, who are "impure", are talking about holding 'prabuddh sammelans' (intellectual meets) as part of its Brahmin outreach programme. Last month, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the SP launched campaigns to reach out to Brahmin voters. As part of their campaigns, the two parties are holding a series of meetings of intellectuals. The BSP's campaign is led by its Brahmin face and party general secretary Satish Chandra Misra. Talking to reporters at the district headquarters here, Shukla said, "The effort of the SP and the BSP to influence Brahmins is the victory of the BJP. The BJP has the highest regard for Brahmins and they have supported the principles of the BJP since the beginning and will continue to be so." He pointed out at the BJP has provided 10 per cent reservation for the general category. The BJP holds a sense of pride towards the ancient cultural values of the country and it is the only party that respects the 'rishi' tradition, he added. Shukla said the people of the SP are "impure" and talking about holding 'prabuddh sammelans'. The SP is daydreaming. The SP held a 'prabuddh sammelan' in the native village of its senior leader Janeshwar Misra here on Thursday. The party has planned a series of similar conventions in the state. New Delhi: Malls and markets have been permitted to open till 10 PM, Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi announced on Saturday (August 7). The decision came after traders and businessmen urged the Delhi government to consider opening markets ahead of the festive season. The Chamber of Trade and Industry has written to the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) urging them to allow malls and markets to remain open till 10 pm. Prior to this, traders and businessmen had urged the Delhi government to consider opening markets in wake of the nearing festive season. The national capital recorded 44 fresh COVID-19 cases and five deaths due to the disease on Friday (August 6) while the positivity rate dipped to 0.06 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here. The coronavirus death toll in the city has risen to 25,065, the latest health bulletin showed. So far, the city has reported 14,36,623 cases of COVID-19 of which over 14.1 lakh patients have recovered. The number of active cases slightly decreased to 516 on Friday from 518 a day before. New Delhi: A controversial tweet of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with a picture of him meeting the family members of a nine-year-old Dalit girl who died in Delhi following an alleged sexual assault showed as "no longer available" on the microblogging website for violating its rules. Posting a picture of his meeting with the girl's family on Wednesday, Gandhi had tweeted in Hindi: "Parents' tears are saying only one thing -- their daughter, the daughter of this country, deserves justice. And I am with them on this path to justice." A click on the tweet led to a message that read: "This tweet violated the Twitter rules." The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had asked the Delhi Police and Twitter on Wednesday to take action over Gandhi posting the photo of the girl's family on the microblogging website, saying it violates the Juvenile Justice Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Gandhi had met the girl's family members on Wednesday and the Congress leader asserted that he is with them on the path to justice and 'will not back down even an inch'. Chandigarh: Amid reports of a paper leak, the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) Saturday cancelled the written examination for the recruitment of male police constables, according to an official order. Saturday was the first day of the examination and candidates appeared in the paper across 35 centres in the state in two shifts. Papers were scheduled for Sunday also. In a notification, the HSSC said, "It is notified for the information of all the candidates that the aforesaid examination which was held on 07.08.2021 (morning and evening shifts) and scheduled for 08.08.2021 (morning and evening shifts) is hereby cancelled. Fresh schedule will be issued later. Inconvenience is regretted. Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala sent out a tweet attacking the state's BJP government over the issue. "It is 28th paper (of various recruitments) which has got leaked, he said. "Once again police constable paper sold in lakhs of rupees," he said, saying such a leak was not possible unless the paper leak mafia had the patronage of those in power. "Who is responsible for the future of lakhs of students?" Surjewala asked. "During the past seven years, not even one person has been arrested in various paper leak incidents." New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his interaction with the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday (August 7, 2021) informed that India gave first priority to the poor during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. India gave first priority to the poor in its strategy to combat the crisis due to Corona. Be it Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana or Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Rozgar Yojana, we thought about the food & employment of the poor from the first day itself, said PM Narendra Modi. PM Modi further added that over 80 crore citizens were provided free ration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 80 cr citizens have been provided free ration in this duration. Not just wheat, rice or pulses but over 8 crore poor families were even provided free gas cylinders during the lockdown. Over 20 cr women received around Rs 30,000 crores directly in their Jan Dhan bank accounts, PM Modi said. The Prime Minister also expressed anguish at the continuing disruption of daily life and property in Madhya Pradesh floods triggered by incessant rainfall and termed the situation as unfortunate. Unfortunate that several districts of MP are facing rain & flood. Lives & livelihood of several people affected. Govt of India &entire nation stands with Madhya Pradesh in these times of crisis, said PM Modi at interaction with beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. He also noted the efforts by the state government and said, CM Shivraj and his entire team are going to the spots and carrying out rescue and relief operations. Be it NDRF, Central forces, or Air Force, all facilities are being provided to the State Govt for help in this situation. The Prime Minister asserted that efforts are being made to give strength to the poor, empowerment in the true sense from the past several years. "I remember what used to be the condition of roads in MP, we used to hear about big scams from here. Today, cities in MP are creating new models for cleanliness and development. Today, roads are being built in every village of the country, new jobs are being created, farmers have access to markets, poor people are able to reach the hospital on time in case of illness," he added. (With ANI inputs) Live TV New Delhi: India saw a slight decline in daily COVID-19 cases and recorded 38,628 new infections, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Saturday (August 7, 2021) morning. There were also 617 fresh coronavirus-related deaths and 40,017 recoveries in the last 24 hours. With this, the total number of COVID-19 cases in India has now increased to 3,18,95,385, while the death toll stands at 4,27,371. There are now 4,12,153 active coronavirus cases in the country as compared to 4,14,159 on Friday. ALSO READ | From Karnataka to Uttar Pradesh, heres a list of states reopening schools The Health Ministry informed that less than 50,000 daily new COVID-19 cases have been reported for the 41st consecutive day and that the weekly positivity rate currently stands at 2.39 per cent, while the daily positivity rate is at 2.21 per cent. India's COVID-19 vaccine coverage crosses 50 crore-mark India's cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage has now crossed the 50 crore mark with more than 43.29 lakh doses being administered on Friday. On the achievement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India's fight against COVID-19 has received a strong impetus. Indias fight against COVID-19 receives a strong impetus. Vaccination numbers cross the 50 crore mark. We hope to build on these numbers and ensure our citizens are vaccinated under #SabkoVaccineMuftVaccine movement. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 6, 2021 So far, more than 17 crore people in the age group 18-44 years across 37 states and UTs have got their first jab with Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh administering more than 1 crore cumulative doses. ALSO READ | Johnson & Johnson applies for emergency use authorisation of its single-dose COVID vaccine in India Eager to continue partnership with India in fight against COVID-19 The White House on Friday said that the Joe Biden-led administration is eager to continue the partnership with India in the fight against COVID-19 and provide assistance in the form of vaccines. Washington also commented on the delay in providing coronavirus vaccines to New Delhi. "The holdup is not on this end but we are eager to get vaccines and continue assistance to the people of India and want to continue to be a part of the arsenal of solving the pandemic," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. Live TV New Delhi: Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine received the Emergency Use approval in India on Saturday (August 7, 2021). Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya shared the announement saying the move will further boost the country's collective fight against the coronavirus infection. "India expands its vaccine basket! Johnson and Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is given approval for Emergency Use in India. Now India has five EUA vaccines. This will further boost our nation's collective fight against #COVID19," he wrote in a tweet. Johnson & Johnson Vaccine: Its Effectiveness According to the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Phase 3 trials, the vaccine was found to be 66% effective against the coronavirus 28 days after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was administered. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine reduces severe symptoms and hospitalization by 71% while the it was effective upto 95% from preventing deaths due to Delta variant, according to trial results from South African for August 2021. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been found to be nearly 85% effective on severe symptoms of novel coronavirus. According to the results Johnson & Johnson vaccine trial on 4,77,234 healthcare workers in South Africa, the vaccine is also effective on Delta variant of coronavirus. Johnson & Johnson Vaccine: Significant for India It is the fifth COVID-19 vaccine to be added to Indias vaccine list which will give a boost to the availability of the shots. India has so far approved the use of vaccines developed by AstraZeneca (Covishield), Bharat Biotech (Covaxin), Russia's Gamaleya Institute (Sputnik) and Moderna. Johnson & Johnson Vaccine: Why single dose is administered A single dose of the vaccine was found to have generated neutralising antibodies against a range of Sars-CoV-2 variants of concern, including against Delta (B.1.617.2), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1). The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts of WHO decided that the single dose (0.5 ml) Janssen Ad26.CoV2.S vaccine should be administered intramuscularly and there should be an interval of 14 days before the administration of this vaccine and any other vaccine. Live TV New Delhi: Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine has got approval for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) in India, the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya informed on Saturday (August 7, 2021). Mandaviya took to his official Twitter account and wrote that India has 'expanded its vaccine basket'. "Johnson and Johnsons single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is given approval for Emergency Use in India. Now India has 5 EUA vaccines. This will further boost our nation's collective fight against COVID-19," the Union Health Minister tweeted. India expands its vaccine basket! Johnson and Johnsons single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is given approval for Emergency Use in India. Now India has 5 EUA vaccines. This will further boost our nation's collective fight against #COVID19 Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) August 7, 2021 A Johnson & Johnson India spokesperson had informed that the American multinational company had applied for EUA of its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine to the government of India on August 5, 2021. The shot will be brought to India through a supply agreement with vaccine maker Biological E Ltd. The pharma company's statement said that the EUA submission is based on topline efficacy and safety data from the Phase 3 clinical trial ENSEMBLE, which demonstrated their single-shot vaccine was 85 per cent effective in preventing severe disease across all regions studied. The Phase 3 clinical trial also showed protection against COVID-19 related hospitalization and death, beginning 28 days after vaccination. The Johnson & Johnson (J&J)/Janssen vaccine was listed for emergency use by World Health Organization (WHO) on March 12 this year and the vaccine has ALSO been authorized for use in Europe, the United States and other countries. This is to be noted that India has so far approved the use of vaccines developed by AstraZeneca (Covishield), Bharat Biotech (Covaxin), Russia's Gamaleya Institute (Sputnik) and Moderna. Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine received the Emergency Use Authorisation a day after India's cumulative vaccination coverage crossed the 50 crore mark. On the achievement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday had said that India's fight against COVID-19 has 'received a strong impetus'. Indias fight against COVID-19 receives a strong impetus. Vaccination numbers cross the 50 crore mark. We hope to build on these numbers and ensure our citizens are vaccinated under #SabkoVaccineMuftVaccine movement. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 6, 2021 Live TV New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath on Saturday (August 7) conducted an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas in Sheopur and visited other districts to take a stock of the situation. He said floods have caused an "unprecedented" damage in Gwalior and Chambal divisions. I have never seen such a disaster in life, PTI quoted Nath as saying. Addressing the reporters after his aerial survey, the former MP CM said, I saw 80 per cent of the people on rooftops. Enormous damage was caused to the land and crops due to the flood. Former Madhya Pradesh CM & Congress leader Kamal Nath conducts aerial survey of the flood-affected area in Sheopur pic.twitter.com/UaFy5o54cy ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2021 When asked about the announcements made by Shivraj Singh Chouhan government, the senior Congress leader said, "This is not the time of (playing) politics. We are extending help. The Congress will continue to help. Further, he asked, How you (the government) are going to assess the losses to pay compensation. How much help you are going to provide? When will the bridges damaged by rains will be repaired and houses will be provided to the people rendered homeless due to the flood." Nath added that Congress will pose questions on the damaged bridges, loss of crops, etc to the MP government. Addressing 'Anna Utsav' programme earlier in the day, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan informed 8,832 people have been rescued from the flood-affected regions, while around 29,280 people have been shifted to safer places. As per the state officials, Gwalior and Chambal divisions in north Madhya Pradesh have been battered by rains over the last few days. Torrential rains this week have affected more than 1,250 villages in the north MP. The death toll in rain-related incidents has increased to 24, the officials added. (With PTI inputs) Live TV Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has alleged that states were not consulted properly before the initiation of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the Parliament and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "refrain from the initiation of the legislation" because it will hamper the interest of the larger section of the society. In a letter written to Prime Minister Modi, Banerjee said, "Power is too important a sector for such unilateral interferences, especially when 'electricity' as a subject is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution of India and any legislation on a subject in such a list needs serious prior consultation with the States. In the present case, there has been some tokenism of consultations, but no real exchange of views, which is antithetical to the federal structure of our polity". Registering her protest against the recent Central government's move to place the much-criticized Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the Parliament, the chief minister said, "Such a laissez faire approach would result in concentration of private profit - focussed utility players in the lucrative urban-industrial segments, while poor and rural consumers would be left to be tended by public sector DISCOMS". "In the name of market reforms, the State will give up its commanding height, state PSUs will become sick and ailing and yet forced to serve areas where no corporate body would focus. Allowing cherry-picking to select private entities cannot be the goal of public policies, particularly in a strategic sector like power," she alleged. The Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020 seeks to propose amendments to the Electricity Act 2003. The 2003 Act governs the power sector structure and policy. It recommends the generation, distribution, transmission, trading and use of electricity. Further, it also sets rules and regulations for regulatory authorities in the state and central departments of the power sector. The first few amendments introduced to the Act were in 2014. The 2020 amendment Bill has proposed the setting up of a National Selection Committee instead of a separate selection panel for the appointment of state electricity regulatory commissions (SERCs). Alleging the sweeping abdication of the States pre-eminent role in the power sector in favour of unregulated and de-licensed private players, the chief minister wrote, "The avowed objective of the Bill is to provide plural choices to the consumers, even while actually the Bill will finally end up in profiteering by the new service providers through enhancements in tariffs and every sector of the society will suffer due to increased tariff". Mamata Banerjee said that the proposed Amendment strikes at the root of that federal architecture. "The reduction of the role of the state public utility bodies, the unchecked enhancement of the role of private corporate bodies, and the curtailment of the authority of the states in the power sector together imply a sinister design, whereby crony capitalism will get nourishment at the cost of the states, the public sector and the common people at large," she wrote. "The dilution of the role of the State Electricity Regulatory Commission and the State Distribution Companies implies a political design to demolish state bodies and domestic industries. Direct interference by the Central Government in activities involving distribution will not at all be helpful to take care of the interest of the common people and the States," she added. "I would like to request you to kindly refrain from the initiation of the legislation and to ensure that a broad-based and transparent dialogues on the subject is opened up at the earliest," she said. Live TV New Delhi: Amid reports of many states reopening schools and educational institutions after witnessing a steady decline in COVID-19 cases, Meghalaya Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui on Friday (August 6, 2021) also hinted at the same. The northeast state is looking to reopen educational institutions after mid-August, Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui said. While speaking to the reporters, Rymbui said there is a need to resume classroom teachings as soon as possible, especially in higher education institutes. "About 50 percent of students eligible to avail COVID-19 vaccination have taken the vaccine. This is expected to increase further by mid-August," he said on Friday. "When everything has already started, and even the markets are opening, then why not the schools. This is my personal opinion, but (the decision) will have to be collectively taken with the Health Department," he added. Additionally, Rymbui urged the citizens to get themselves vaccinated against COVID-19 which will also provide a safe environment for the students. "I am very happy that every day about 10,000 people in the state are getting vaccinated," the minister said. "So, I take this opportunity to urge the parents, and friends all over the state to let us give education to our children by vaccinating ourselves so that our society is more resistant to this coronavirus," he said. (With PTI inputs) Live TV New Delhi: Three men were arrested on Saturday on the charge of attempting to murder Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb. According to police, the three men drove a car through the security cordon of the chief minister when he was out on evening walk near his official residence at Shyamaprasad Mukerjee Lane on Thursday. Deb managed to jump aside as the vehicle whisk past him, but one of his security personnel sustained minor injuries. The chief minister's security tried to intercept the car but could not, police said as per PTI report. The police chased and managed to stop the rashly driven car with registration number TR01-0356 at around a kilometre away from the Ker Chowmuhani area and arrested three youths from the seized vehicle. The accused were identified as Subham Saha, (27) resident of Kashari Patty, Aman Saha (25) resident of Ramthakur Sangha and Gairik Ghosh (24) resident of Rabindrapally apartment, police told ANI. Assistant Public Prosecutor Bidyut Sutradhar said the motive is yet to be ascertained. "We demanded two days of police remand for interrogation, but court has remanded them to judicial custody till August 19. Now, the police would interrogate them in jail to know their motive behind driving through the security cordon of the chief minister," Sutradhar told PTI. The three accused were produced before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate PP Paul on Friday and remanded to 14 days in jail. Bhopal: In a veiled attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (August 7) accused the previous government of indulging in hypocrisy, and said it used to recite the word 'poor' hundred times a day like a "song", but did not work for their welfare. Speaking during a video interaction with Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) beneficiaries from Madhya Pradesh, he also said that there was 'vikriti' (distortion) in the system of the previous government. Asserting that with the change in the functioning of the government now, the schemes were reaching the beneficiaries, Modi also said work was on to mitigate the problems being faced on the employment front. "The schemes of the government are reaching the ground and are being implemented at a fast pace because of change in the functioning of the government. There was 'vikriti' in the previous government's system. They used to ask questions about the poor and also give answers themselves," he said. He accused the previous government of keeping the poor and villagers away from basic amenities like roads, electricity, housing, cooking fuel, banking etc, and said, "They used to speak the word poor hundreds of times a day. They recited the word poor like a song, but did not adopt their welfare in practice. Such acts are called 'pakhand' (hypocrisy). They did not give these facilities to the poor but used to express false sympathy." Talking about his government's measures, he said as many as 80 crore Indians received free ration during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and these included five crore people from Madhya Pradesh. He described the coronavirus pandemic as the biggest disaster faced by humanity in the last 100 years, and said people should continue to wear masks, sanitize hands and maintain social distancing to check the spread of the virus. He said that the fight against COVID-19 was more difficult for India than other parts of the world given the problems caused by large population, lives and jobs affected by migration in addition to the medical infrastructure woes. "India gave the first priority to the poor in its strategy to combat the crisis due to coronavirus. Be it Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana or Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Yojana, we thought about food and employment of the poor from day one itself,? he said. Narendra Modi said that the country gave priority to 'Made in India' while making all these arrangements against the pandemic. "India developed its own COVID-19 vaccine. Yesterday, we crossed the significant mark of giving 50 crore doses. We are administering more vaccines than the population of several countries in one week. We will further speed up this process,? he said. Praising the Madhya Pradesh government for its welfare works and taking the state from the category of BIMARU states, Modi said that this is the benefit of the "double engine" governments (same party ruling in state and Centre) as the state strongly implements the Centre's schemes. He said that measures were being taken to reduce the impact of job losses due to pandemic in India. "Work is being done to mitigate the effect of problems being faced on the employment front. The government is working at a fast pace in the field of construction and infrastructure, which provides jobs in large numbers. Small scale industries are being helped. Relief is being given to farmers,? he said. The quality of roads in Madhya Pradesh used to be very poor earlier and they would hear news of scams under the previous (Congress) government, he said, adding that the present dispensation worked at a fast pace to develop the infrastructure. He said that the Madhya Pradesh government purchased wheat from 17 lakh farmers and paid Rs 25,000 crore to them. Stressing his government's 'vocal for local' initiative, Modi said Indians should buy handicraft items during the festival season to encourage those working in this sector. Before his address, Modi interacted with some beneficiaries of the PMGKAY in different parts of Madhya Pradesh, including Chandrabhan from Niwari, Maya Uike from Hoshangabad and Rajendra Sharma of Burhanpur. While interacting with Chandrabhan, Modi asked whether the benefits of Centre's and state's various schemes were reaching to him or not. When replied in the positive, the PM expressed satisfaction and said, "All hundred paise of one rupee sent by the Centre is now reaching the villages. The money is not reaching the mediators." Speaking with Maya Uike, Modi asked how she likes to see the future of her children. When she said that she would ensure their study, Modi said that several girls, who are participating in the Tokyo Olympics from India, belong to very poor families but are putting up amazing performances. MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also addressed the virtual programme that was broadcast from Bhopal's Minto Hall. (With agency inputs) New Delhi: A police personnel lost his life in a militant attack on a police party in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday (August 7), officials informed. The policeman, identified as Nisar Ahmad Wagay, succumbed to injuries on the way to a hospital. "Terrorists attacked a police party at Pombai in Damhal Hanjipora in Kulgam district by opening firing, resulting in injuries to one cop," an official was quoted as saying by PTI. The officials added that security forces have cordoned off the area, while a hunt has been launched for the attackers. Meanwhile, earlier on Saturday, the security forces in a joint operation killed one terrorist of the proscribed terror outfit Al-Badr in J&K's Budgam. Another terrorist of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was arrested in another operation in Awantipora in the union territory. "During the search operation, as the presence of terrorists got ascertained, they were given an opportunity to surrender. However, instead of surrendering, they fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party which led to an encounter," ANI quoted a press release by the police. "In the ensuing encounter, one terrorist of the proscribed terror outfit Al-Badr was killed and his body was retrieved from the site of the encounter. He has been identified as Shakir Bashir Dar, the son of Bashir Ahmad Dar and a resident of Goripora in Awantipora," the police added. (With agency inputs) Live TV New Delhi: The Himachal Pradeshs District Tourism Officer (DTO), Sunaina Sharma, on Friday (August 6, 2021) said that tourism in Kangra district which was hit hard by the pandemic, has been further impacted by heavy rains that have caused landslides. "COVID-19 is a key reason why the tourism sector has been affected adversely ever since it started in March 2020. When you talk about Kangra, there are stations like Beed, Dharamshala with a lot of foreign tourist visitors. But COVID hit that as well," said the District Tourism Officer. "The incidents due to heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh have also affected tourism. Traditionally, the rainy season leads to less tourism here but the impact this time around has been massive. Our tourism had picked up after Covid-19 but incidents of road cave-ins and landslides once again brought it down," Sharma further said. Sunaina Sharma also talked about the data which showed steep decline in tourist footfall. "Earlier in June, after COVID restrictions were relaxed, tourism picked up quite well. The occupancy had reached 90 percent in tourism units. Till July 10-11, it stayed the same. But due to weather changes reduced our occupancy to less than 10 percent. In spite of weekend tourists and business visits picking up, occupancy still is within 10-15 percent," she said. Meanwhile, last month, numerous landslides triggered by incessant rainfall claimed many lives in the hill state. On August 4, Nahan-Kumarhatti road on National Highway 907 in Himachal Pradesh was closed due to a massive landslide. On August 1, the State Disaster Management Authority had said that the state had suffered a loss worth 632 crores due to landslides, rains, and cloudbursts. (With ANI inputs) Live TV Lucknow: Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the BJP will hold more than 100 programmes as a part of a campaign to mobilise the masses and party workers and strengthen the party organisation. The programmes will start on August 9 during a meeting of Zila panchayat and block panchayat chairmen here and continue till January 26, UP BJP's general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal said on Saturday (August 7). "In the coming six months, different programmes and campaigns will be held for youth, women and farmers. A plan for organising big programmes is also being prepared," he said. There will be mass mobilisation, the party will reach out to voters, meet beneficiaries of government schemes, hold village 'chaupals' and 'kisan chaupals', he added. "The August Kranti Diwas is commemorated on August 9. Zila panchayat chairmen and block panchayat chairmen will prepare a plan and pay tributes to freedom fighters and those who laid down their lives for the freedom of the nation. The statues of freedom fighters and martyrs located in different blocks in a zila panchayat will be cleaned, washed and garlanded. This will continue till August 15," Bansal said. From August 10 to August 20, the meeting of the 403 assembly constituencies of UP will be held, he said. Bansal said a 'Booth Vijay Abhiyaan' (campaign to win booths) will be launched on August 23. "Under the 'Booth Vijay Abhiyaan', meetings of booth 'samitis' will be held and verification of the booth 'samitis' will also be done from August 23 to September 7," he said. The birth anniversary of Bharatiya Jana Sangh co-founder Deendayal Upadhyay will be celebrated on September 25, he added. "Around 100-125 programmes will be held and they will continue till January 26," Bansal said. Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections are due early next year. New Delhi: In a chilling incident, Youth Akali Dal leader Vicky Middukhera was shot dead in broad daylight in Punjabs Mohali on Saturday (August 7). The Mohali police said four unidentified assailants chased Middukhera and killed him on the spot, ANI reported. Four assailants chased Vicky Middukhera down and fired about 8-9 rounds, killing him on the spot. Investigation is underway, Satinder Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Mohali was quoted by the news agency. 4 assailants chased Vicky Middukhera down and fired about 8-9rounds, killing him on the spot. Investigation is underway: Satinder Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Mohali pic.twitter.com/RVmb3K80LX ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2021 As per IANS report, the crime was caught on CCTV camera. The video footage from the crime scene shows Middukhera running away from the spot when two men fired at him. The assailants were waiting in a car parked near his vehicle in Sector 71. The Akali Dal leader was about to sit in his SUV, when the assailants fired at him. As he came out of the car and started running, the attackers chased after him. The police have not ruled out a possibility of gang war that led to the murder, as per IANS report. As a student leader, Middukhera was president of Student Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU) in Panjab University in Chandigarh. After that, he joined the Shiromani Akali Dal student wing -- Student Organisation of India (SOI). (With inputs from agencies) Live TV New Delhi: At least 100 nursing students from two colleges in Karnatakas Hassan district tested COVID-19 positive on Friday (August 6). As per ANI report, these students had to undergo COVID-19 test after 21 nursing students from Kerala, who had come to Hassan for an exam on Thursday, were found positive. As per the officials, 100 nursing students from Hassans two colleges are asymptomatic and are currently at the private COVID care centre in the district. Out of 48 students from Kerala who had come to Hassan, 21 tested positive, following which the district health officials conducted coronavirus tests on more than 900 students across nine nursing colleges in the district on Friday. According to Dr Vijay, Health Taluk Officer, Hassan, the nursing students had come to Hassan to appear for the supplementary exam, which was held on July 26, in their college. All the 27 primary contacts of these 21 students who tested positive have been quarantined. On July 31, the Karnataka government had made a negative RT-PCR report mandatory for people entering the state from neighbouring Kerala and Maharashtra in view of the current COVID-19 situation. The negative RT-PCR report has also been made a must for students and those visiting Karnataka daily for education, business and other reasons. The visitors are required to undergo RT-PCR test once in 15 days and provide a negative report. (With agency inputs) Live TV Bengaluru: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday (August 7) conducted searches at seven locations in Karnataka relating to rioting and violent attacks on DJ Halli and KG Halli Police Stations here on August 11 this year. Searches were conducted at premises of seven absconding charge-sheeted accused persons, NIA said in a statement." During the searches, incriminating documents and electronic devices were seized from the premises of absconding accused persons," the statement said. The attack pertains to an incident on August 11, 2020 when the mob, protesting against the alleged derogatory social media (Facebook) post by one Naveen, had turned violent and targeted the two police stations. The mob had attacked the police personnel and also burnt police vehicles and damaged government and private properties in and around the two police stations. The riot led to fear and panic in the nearby areas and was intended to cause terror in society. After investigation, the NIA had filed a charge sheet against 109 and 138 accused persons DJ Halli and KG Halli police station attack cases respectively on February 5 this year. The anti-terror agency in November last year also conducted searches at 43 locations in Bengaluru city including four offices of the Social Democratic Party of India, the political wing of Popular Front of India (PFI) in connection with the case. "The cases, FIR No 195/2020, DJ Halli Police Station dated August 12, 2020 and FIR No. 229/ 2020, Police Station KG Halli of August 12, 2020 were re-registered as RC- 34/ 2020/ NIA/DLI and RC-35/ 2020/ NIA/ DLI respectively," said the NIA. Mumbai: Two people have been detained by the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of Mumbai Police's Crime Branch on Saturday in connection with the hoax bomb scare in four locations of the city. As per Mumbai Police`s statement, an unidentified caller threatened to bomb three railway stations and actor Amitabh Bachchan bungalow, which turned out to be a hoax call. "Mumbai Crime Branch`s CIU (Crime Intelligence Unit) has detained two people. They are being questioned in connection with the hoax phone call, received by the Police last night, that mentioned the presence of bombs at four different locations across Mumbai," said Police. Earlier, the police said that they were trying to trace the location and identity of the caller. "Police Control Room received a phone call last night, threatening that bombs have been placed at four locations across Mumbai. They said the bombs have been placed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Dadar, and Byculla railway stations, as well as at the residence of actor Amitabh Bachchan," police said. Mumbai Police, along with Railway police and bomb squad conducted searches in and around all four locations but no suspicious object was found. "In the probe, it was found to be a hoax call," added the statement. ALSO READ | Mumbai police file molestation case against Vibhu Agrawal, CEO of Ullu Digital Live TV New Delhi: Actress Bhumi Pednekar has just wrapped the Mumbai schedule of her next titled Raksha Bandhan in which she has been paired opposite superstar Akshay Kumar. This happens to be their second film together after the blockbuster Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. Interesting, Bhumi is collaborating with Aanand L Rai, the producer of her hit film Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, who will be directing her in Raksha Bandhan. Raksha Bandhan is my reunion with the most special people in my life! Aanand Rai sir is a guru for me, who trusted my abilities as an actor when I had just started out and I will forever be grateful to him for the opportunity he gave me to shine through in Shubh Mangal Saavdhan. So, Im delighted that I have got an opportunity to work with him again, says Bhumi. Akshay Kumar sir gave me a film that became my first blockbuster. He believed in me in Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and our pairing won hearts. He has instilled a sense of belief in me that has propelled me to excel in this industry. So, naturally, I was thrilled when I got to know that I will be acting with him again in Raksha Bandhan, she adds. The versatile actress is confident that Raksha Bandhan will appeal to audiences of all age groups. She says, Its a script that will touch everyones hearts and Im hoping that my pairing with Akshay sir will be loved again! New Delhi: The Bombay High Court on Saturday (August 7, 2021) dismissed the bail plea of businessman Raj Kundra and associate Ryan Thorpe in the pornography case. Kundra had filed a writ petition in the court calling his arrest 'illegal'. The court reserved its verdict upon hearing both the concerned parties. Responding to the writ petition filed by Kundra, the public prosecutor stated that he is a British citizen and destroying the evidence in the case against him and there is a possibility of him doing the same in future. The investigating agencies have recovered 51 adult movies from the Storage Area Network (SAN) and 68 adult films from his laptops. Therefore, Raj Kundra's arrest is not only valid but also very important in this case, argued the prosecutor. A single bench presided over by Justice A S Gadkari rejected their applications, saying that the duo's remand by a magistrate to police custody and the subsequent judicial custody was within the conformity of law and did not require interference. In their petitions, Kundra, husband of actor Shilpa Shetty, and Thorpe had termed their arrest as illegal as the mandatory provision of issuing notice under section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) was not followed. The duo, in their plea, sought the high court to order for their immediate release and quash two orders passed by a magistrate after their arrest remanding them in police custody. Raj Kundra, the husband of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, was arrested by the crime branch on July 19 in a case related to the alleged creation of pornographic films and publishing them through apps. Meanwhile, the Police on Friday recorded the statement of actor-model Sherlyn Chopra for nearly eight hours in connection with the porn films case in which businessman Raj Kundra has been arrested, an official told PTI. Chopra appeared before the property cell of the Mumbai crime branch at around 12 pm to record her statement and left at around 8 pm, the official said. Earlier this week, the police had quizzed the director of Armsprime, a company linked to the alleged porn racket. Last week, a court had rejected the pre-arrest bail application filed by Chopra. In her plea, Chopra has said she apprehended arrest in the case registered under IPC sections 292, 293 (sale of obscene material), as well as relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act. The crime branch is investigating the case that was registered at the Malwani police station in suburban Mumbai in February 2021. (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: Actress Nushrratt Bharuccha is not doing too well on the health front as recently she had to be taken to the hospital from the sets of a Luv Ranjan film. All shooting for the film has been stalled temporarily in light of Nushrratt's poor health. In an interview with a leading daily, Nushrratt spoke about the whole ordeal in detail. It all started when she had to take a day off from shooting as she felt under the weather. The actress thought she would recover with a day's rest so the next day she showed up on the set. However, she had a vertigo attack after which she was immediately rushed to Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai. She was so weak, she said, that she needed a wheelchair to take her upstairs in the hospital. She told ETimes, "The doctors diagnosed it as a vertigo attack which has perhaps happened due to stress. The pandemic has had a toll on everybody- emotionally, physically and financially." "I was staying in a hotel while shooting this film. The hotel was close to the set. In today's times, I felt that this would be good as it would save the time I would take to reach the set from my house. One day, after about three weeks of shooting, I felt very weak and I excused myself from the shoot. I thought I would be okay in a day or so but the next day was equally bad. I reported on the set but a few minutes later, it all went spiralling downward. I could not do anything. They decided to rush me to Hinduja Hospital (Mumbai) and when I reached there, I was still worse. I needed a wheelchair to be taken upstairs. My blood pressure by then had dropped to 65/55," she added. "By then, Mom and Dad had arrived at the hospital. The next 6-7 days were very bad. I did not get hospitalised; I am taking medicines at home. A full check-up has been done and I am okay. I have taken leave for about 7 days more from today. The doctor has advised 15 days of complete rest," the 'Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2' actress concluded. On the work front, Nushrratt will be next seen in 'Ram Setu', 'Hurdang', 'Chhorii' and the unannounced project. New Delhi: Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor's film Aisha clocked 11 years on Friday (August 6) and to celebrate the occasion, the actress hosted a Clubhouse session with her sister Rhea on the eve of the film's 11th anniversary. During the session, she made a shocking revelation saying that she was bullied by men in the industry during the making of the film. However, she said, knowing that her sister Rhea was always beside her gave her immense strength. "As women, we dont realise that there is more power in numbers. The way my sister (Rhea) and I were bullied through the process of making the film by some of the men in the industry made us realise when there are more of you together, its easier to stand up to things and give each other strength. So that is the one thing that was a takeaway from Aisha that I always knew my sister was my best friend," she said as quoted by Hindustan Times. Earlier, Sonam was making headlines as one of her outfits had sparked pregnancy rumours in the media. However, she shut them down with a witty social media post. On the work front, Sonam will be seen in the upcoming crime thriller titled 'Blind'. It is directed by Shome Makhija and produced by Sujoy Ghosh, Avishek Ghosh, Hyunwoo Thomas Kim, Sachin Nahar, Pinkesh Nahar, and Manish W. The film features Sonam Kapoor in the lead role, and Purab Kohli, Vinay Pathak, and Lillete Dubey in supporting roles. Telecom company Airtel apologised for sending some of its customers about the deactivation of services and stopping outgoing calls on their numbers. The telco had wrongly sent a message to some of its customers that they have to recharge to continue their outgoing calls. Later the company clarified that the message was sent due to a technical error and it was sent specifically to Delhi. This didnt affect the Airtel customers in other parts of the country. Your outgoing services have been discontinued. To continue, Click airtel.in/prepaid-recharge or dial *121*51#, Airtel had said in the original text message. The telecom operator issued a clarification which read that the wrong message about the deactivation of services might have been received due to a technical problem. It further asked the affected customers to completely ignore the content of the message and apologised for the inconvenience caused. Live TV #mute KYC frauds have increased a lot in India and telecom operators like Airtel India, Vi and others are leaving no stone unturned to alert users against these spurious message links about KYC. They are also advising users not to download remote access apps like TeamViewer QuickSupport, AnyDesk and others. Finally, the cybercrime division of Delhi Police has revealed Google Play Store search results are primarily responsible for helping scamsters to do KYC frauds in India. In a tweet, DCP Cybercrime added that searching for KYC on the Google Play store shows TeamViewer Quick Support as the first result and this is the same app used for KYC frauds in India. Dear Google India, Online frauds in the name of KYC verification are rampant. Fraudsters use Remote Access Apps to steal Card details, Netbanking details & OTP. Search using keyword 'KYC' on Google Play Store shows Team Viewer Quick Support as the 1st option. Such suggestions and prompts from Play Store aide the fraudsters in tricking gullible users. It may be one of the reasons why people are being conned into installing such App in the name of KYC updation. Kindly resolve this issue in public interest, tweeted DCP Cybercrime from its official Twitter handle and also attached a video showcasing the issue. The KYC scam involves a threat where people are asked to submit within 24 hours of the call for eKYC verification to avoid discontinuation of services. The scamster poses to be from the customer care team and then requests the user to install a Quick Support app from Google Play Store. Thats where the trap comes, when the user goes to download the app, he sees that there is no such app and he is directed to Team Viewer Quick Support app. Then, the scamster easily takes over the smartphone and whatever activity the user does, the fraudster takes a screenshot of the activity. Due to the rising misuse of the Teamviewer app, the developer has added face and fingerprint for smartphones to prevent unauthorised access. Live TV #mute New Delhi: As they bitterly fought over the popular Fortnite game on Play Store, Google considered buying `some or all` of its developer Epic Games. According to newly unsealed court filings seen by The Verge, Google allegedly offered a "special deal" to launch Fortnite back on Android Store. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney tweeted on Friday that this was "unbeknownst to us at the time, and because of the court`s protective order we`re just finding out now about Google`s consideration of buying Epic to shut down our efforts to compete with Google Play". "Whether this would have been a negotiation to buy Epic or some sort of hostile takeover attempt is unclear. Here Google also talks about the `frankly abysmal` sideloading experience they created, all while touting Android publicly as an `open platform,`" Sweeney further posted. Epic claimed that Google was threatened by its plans to sidestep Google`s official Play Store commission by distributing Fortnite through other channels. In an unredacted segment, Epic said: "Google has gone so far as to share its monopoly profits with business partners to secure their agreement to fence out competition, has developed a series of internal projects to address the "contagion" it perceived from efforts by Epic and others to offer consumers and developers competitive alternatives, and has even contemplated buying some or all of Epic to squelch this threat." The Fortnite developer last month renewed its fight against the app store restrictions, filing a new complaint against Google in its anti-trust lawsuit. The company last year sued Google over the removal of Fortnite game from Play Store. Epic plans to launch Fortnite on the Samsung Galaxy Store. "Google was determined not to let this happen," so it offered Epic a "special deal" to launch on Google Play. "When Epic rejected the deal, Google allegedly took other anti-competitive action, but the details of that action aren`t available," according to reports. Epic is also involved in a legal battle with Apple. Apple`s main trial with Epic finished in May, with both sides now awaiting a decision from Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers on the matter. The much-reported trial between Apple and Epic Games began on May 5, as the companies got involved in a legal battle over the use of an in-game payment system. Also Read: CarTrade, Nuvoco Vistas, Aptus Value and Chemplast Sanmar IPOs to open next week: Check open date, price band, other details The Fortnite game was removed from App Store in August last year after the company allegedly violated rules by adding an in-game payment system aimed at depriving Apple of its commission on in-app purchases from App Store. Also Read: Centre aims to settle Cairn Energy retrospective tax case with $1 billion refund: Report South Korean smartphone maker Samsung is planning to launch its next generation of foldable phones on August 11 at its Galaxy Unpacked event. The company said that customers can pre-book the upcoming smartphones by paying an amount of Rs 2,000 on Samsung Indias e-store or Samsungs Shop app. After the payment, customers will get a Next Galaxy VIP Pass that will give customers an opportunity to get a Smart tag worth Rs 2699 for free. Notably, the token amount of Rs 2,000 will be deducted from the actual price of the smartphone and it is only for those who pre-book it. Samsung is definitely going to launch Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 on August 11 and the event will be livestreamed on Samsung Newsroom India and Samsung.com starting at 07:30 p.m. IST. Besides that, the company is also launching the Galaxy Watch4 Series and Galaxy Buds2. According to a report, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 will be priced at roughly Rs 1,65,000 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 will start at around Rs 97,900. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 price in India will be launched with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 specifications (leaked) Galaxy Z Fold 3 is said to come up with a triple-camera setup which will have a 12MP + 12MP + 16MP camera sensor setup. The foldable display will have a 16MP under-display camera, whereas the cover screen will come with a 10MP camera inside the hole-punch cutout. The smartphones will be equipped with a 7.55-inch foldable display which will have 120Hz refresh rate and other screen will be 6.2-inch tall. Both screens are said to support Samsungs S Pen.It will be powered by Snapdragon 888 SoC and it will come up with a 4,500 mAh battery with 25W fast charging support. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 specifications (leaked) Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is said to come in four dual-tone colours White, Purple, Black, Green. The smartphone will be equipped with a 1.1-inch cover display to read text messages. If rumours are to be believed, then the smartphone will also come with a 6.7-inch foldable AMOLED display. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 camera will have a 12MP + 12MP sensor setup. It is rumoured to have a 10MP front camera. New Delhi: We're only a day away from the premiere of the most-awaited reality show Bigg Boss OTT which will be hosted by the feisty host Karan Johar and fans cannot contain their excitement! The Karan Johar-hosted show will feature many interesting contestants such as Neha Bhasin, Akshara Singh, Zeeshan Khan, Ridhima Pandit, Raqesh Bapat, Karan Nath, and many more. Here's all you need to know about the show: When is Bigg Boss OTT releasing? The wait isn't long now as the show will air on Sunday (August 8) at 8 pm. It will be hosted by director Karan Johar for the first six weeks. Where to watch Bigg Boss OTT? 'Bigg Boss OTT' will stream on the streaming platform Voot Select. Along with daily episodes, the audience will also have access to the 24x7 CCTV footage of the contestants in the Bigg Boss house. What to watch out for in Bigg Boss OTT This is the first time the reality show will have a special digital segment. After the completion of the digital exclusive, the show will move seamlessly into Colors with the launch of Season 15 of 'Bigg Boss'. "Bigg Boss OTT", which will stream on Voot, will introduce a 'janta' factor. The new format will give the common man the uncommon powers of "Bigg Boss OTT" by enabling them to handpick contestants and the contestants' stay, tasks, and exit from the show. Earlier, the makers had released pictures of the decor of the house which was very different from previous seasons. In the pictures, we could see beautiful double-decker beds with unique decor on the walls. Bigg Boss is known for its extraordinary beautiful house with almost all the luxuries including from the spa to the shopping complex to a theatre view. Anything and everything that you could expect is available in the house where the contestants are locked inside for the whole season without a watch, phone, or anything which can connect them to the outside world. What's even more interesting is that viewers will have total access to the doings of the contestants as with 24x7 direct camera footage. From Monday-Saturday, the episodes will air at 7 pm on Voot and on Sunday, at 8 pm. New Delhi: Popular show Ghum Hain Kisikey Pyaar Meiin has gained massive popularity ever since its launch. Recently, fans were excited to watch the promo of Ghum Hain Kisikey Pyaar Meiin which witnessed iconic actress Rekha making an appearance in it. In her magical voice, she unveils the upcoming twist in the story of Sai played by Ayesha Singh and Virat played Neil Bhatt in the show. Popular actor Neil aka Virat expressed his gratitude about veteran actress Rekhas association with the show. Who wouldnt be excited to know that Rekha Ji is going to be a part of our show again! It is our honour to have her associated with Ghum Hain Kisikey Pyaar Meiin. She brings with her all the elegance that we as an audience have always cherished. My favourite part was the way she ends the promo by saying the show's name. I have been an ardent fan since childhood and it just gives goosebumps to act on the same platform as her," said Neil. He added, It has been my dream to share screen space with her at least once in my life. Also, the audience is on the edge of their seats with the upcoming twist about Samrats re-entry and what all drama will follow since so many things are unsaid between the key characters. The interpersonal relations may change after his re-entry. So, all in all, theres a lot to offer the audience with the upcoming interesting turn of events! Watch Ghum Hain Kisikey Pyaar Meiin only on Star Plus at 8 pm. Kabul: An Afghan Air Force pilot was killed by a bomb in a Kabul district on Saturday, officials said, in an attack claimed by the Taliban. The pilot killed on Saturday, Hamidullah Azimi, was travelling when a sticky bomb attached to his vehicle went off, officials said, adding that five civilians were injured in the explosion. Azimi was trained in flying U.S.-made UH60 Black Hawk helicopters, and had been working with the Afghan Air Force for almost four years, Afghan Air Force Commander Abdul Fatah Eshaqzai told Reuters. He had moved to Kabul with his family one year ago due to security threats, Eshaqzai added. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Muhajid said in a statement that the Taliban had carried out the attack. Reuters was first to detail a Taliban campaign to assassinate pilots off-base that Afghan officials say claimed the lives of at least seven Afghan pilots before Saturday`s killing. The Taliban has confirmed a program that would see U.S.-trained Afghan pilots "targeted and eliminated." U.S. and Afghan officials believe the targeting of pilots by the Taliban is a deliberate effort to destroy Afghanistan`s corps of U.S.- and NATO-trained military pilots - as fighting escalates across the country. The Taliban - who have no air force - are looking to level the playing field as they press major ground offensives that have seen them swiftly seize territory since May. Emboldened by Washington`s announcement to withdraw all U.S. troops by the end of August, the Taliban has launched a bloody military blitz across the country which has gained momentum in recent days. On Friday insurgents captured their first provincial capital in years when they took control of Zaranj in Afghanistan`s southern Nimroz province. As the insurgents look to take other cities, the Afghan Air Force has played a crucial role in holding them back. Azimi`s death came just days after the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR), in a report to Congress, said the Taliban assassinations of pilots detailed by Reuters was another "worrisome development" for the Afghan Air Force as it reels from a surge in fighting.